Things To Improve: Your Advice is Needed!

Things To Improve:

• My piano and guitar skills.
• My handwriting. ( I have really bad handwriting. Being left-handed is no excuse. )
• My tendancy to worry and overthink.
• My critical-thinking skills.
• My style of debating.
• My comfort zone. ( For example, I want to start putting myself out there more. I want to talk to people I want to talk to. )
• My sleeping habits.
• My weight and strength. ( As in I want to reach 200 pounds with muscle )
• My perseverance in avoiding PMO.
• My ability to think on my feet.
• My vocabulary.

To anyone reading this, you are more than welcome to share any tips and opinions you might have on improving any of these things. Do NOT think you may have nothing useful to shed on the matter. Any and every modicum of advice helps. Ask me to expand or get specific on one of these topics if you have questions, please.

I will also be conducting research on these subjects and apply them to my personal life. For example, if I find a tutorial on YouTube that shows you how to practice good handwriting, I will be doing an exercise on it everyday in my notebook.

And just to note, I CAN do this. I ain't some lazy bum that doesn't look to improve himself. For example, I used to be a really dishonest person. I would lie just all the time for no reason. I grew to hate that about myself, so after 6 months of practicing honesty, I'm now fairly honest to most people. However, what I fail at is being honest with myself from time to time.

I used to be bad at geography. But now? Nah, I'm pretty damn good at it. It's the same with my piano, guitar, debate skills, logic skills, etc. So you, reader, do not think your advice will not be put to use/consideration. You'll be a massive help whether or not your input works for me or not.

Thanks for reading!

 

Off the top of my head without thinking too much...

• Piano and guitar
  • Posture
    • Might try Feldenkrais and/or Alexander Technique.
  • Play music you like.
  • Get an instructor or at least a method book.
    
  • Use an instrument of decent quality.
  • Compose some of your own... Just play.
  • Write sheet music. By hand.
  • Record yourself. Listen.
    • (Watch if you record video.)
  • Sight reading software?
  • Playground Sessions? Flowkey?
• Handwriting
  • Posture. Movement.
    • Your hand should never cramp (common among lefties).
  • Don't hook your hand above the line. Write with your hand under the line with the page slightly tilted.
    • http://www.handedness.org/action/leftwrite.html
  • Go slow; pay attention. Be conscious. Be aware.
    
  • Repetition with variety.
    • Write letters out different ways... see which works best.
  • Maybe take up sketching... You'll learn how to hold a pencil better, if nothing else.
    
  • (I'm also lefty and sometimes practice with my right hand and even practice mirror writing.)
• Tendency to worry and overthink
  • Change your pose/body language when you catch yourself.
  • Go for a walk or run.
  • Eat well. Drink water and only water.
    
  • Meditate. Breathe.
    • Yoga?
  • Live simply. Don't chase dopamine.
    
  • Read. Philosophy. Stoics, and Taoists especially.
    
  • Posture/Movement - Yoga, Tai Chi, Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique, Somatics.
    • (Notice a trend? )
• Critical-thinking skills
  • Read. A lot.
  • Relax. Remember to breathe
    • You might catch yourself tensing or holding your breath just for a sense of effort.
  • Solve problems and puzzles.
    • Especially ones that involve movement.
  • Practice your guitar and piano.
• Style of debating
  • Watch debates.
  • Read.
  • Emotional Intelligence.
  • Research classic rhetoric.
  • Logos. Ethos. Pathos.
    
  • Study politicians... The good ones.
    
  • Study philosophy.
    
  • Body language.
• Comfort Zone
  • Start small. Make a habit of visiting somewhere like the library.
  • Talk to cashiers/tellers. "How's today?" "Have a good day."
    
  • Constantly monitor and consciously direct your body [language]...
    • (Seriously there's a trend here).
  • (I don't know what your comfort zone is.)
• Sleeping Habits
  • Just. Get. F.Lux
  • Don't expose yourself to too much light after sundown
    • Especially avoid blue light. Keep it toward the red spectrum.
  • Light alarm clock?
    
  • Dark room. Cool room. Clean room. Clean sheets.
    
  • No devices/screens in bed. Ever.
    
  • Sleep on your back. (Posture!)
    
  • Exercise. Eat well. Drink water and only water.
• Weight and Strength
  • Work on the neurological aspects of strength.
    
  • Develop range of motion and functional movement patterns.
    
  • Eat well. VEGETABLES. You don't need supplements. Ever.
    • Chew your food. Eat slowly.
  • Body-weight exercises. /r/bodyweightfitness
    
  • Lift? (You can get serious gains without a gym membership or [much] equipment).
  • Realize even if you're 6 foot with large muscle attachments/bones [and lean] 200lbs is HUGE.
    • I'm 6'3 and I'd be ripped like Bruce Lee (who was ~135lbs at 5'7) well before 200lbs.
    • Maybe change that goal to having a truly functional body instead of reaching an arbitrary weight or physique set by a post steroid society
      • If you preform best at 185, stay at 185.
• Avoiding PMO
  • Keep busy.
  • Read on the subject.
    
  • Do everything on this list.
• Ability to think on your feet
  • A clue is literally in that phrase. Nimble body = nimble mind.
  • Keep active and healthy.
  • Safely put yourself in those situations.
    
  • Read.
  • Socialize.
• Vocabulary
  • Be so laconic people don't notice
    
  • Read.
  • Write.
    
  • Word of day calendar.
  • Thesaurus.
  • Socialize.
  • Audio-books.
    
  • When you learn a new word, use it in a sentence, a story, and imagine explaining it to someone.
    • If needed do this out loud with gestures.

TL;DR: Learn to learn. Eat. Sleep. Move. Read. Socialize.
Message me with questions.

 

I will be building a list of things to do in my Notes app on my phone based off of your post. I'll also create a personal draft of this on my computer. Much thanks. If anyone else has something to share, please do.

 

Hope it helps—even if you only learn what not to do.

Always inquire how, not so much what—doing all the right stuff the wrong way won't get you very far. For example it's not so much about what a guy can do to get a girlfriend, but if how he lives can yield a healthy, stable relationship with one. In short don't exalt the end over the means.