I began writing here roughly two years ago this week – right around my birthday/Christmas/New Years.
For everyone else, it’s almost reflection time because all completely normal humans make resolutions around January 1st to improve their lives, and have usually quit them around March.
For me, it’s reflection time simply because I hit so many “big life events” right in a row. I tend to evaluate if I like who I am, if I’ve spent the last year well, and what I’m seriously committing to for next year.
I’m not going to share all of that with you – but if I hold to plan then you’re going to see 5 different projects from me in 2019. That’s with marriage, a day job, and school. Wish me luck, please.
What I do want to share with you – because I think you’ll get something out of it – is 3 different things that this year taught me.
None of it is particularly groundbreaking news. You’ll certainly have heard these things other places. But what I can say is I’m sure you’ve never heard them from me, and they’re all good reminders.
Here we go –
You Can Do More Than You Think
Really that should say You Can Do More Than You Give Yourself Credit For – but that’s a long heading.
Going into 2018 I hadn’t even planned half of what I actually ended up accomplishing just on this website. Here’s the hitlist:
- Wrote and released Quit Aspiring
- Created WaapiCS library
- Recorded C# Implementation with Wwise and Unity
- Wrote the bonus book The Unofficial Wwise Authoring API Starter Guide
- Ran a charity fundraiser for prostate cancer
I also made enough money from all of those endeavors to 100% pay for a C++ certificate program at a major local university, held down jobs at 343 Industries and PopCap Games, and I’m also still married and made friends.
But on January 1st of 2018 – the only thing that was a glimmer in my eye was the book. I wasn’t even sure if I’d actually finish it then. The only thing for certain was that people had paid me, so I had the peer pressure I needed to get it done. That still didn’t mean I wasn’t going to cop out and refund everyone.
But, obviously, I didn’t.
After the book was done, quite a few avenues opened up to me and I established a considerable number of really good friendships from it that I’m truly thankful for. Then I got the news that my time at 343 was ending earlier than expected.
In response to that, I set about making something that would showcase my unique skills and be beneficial to people. WaapiCS came out of that. It didn’t quite accomplish the goals I had for it – nevertheless I finished it, use it, and is something that I have to share with people.
The C# course came on the heels of that, when two separate people within the same week told me they’d pay me to tutor them in Wwise and Unity. I didn’t end up doing that – I created a video course (and taught at a local recording school) instead. To make the package truly complete, I needed to write another guidebook like my Reaper book – so I did that too.
And the last thing for the year came after listening to a podcast that outlined step-by-step how to run a charity fundraiser. Then, together, we raised over $1,000 (yes, I got an updated estimate and I was $200 off) – $2,000 with the match bonus – for prostate cancer research.
The fundraiser went so well that the charity went out of their way to get in touch with me. I mean, they literally had no idea who I was, and suddenly one random week in November $1,000+ of donations came in with my name and my dad’s name attached to them. It was unusual enough that they reached out to learn more about me.
How does that happen, right?!
Well… it’s the same way anything else happens – you just do it.
At this point, because I’ve listed out a bunch about this wild year I’ve had for you, you’re probably thinking something like
“Wow, that’s… a lot. Holy crap. I could never do that!”
But you’re wrong.
I don’t mean that sarcastically. I don’t mean that in a preachy way, or a pep-talk way, or anything.
I mean it deadpan. 100% factual. You’re just wrong.
Why are you wrong and why do I know this?
I’m not unique or special. I’m mediocre at best.
Quite frankly the only things that I know I’m phenomenal at are being hard headed and learning fundamentals quickly.
A master at sound design, I am not. A master at programming, I am not. I’m competent in both, and I use that to my advantage routinely.
But I’m not a great writer, not a great course creator, not a great salesman, not a brilliant mentor, teacher, husband, friend, whatever.
I’m an opinionated, hard headed, super average human being who has a personal above normal tolerance for risk – that’s all.
So I know without a doubt that you can get up and learn new software. You can make a demo reel. You can make something even more special than a demo reel and attract attention. You can write. You can do a talk. You can start a podcast or YouTube channel. You can get your first gig. You can get you 10th gig. You can raise your rates. You can get better clients.
Anything that you want to do. Anything that you must do – you can.
You can do way more than you give yourself credit for – because if you told me what I was going to do this year I would have laughed in your face. I would have laughed at you, like a jerk.
But here I am, and you would’ve been right.
The Company You Keep is Important
Honestly, the company that you keep is of vast importance.
Most of us have a tendency to tolerate bad company.
Friends and family who question your goals and aspirations. People who talk you down from the ledge of your dreams. People who actively prevent you from being a better person.
The problem – quite frankly – is that you don’t really know who these people are until you’ve met their opposite. If you’ve never met a really highly successful person, then you don’t know what that’s like and don’t know what to look for.
To make matters worse – highly successful people are generally hard to get time with and to get to know. There isn’t a magic formula where you can just meet someone who is near the top of their industry, a high earner, a really high-caliber human across multiple aspects of life.
You have to take the time to study what those people look like, what they do, who they spend their time with, and where they frequent. Then, when you find them, make it worth their while to invest in you.
I had some of my first experiences with that this year – specifically earning the trust of a few tremendous people who push me to be better. They know that technically I’m fine, and I know that too – but there’s always room for improvement and with them as people to bounce off of, I’m striving for that improvement more often than I’m not.
While I love all of my other friends, and especially those who have been friends forever, I’ve found myself in a weird spot sometimes where we have less and less in common. If I share/speak about my success, sometimes my old friends get hurt or jealous because they compare themselves to me. Other old friends are just happy for me. But none of them push me – they’re mostly “in awe” or passive aggressively tearing me down. I love them no matter what – but what they add to my life is less about being a better human and more about general laughs, reminding me where I’ve come from, and re-living old times.
That’s fine – but it’s the company that encourages me to be the absolute best me that helps me wake up in the morning. It’s not those people who complain about how tired they are, how much work sucks, politics, sports, or the latest netflix show that drive me. It’s the people that go “Hey – great job on that thing you just did. By the way, I just did a thing you’re going to be jealous of – get back to work!” that push me.
I’m never going to be perfect, but I can always grow and be better – and those I keep closest to me are a huge part of that.
Write with your Hands
This year I started keeping a bullet journal.
Now – if you do a search for bullet journal, you’re going to pull up the biggest bullshit pile abominations you’ve ever seen.
(Okay – that’s harsh – what I mean is you’re going to find artwork journals that are completely impractical and supposedly kept by stay-at-home moms that also double as creative journal artisans and I have no idea how they have time for that crap.)
I don’t do that. I don’t do even close to that.
If you look for images of Ryder Carrol’s bullet journal (that’s the guy who came up with this) – that is more like what I do. Very “minimalist” – it’s a lot of handwritten words and bullet points with different meanings.
No giant artwork, no stamps, no washi tape madness.
If you’ve never heard of this, you can go to bulletjournal.com and get an idea for it.
At its core, you grab a notebook. You set aside a couple of pages upfront as an “Index” for the notebook that you fill in as you go along.
Everything else in the notebook has no rules. All rules are off.
Most often it seems to be kept as a planner, a place to take notes, keep lists, etc. A usual method is to take a page or two to sketch out plans for few months ahead, a calendar for the current month, and then day-to-day notes as you’re going. Every page you add, you number it, and you add it to the index so that you know where to reference it later.
But in reality – you can do whatever you want.
For me – that freedom completely saves my brain and makes me stick with the bullet journal.
To illustrate –
“Normal” Adam one day gets frustrated because his life seems to be in mad disarray. He’s keeping too many things in his head, he has too much going on, too many plans, and his most recent organization system he’s kind of stopped using because he got too busy or bored of it or whatever.
So, he has a mild mental breakdown and starts a brand new system and feels way better.
Eventually, “normal” Adam gets busy again, keeps too much in his head, has too much going on, too many plans, and that organization system that he started he’s once again stopped using.
So he builds another one.
See the issue?
That’s where the beauty of the bullet journal shows up.
If something’s not working and I’m not actually using my bullet journal to keep my mind and life together – I get instant feedback simply because I’m not using the journal. Then I can ask myself why, answer myself honestly about what I don’t like, and just change it.
Because there’s no enforced structure, no rules, I’m completely free to do what works today.
That may not be the same thing that worked yesterday. But, often, it’s close, and simply having the freedom to blow it all up somehow prevents me from actually saying “okay F*** IT!” and starting all over thereby wasting a ton of time.
And the benefit of that to my life is absolutely insane.
For some reason, physically writing has a ridiculous amount of positive emotional benefits to my brain.
I’m sure that there are a number of medical or scientific reasons as to why that is – but I mostly don’t care about them. I just know when I look at an empty page and I write in it – whether it’s listing to-do’s and checking them off, writing goals, what I’m thankful for, anxious about, random thoughts, notes, whatever – I physically feel better. Like, the stress just wipes away. I can also tell myself that I’m proud of myself way more easily.
I can also keep a list of good s*** that’s happened during the day which I’d otherwise forget about.
So I’d encourage you – if you haven’t – to pick up a pen and paper and write a little bit this year.
You don’t have to start your own bullet journal – though you could and if you’d like to know more about what I do I’d be glad to write about it if you ask.
I just think you should write sometimes. You don’t need a reason or an audience. You can write to yourself, you can write a note to someone, you can scribble, you can write lyrics, you can make a plan, you can write something that you’re going to burn later – do what you want.
But use your hands, a pen, and paper – not a keyboard.
Your brain will thank you. I promise.
Here’s What’s Next
I hope you have had a fantastic 2018, and you’re going to have a great 2019.
If you haven’t had a great 2018 (I know specifically a few of you readers have had a rough 2018) – then my heart is with you. I’m proud of you for getting through it, and keep your head up.
Now, dear god, please don’t make any new years resolutions.
But – it’s good to be reflective, make some plans, and commit to yourself to improve and kick some ass. You can do that any time of year.
This year caused me to remember
- You can do more than you give yourself credit for
- The company you keep is of vast importance
- Write with your hands
We’ll see what I get from 2019 – you’ll probably get 5 good things to take home from me.
I’ll be back with one last post of the year on Monday. Until then, I hope you had a great Christmas (or whatever holidays you celebrate) and make some plans for a great new year!
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