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I'm not sure if you're just looking for technical answers here, but I'm down to give an answer to my interpretation of the question. :) I am working towards two major goals. First, I feel healthy right now in both my body and mind, but I didn't used to. I partied pretty hard through my 20s, while still experiencing plenty of success in my career, and that made me feel pretty cool. Eventually the exhaustion and added stress caught up to me in my early 30s and reduced the quality of my relationships and career progress. I never want to feel that way again, but it's difficult to change so much of my identity on a dime. So, my first goal is to fully habituate a set of actions I consider healthy and to do so so deeply that taking those actions is an extension of my identity rather than effort I feel I need to continually exert in an attempt to change. Second, I need to create a piece of software that I can use as a means of self-expression. I've been in software development all my life. I have created or contributed to several pieces of software which have affected the lives of millions only for them to be shut down due to external forces. I find it deeply, deeply frustrating to meet new people, explain who I am and what I'm about, but then fail to have anything tangible that I can point them towards and go, "Look! This is who I am. This is what I create. This is me." How did I get to this point? I've spent the better part of my life working on projects considered wildly successful, but money is hardly an identity. I'm over it. I will create something, even if it's niche and unpopular, that isn't dependent on external factors, like a third party API or extreme capital, so that I am able to continually express who I am through my craft. So, yeah. Those are my goals. What am I working on? Well, I've quit habits related to drinking alcohol, smoking weed, and consuming caffeine and Adderall. I run 20-30 miles a week, built a home gym and lift weights three times a week, but I don't work on flexibility as much as I should. I used to do yoga, but it slipped off my radar, and I'd like to get back into it. I track all my macros/micros, eat enough protein, avoid sugar, and generally eat really clean, but every few weeks I'll cave in and have a greasy pizza or giant burger. I would like to get better at managing my emotions and caloric intake so that I don't lose out to these cravings. I have pretty good sleep hygiene and try to be winding down at 9/getting up at 6, but I often fall asleep on the couch when I'd prefer to wind down with a good book in my bed. I have tried, repeatedly, to practice more mindfulness through meditation and journaling, but these habits haven't stuck for me yet. I aspire to grow into these goals and I'm confident I'll establish more goals for myself as I continue to improve. And I've started tinkering around with making a game of sorts. I know it's going to be a simulation of an ant colony that runs 24/7, like a Tamagotchi, but I haven't succeeded in designing compelling game mechanics as of yet. I want it to feel like I'm caring for a digital pet, for there to be a sense of pride and responsibility in keeping my pet alive, and to increase my mindfulness of self-care through the act of continually caring for my pet. To me, it feels similar to how dog owners go for more walks because they establish routines with their furry friends, but digitally and with an emphasis on mental acuteness. I've spent an awful lot of time getting excited about convoluted ideas in this area, and most have ultimately fizzled out or failed to converge into coherent gameplay, but the process of exploring what sounds interesting to me, and how to gamify self-care, has been quite good. I am hopeful that sometime in my life I'll find a way to create a compelling, digital pet that helps me and others continually care for themselves through the act of continually caring for their pets. That's all I got! Thanks for the question. Cheers |