Dabbl

              This weekend was much needed. I noticed myself stringing together a few boozy weekends in a row and felt like I needed a break. So, I took this past weekend off and I feel much better come Monday morning. The great part about skipping the booze is how productive you are over the weekend. Not only productive, but the amount of quality sleep you get caught up on is rejuvenating. Here’s how my weekend went and the lessons I learned from it.

              Like I said, going into this weekend I knew I wanted to take a break from alcohol. Not that I’m getting crazy or anything, but because I felt like a needed a mental break to catch up on small weekend chores and sleep. Also, I hate the feeling of drinking too much. I much prefer to drink in moderation so when I feel myself going too far, my body doesn’t always agree. It’s as if I can feel my body telling me to slow it down. And that’s what I did. Instead of going out for drinks with friends, I hung out with a girl that I’ve been seeing. We made chocolate chip cookies and watched a movie on Friday night. It was a great balance of social fun while relaxing. The following day, after a few hours of choring and cleaning the entire house (which was desperately overdue) I had another friend over to hang out. This friends recently came back from a hunting trip and brought some ground venison over with him. I enjoy cooking, he enjoys hunting, and we both enjoy eating some high-quality food. So naturally I made gourmet venison burgers for the pair of us. Cooking with a partner is a great way to spend time with someone. Cooking keeps the focus on the task at hands so there are no dull moments, and the conversations seems to flow naturally. After the meal has been prepared, you and your cooking partner get a sense of accomplishment since you created something new out of raw materials. You created nourishment and you have someone to enjoy it with. This is a great gift that we can give to our friends. If you’re ever out of ideas, whether it be a date or just hanging out with a friend, give cooking a meal together a try. Breaking bread is one of the best ways to grow closer to someone. It’s a peace offering, fun challenge, quality time, and a memorable activity all rolled up into one.

              The following day was a day that I circled on my calendar to work on myself. I wanted to have some “me time” during the morning and early afternoon for some time of reflection. With the help from some vitamins, I took this time to meditate and reflect on myself for a few hours. I try to be a fun guy most times, but there’s much room for me to look deeply inwards from time to time. I danced and sang in the shower, I read, I did yoga, I practiced breathwork, and I sat and explored my mind. Sometimes a practice like this can help provide us with clarity on how we are really feeling. This helps me take stock on whatever my mind is working on or being challenged with. These experiences are always insightful, and I never know what I’m going to find out about myself. In general, it’s a blissful and loving feeling with some challenging moments sprinkled in from time to time. The challenging moments are the moments I’m most proud of going through. It’s like an opportunity for me to work on myself and to overcome a difficult path. In moments like those, I believe there’s a reason why my mind took me to a place like that. Instead of fighting it, I try to seek out why. Success isn’t comfortable. Working out in the gym is not comfortable. Working hard at your job is not comfortable. Studying for an important exam is not comfortable. If you are trying to work on yourself and grow as a person or financially, it usually is not comfortable. It’s no different for your mind. If you want to look for answers, understand who you are and why you think certain things, and grow mentally and emotionally, then it may be uncomfortable from time to time. We should seek out these opportunities to get better. Growth is not comfortable. But we are always happier and more successful when we come out on the other side.

              What type of growth do you want to work on? And how will you embrace the discomfort to become a better you?