I guess it is time for me to talk about those things that slowly get my attention, but I just want them to finish to keep going with my life. It happened with Zelda, a Nintendo video game that I found amazing and beautiful, but honestly it got to take a bit too much of my time, to the point that I couldn’t enjoy it towards the end of the run and I just rushed to finish, so I could stop playing. Notice that I did not let it go until I finished it, but the thing that bothers me towards the end is that I stopped enjoying some of the most exciting parts of the game. It has happened to me with series and some anime. It looks like the actual entertainment is to blame. I am clear that it is my responsibility that I could not let go of the games, that I could not enjoy my present, and that I was distracting myself with something that I thought I liked. Maybe it is that I am not ok mentally in those moments, maybe I get a little bit addicted to these things, and I use them to procrastinate on the things that matter for me. I am a person that does a lot of things, that is always doing something, that wants to achieve and enjoy life my way, but yes I am not perfect. I don’t always manage my own time or life the best way, but I am, I think I am doing better.
Life undoubtedly has its challenges. The way it teaches you that one or 5 too many things that are your priorities, that it is honestly impossible to do them all. Or when you allow people that never wanted good for you to be with you but they are not aligned with what you want or need, boundaries that you could have created to avoid hatred and resentment in your life, yep those friends that you were not prepared to handle. Or those things you thought you could handle and enjoy but deep down you never enjoyed and you could not handle, you did not have the communication skills required, the honesty and the impetus to navigate towards your goals and enjoy where you were at that moment. And in those moments, a video game, a series or a bad friend that seems good, are just escapes. It doesn’t matter how good it was, they are not the reason you are there, yes you can enjoy it, you can be fascinated by them, but you are there because you need to escape a little bit of that reality. Things are amazing, and it takes a second to appreciate the beauty in anything, but you need to practice appreciation, and presence so maybe even in the darkest time you can enjoy the beauty and the effort of an artist or a team creating a whole universe for the world’s entertainment.
Yes in reality, entertainment of any kind is just amazing, from big budget movies, to a 30 second tiktok, these days, these videos are created to keep us attached to the screen. There are always some not too good productions, but in general, a lot of the content around us is majestic. That without saying it, is organised in ways that our brains surrender with genuine interest. Not surprising that once we are hooked it is a big struggle to detach from them. Atomic habits and all sorts of books are full of strategies to avoid falling into this trap. I think the most important thing is to be kind of clear on your priorities and values, always remember WIN. What’s important now? And if it is that video game then enjoy, but if it is not, maybe put the nintendo away until you think it is a win. Leaving my phone to charge outside or downstairs has been game changing, I do not get to see my phone sometimes for up to 2 hours after waking up. And everytime I look back on those mornings I have been very productive. We are finite humans and the most important skill to learn is to choose and then respect those decisions. How can I be a bit better when deciding to WIN?
The reality of someone that does a lot, with a task list that is endless, responsibilities and a lot of people to take care of, is that regardless of the things you have to do, the world is going to be ok if you do a bit less or you are sick, life keeps going. I am not trying to be tragic, but realistic and relaxed with a smile on my face. Everything is fine. We might need to communicate that we need time or some space. The most important thing is to remember, take some time to think and reflect about the really important things for you and sometimes cinema will be the answer and so then go and enjoy the cinema. Maybe, it is beautiful that you are a bit of a fan of an NBA team, so go and enjoy the games, organise your life so when you are watching the joker being one of the best players of the NBA, have fun, humans honestly speaking in regards to what is humanly possible, so please create space to enjoy that.