Idea for tonight

I have to say that there is something I consistently hate about emotions. An item that you don't really want, when threated to be taken from you, makes part of you want to keep it, if, for no other reason, than just to be able to say you have it.

My mother was getting rid of a Jeopardy game which I had completely forgotten I had and had only played once or twice and not overly liked it, but when it was brought back into my mind, I wanted to keep it because, of course, it may be of use someday. Or I'll make an animation on the computer, then I'll hit a phase where I find it to be trivial and just taking up space, but then someone inquires if I had used a certain technique once, and lo and behold, I only did so on that one "trivial" animation.

Ultimately though, you need to move on in life. You only have so much room, and most times, things are trivial. That being said, I still want to set up something that records everything I do visually and audatorially so that I can replay parts of my life on cue.

I need a ham sandwich

I make this blog for two reasons, both of which I feel to be worthwhile. The first is that a friend asked my services in that I was supposed to reveal my knowledge on the subject of increasing efficiency when commencing activities which one desires. The other reason is that this not only gives me another blog (something which I feel I need), but it also helps to reinforce my own resolve on doing things which I deem important to myself. In any case, this blog is being made in my mind as I type, so I shall dispense with any more formalities, and simply begin.

1. In order to efficiently complete a goal which you set for yourself, you must first have a well-planned out goal. What do you wish to complete? Why? What do you hope to achieve by completing it? How long do you estimate it will take until its completion? Once you have your goal (I wish to write this blog), then all you have is a map with an X, without any landmarks or a path from where you are to the end.

2. Next, answer as many questions as you can about the goal, such as those listed previously. These will help you by making your goal more obtainable in the sense that you now have a definitive goal. You know what you want, why, etc. so now you can get it. Your goal is no longer a distant castle which you have only heard rumours about and is surrounded in fog, but now a vibrantly drawn castle which you can easily see.

3. Once you see the castle, you must quest there. A path must be created. Take your goal, and then figure out how you wish to get there. Start out simple (I wish to sit down and write the blog), and then add more detail (I will sit down on July 19th while watching the remaining bit of the first Star Trek movie and write my blog. The blog will be on procrastination.), until you feel that it is a plan that you can follow. In most cases, too little information leads to a motivational problem (because you don't know how you're going to complete your goal, you feel lost and then begin to think that you should not continue). That being said, often times it is better to lack a clear path to your goal as it makes the journey more exciting and allows for more creativity. Just be cautious.

4. Now, no doubt, there will be some problems. However, there are many ways that you can overcome these. Most of the problems you will have will be those of motivation. If you ready wish to do something, but at one point or another lose focus, you need help. Here are some suggestions:

• Look back at the questions you answered when figuring out your goal. What did you wish to accomplish by reaching your goal? Why are you doing it?
• Ask friends to help. If they wish you to do something too, then they'll be happy to bug you to do it.
• Set up rewards for yourself. Say that you can have a bowl of ice cream once you finish the goal.
• Separate the task into smaller parts. In writing this blog, I separated points. This both helped in communication of points, but also gave me a sense that I had completed so much of this already, and then there was only a little left to go. This action of separating your task into smaller parts could be incorporated into step 3 when you're making a path to your goal.
• Take breaks in between parts. If you relax between parts, then you'll be ready to tackle the next one.
• Keep going! When you're on a roll, go with it. Then you'll get more done, and when you're stuck, you won't feel so bad because you already did a lot.
• Focus on the positive. I cannot emphasise this enough. When you're at a stand still, don't think about how much further you have to go, think about how fun it will be to get there, and look back at how much you've done and how easy or interesting that was. You're getting there!

5. The best way to deal with motivational issues is remove them.

• Turn off instant messaging programs, or set your status to away or busy. Talking to people for no reason is a great way to waste time and not get things done.
• Remind yourself why you want to do your goal, so that you stay focused on the task.
• Don't get discouraged at setbacks, but see them as mini-goals. They are now new checkpoints and you'll complete them once you overcome them.
• Sometimes music can be a good thing while working as it helps relieve stress. However, be wary of songs which will make you want to do something else, unless you use them for breaks. For example, I can't listen to certain CDs while writing this blog, otherwise I start to think that I should make music videos for them (may be coming soon!)
• Plan your time well. If you want to do so much by a given date, notify friends of this as well, so they can make sure not to bug you during that time, or can help you with your goals.
• If you feel like you'd rather be doing something else, see if you can incorporate your goal into it. That's how this blog came to be. I wanted to blog, but I had no ideas, and then I got asked a question on procrastination, and voila!

6. One of the most important things, given all this, is to reassess your goal on occasion if you're really lacking motivation, or just in general. Is it really worth your time and effort? If so, then get back at it! If not, then that's alright. Set it aside and move on. One of the worst things I think I've ever done is taken something I've started on or finished, but gotten rid of it because I either was fed up with working on it and disliked it, or I had moved on in my life. Turns out that later on I wanted to show it off or just look back at it, but it was gone.

7. Once you've completed your task, great! But don't get lazy. Celebrate the victory, but then look to new endeavours. Just beyond the next problem, just beyond the next idea, there's something that's fantastic. Grab it, and go for it. Let your triumph hurl you to new heights, and onto new journeys.

8. Ultimately, have fun with it. You should find some way to make everything fun. Got a blog to write? Do it listening to some music that inspires you to write. Want to read a book in a day? Lunge at the goal, and suck every last word out from the pages until it's dry of knowledge.

I've completed my goal for today. Have you?

I leave you with this:

Often procrastination
Leads to current elation
But then its degradation
Only leaves exasperation

Help! I need somebody. Help! Not just anybody.

Ok. To start at the start (press 1)...

I got sent a list to me by a friend, and it was of video game clichés (things that kept reoccurring in a certain genre of video games called RPGs (Role Playing Games (these are characterized primarily by a leveling system in which you kill monsters, gain experience, and then level up (Quadruple brackets, ftw!)))). On said list, there were a total of 192 items. (The list can be found here: The Grand List of Console Role Playing Game Clichés)

Anyway... I looked them over and laughed a lot since I had seen many of them, as well as others. Being the person that I am, I decided that this list would have to be celebrated. So I thought of the idea to make a movie which would be RPG cliché filled. It would basically be and RPG made into a movie in which the characters would point out the clichés as they arose.

I've started to write a script, but I'll need some time to finish it, seeing as how I have a lot of ground to cover, and I also need to make it relatively long. But this is what I need from you fine people reading this: actors. Specifically, female actors. However, both genders are welcome, and I'm sure I could use you all!

In any case, I hope to have the majority of the script done by the 22nd of July, although that may just be a pipe dream. I also wish to get it tweaked by a friend and then go from there. So filming should start by the start of August, at the latest, and continue for the rest of the summer.

If you're interesting in being in the film, have any comments on the idea, have clichés not mentioned in the list that you'd like me to incorporate, or would like to participate in any other way (editing the script, providing audio, creating music, offering special effects knowledge, etc.) then either e-mail me, or just comment back here. Thanks for your help and support!

Lucky, or just strange?

I was thinking today while watching the morning news, an indulgence that I rarely take part in. There were two little, cute dogs, running back and forth between two trainers. While the dogs were interesting and all, and no doubt there were the focus of the piece, I could not help but absent-mindedly let my focus drift instead to the field upon which the dogs ran.

It was very plain; just grass with some clover interspersed amongst it, along with a few flowers. Yet it was the clover that caught my eye, although I can now not be completely certain whether it was actually clover. The field in it's entirety drifted me softly back to another field upon which I had lay just a few weeks prior, watching ants crawl on my body. The sky was blue, a light breeze in the air, and the temperature was just slightly above ideal, but in the shade it was beautiful.

On that day, my heart had been heavy with things that I needed to say. It turned out that saying the things was beneficial for myself, as it helped to get a burden off me, and also solved a few problems. Ultimately, it lead to my randomly diving into the clover present on the field and rapidly searching for a four-leaf clover.

That action, rash and strange as it were, spawned from another memory, one in which I was watching two younger children scouring the field before them for a four-leaf clover also. This was quite a few years back at a local which I had not been to for at least three years, so the random recollection of the memory was both unexpected and pleasing. But it lead to another idea while I watched the dogs.

I began to reflect on the idea of a four-leaf clover as something special, because it was a mutation. However, this raised the question in my mind: is there a five-leaf clover? I had never heard of any such discovery, but it was interesting to contemplate. I'd like to discover it.

Another idea that came to me was one of cloning. We prize four-leaf clovers for their rarity, but would it not be possible, relatively easily too, to clone one? If so, then they wouldn't be so rare. That idea ties in with that of supply and demand: If the demand is high and the supply is low, then the cost is high. If the supply suddenly increases, then the cost decreases.

Given this, a five-leaf clover would not only be highly prized, but also could be sold for quite a good amount. Ultimately, you could also start to clone them.

So, if anyone finds out about a five-leaf clover or finds one, you may have just stumbled onto a gold mine. Good luck. (And they're after me lucky charms!)