The Life-Changing Magic

So… I haven’t blogged in a while. Unfortunately there’s no fascinating story I can give to explain my absence. Wasn’t working on any business ideas which was eating up my hours, neither was I serving time in pen for a minor offence like some of you guys baby fathers. I’ve just been taking a back seat from this big ol’ world and focusing on my number one fan, moi. How can I blog if I’m not 100% focused right? I’ve even deleted a whole bunch of posts which I’ve reread and thought weren’t up to scratch. And with all this spare time not blogging – he says ironically – I’ve redeployed my focus onto my personal life. Sometimes we’re so caught up in this bubble of consumerism and social media that we forget to take a step back and focus on our own well-being. And don’t give someone like me an excuse to ghost once in a while; I can be “doing me” for the longest time then turn up unannounced like the bailiffs and feel no way about it.

Recently I’ve been reading this book called “The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k” by Sarah Knight. To be honest, I’ve no idea if it’s actually worth censoring the F word here ‘cos this book is littered with it, feeling like a brothel in hardback form. Nor is it worth suggesting you read it ‘cos Sarah ain’t paying for this promo so you know… but what I found interesting about the book is her take on things to give an F about and things not to. Seems like a simple concept right, if it brings you happiness and it’s something you’re interested in, happy days. On the flip side, if it’s a nuisance and you’d rather wait at home for your Hermes package to arrive between 10am to 10pm just to avoid it… it’s probably something to pay no mind to. If only life were that simple aye, time after time we find ourselves focusing less on the areas of happiness and more on our pet peeves.

Let’s face it, there’s some things we can’t hide from.. like taxes. The tax man creeps into your paycheck like a thief in the night and takes enough to feed himself, his children and his children’s children. Or YouTube ads, especially those unskippable 30 second ones where you don’t know what to do with yourself during. I’m on a mission to cut out all of these unnecessary tasks and focus on value-add stuff. And what adds value to you might be very different to what adds value to me, and that’s okay! The great thing about not being just one homogeneous species is that your love for clothes shopping can be my idea of hell yet we can both be friends when it’s all said and done. The aim of the game is “self-care” and as long as you’re not imposing your lifestyle on me like a Jehovah’s Witness then what is my concern?

My issue with blogging is that if you force the agenda then it can quite easily fall into that bucket with taxes and YouTube ads. At times I’ll be up so late trying to put pen to paper that all the programs on TV have that woman doing sign language at the bottom of the screen. Mind has gone blank yet I’m seeing a lady cutting shapes on the midnight news. But with anything, when your hobby becomes a chore then there’s definitely room for revaluation. Don’t get me wrong, I know consistency is key but I do not play under Guardiola bro, it’s not that deep. Some of y’all aren’t even consistent to your own girlfriends so I’m sure you can relate. You consistently inconsistent guys are a godsend for many reasons unrelated to this blog. Seriously though, we all need to focus on the slightly contradictory art of doing less but gaining more. Shifting your focus onto what makes you happy and perfecting it. No-one will ever love you like your number one fan.

Joe