... "Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'"

[Renate]

2 hours ago, cd667 said:

"People have had enough of experts",

 

I mean, that is true but that is not a reason to not listen to experts.   People have also had enough of taxes... 

[Jean]

Sooo, life is a funny thing. Did you know you can get through it all, have all the trappings of success, and yet never have lived, always waiting for better times to act like you belong to where you are? I'm sure you can, I'm on that track, and it is not acceptable.

 

I'll take things back slowly, because slowly is all I can. Next challenge:

 

I may or may not be semi-active on these boards. Focusing on myself and not worry is part of what I need to go on. Thanks for being there.

[Jean]

On 7/23/2020 at 8:52 AM, cd667 said:

(and with my apologies for crashing your head)

 

There is no crashing, there are useful tips for which I thank you. That politician really knows how to get 150% out of people! I'm sure it all panned out for the best, surely, more people have been better than average under his treasured guidance. xD

 

Edit: By the way, I'm searching for very practical things to do during half-hours chunks that I'd use to value myself more and not care about the rest of the world. The internets gives me only vague ideas ("don't compare yourself to others, start appreciating" Thanks Sherlock!). If you have any suggestion of practical small things that wouldn't have me think but rather do (example: sip a cup of tea with delightful pleasure), I'd gladly read from them. I know you (general you for all the people reading this, thanks mates!) have already shared some on this thread and my challenges but I can use a reminder.

[Jean]

I'll be using this place as a sanity diary, I feel I need it these days. This is mostly writing for and to myself but feel free to drop in if you want.

 

Many people around (more than I can handle) seem to be breaking out and I can't figure out why.

• People feel like they are subject to poor leadership -> I'd have to look into their boss and potentially tackle it up front. Evaluate the failings in both the boss' and the subordinates' behaviors. Be factual, hard and fair. Don't take their external situation into account. Set expectations and let them decide if it is worth it to try and reach them or accept consequences. I don't have time for it. Is it critical? Maybe. What would I have to sacrifice to do it now? Would be late on my projects. Order of priority: security (two projects) then human behavior. Time for getting the security emergencies off the table, 3 months. I'm tackling the human resources situation by November 1st.
• I've taken upon myself to handle a situation that shouldn't fall under my portfolio and is going awry. It is going awry because nobody handles it in its globality. Here again, it requires tackling human behavioural problems and being hard, but fair. Things are getting bad because of a lack of leadership. This is getting out of hand and I may drown in it if I am not wary.
• In order to handle these human relationship situations, I need to be on top of my game. This is priority #1. That means:
  • Sleep.
  • Taking care of my physical appearance:
    • Clothing (choice of clothing and maintenance) -> got to buy shoes on Saturday. Two pairs. Don't be cheap.
    • Hygiene -> Mouth! There are many empty spaces between my teeth for food to get stuck there. I'm not currently able to build a flossing habit -> buy an electric toothbrush. Choose a proper model. See how it goes.
    • Hygiene -> Shave and trim beard in the morning. Look extra sharp!
    • Car -> Keep it ordered, empty it from time to time, keep the interiors clean.
    • Home -> Be able to welcome people at any time. Have a room for my mess that I can leave in whatever state I want but do keep everything else in a welcoming state. That means ordered and clean.
• Get organized at work:
  • Get a map of the area, pin every project on it.
  • Get a white board, mark every project on it with a priority number.
  • Categorize my emails with folders:
    • To do.
    • To file.
    • Never to be done -> lack of resources or importance.
  • Send an acknowledgement of receipt for every mail and email coming in. Don't take any commitment in it, the demand can be classified as "not important enough to be ever handled with current resources" even if important level stuff ends up on that list and only critical stuff ever gets a chance to get handled.
  • The Inbox must be empty when I leave work. Everything must be categorized.
  • My hours must be registered when I leave work. Everything needs to be written down.
• Yes, it does suck to have to get extra sharp because most people around (everybody but three) are indulging themselves. No, it doesn't matter. What matters is what I want my life to be and if I want to both let myself fall in complacency and take the risks other people are taking or if I want to take charge of my life which, right here and now, means taking charge of my environment - including the people in it.
• Yes, stating "I acknowledge that your problem is important but it won't be handled under the current circumstances, here's the person you can write to if you are not happy with my decision, have a good day and goodbye" is an acceptable answer. Better than anything that would let them think things would get handled when they won't.
• This serves no purpose if I don't have a life. Hopefully, it should build itself on these grounds. Upping my game could also bring good things for me personally.

 

Edit: I have been able to figure out why: I'm surrounded by children. People around here have been entitled because everybody does what they want, people don't take charge of the situation they're in and, instead, complain, a lot. There are very few adults around and they're in over their head. I have to take special care to actually behave like an adult myself, and not a child, and we have to figure out a way of getting things in a more manageable state with the other adults around, or I have to get out of it while I still have my sanity.

 

2nd Edit: My own child behaviour is sitting with my hands over my eyes, pretending problems won't find me if I turn off my phone and don't see anybody. I have to take charge of that and look what's coming to me in the eyes. I don't have to react at this time, but I have to take it in and let it slide. Live in the world, not outside of it. I can pat myself on the back for having done just that yesterday evening. I've handled two related meetings after that quite well today, though I haven't been harsh enough and have still given in to requests I know I don't have time to handle. Time is my most valuable resource. Everything needs to be optimized around it.

 

3rd Edit: Actual classification to set up:

• Critical -> stuff to do.
• Important and other stuff that doesn't matter enough to get handled -> stuff that won't be done.
• Important stuff that'll facilitate human relationships and ultimately help me deal with the critical stuff -> stuff to keep in mind and potentially prioritize as part of my global strategy to get stuff done.
• Done and needs to get filed -> stuff to give to administrative staff to file so that it won't get lost to the eons of time.

 

4th Edit: Financials: this feels a bit sour because, once again, it will require my resources when I was finally starting to be in a shape to set some money aside. Much like in my professional life, it feels like all my financial resources are fully deployed at any given time. I have no allocation to "reserve" that could be deployed to back up any given situation that needs it. This should be handled in the same way I am now trying to handle my professional situation, meaning I have to organize things, set up a system and define priorities. I feel that I am ready for it but either don't have enough resources pouring in or have too many drains taking it out. There's not much I can do but wait it out 'till November. This is mentally draining. I don't know how to manage not to think about it until I can actually have a grasp on it (there are two big expenses that'll require all my spare resources until then so I don't have much of a margin to handle the situation differently).

 

[cd667]

I just wrote my own log entry here. What an idiot.

 

Good goals, @Jean.

 

What I would say about your own child behaviour (switching phone off, ignoring stuff) is that you need to remember to do that regularly. The trick is to switch off at the right time. For me, if I don't switch off, my ability to work well is lessened the next day.

 

Compartmentalising work and home is really important. Almost no-one is important enough to be needed all the time.

[Jean]

Sanity journal entry:

 

The situation is such that the margin for error is very thin:

• Give too much importance to something and other things get dropped and forgotten.
• Prioritize the wrong things and people will come down complaining that stuff hasn't been done, with cause.
• Take things too much at heart and risk:
  • Burning myself out trying to reach everything.
  • Experiencing despair due to failure to achieve things that are important to me (they really are important, I still have to learn that they don't matter enough to make it to the top of the list)
  • Giving in to requests that are not critical, find myself unable to achieve them and disappoint the people to whom I should have said it straight that "What you are asking for won't be done and it's up to you to deal with it, in any way you want to".
  • Giving up altogether.

 

Another line of reasoning: it's our national foundation Holiday today. People are everywhere around here, we've allowed some people to hold festival stands, our farmers are parading with their cows... Helloooo Covid-19! There are people everywhere and I hate that. I also hate that my landlords are getting to the end of their apparent sixth week of holidays in a row and I have no idea if they're going for a seventh after that. There is both jealousy and inhability to understand the priorities of these people in me.

 

I'm not a very outgoing person. I can enjoy a party once in a while, I like a nice barbecue with friends in a sunny garden, I love dreaming awoken with friends around some drinks but all these resources and needs going toward events and nightclubs and festivals when there's a bloody pandemic going around really does get on my nerves. Partying and meeting together seem to be huge priorities around here and they don't match with mine. I don't understand how we can use our resources on these kinds of events when we could be fighting poverty, epidemics and starvation.

 

The questions are:

• Can I affect my environment enough that we handle the issues I really care about with efficiency despite living our lives like Saturday's night partying is a human right that should never be given up (steamroller approach to life: use enough energy to overpower whatever's in front of you, until it works)?
• Do I want to change myself to feel more balanced in this "partying is important" environment?
  • Can I work on myself enough to no longer resent people partying during a global, highly viral pandemic?
• Can I change environment enough not to be in contact with people sharing different values than mine?
  • What are the defining traits of a place I could call "somewhere I'd want to live"?
  • What kind of working environment do I want to live in?
  • With what kind of people do I want to pursue relationships and what kinds of people do I want to keep. the. fuck. out. of. my. life.?

 

No answer for now, I'll simply try to survive today so that I can fucking reclaim my mountains and let the people who want to live in the city but party in the mountains spreading their viruses around go home to their life. (The anger with which I have written that last sentence tells me I haven't chosen the right place to live in: having lots of people coming in to party is a defining trait of this village. It was before I got here so it's mine to either adapt or leave. I'll think about it while out of survival and anger mode).

 

Edit because it's important that I remember it when I'll be in a better mental space: This is a holiday for me, I'm meant to be 100% free to do whatever I want with my time and it's still a day that I'm living as oppressive and that I can't wait for it to be over. I can't live my life having periods on my own free time being time I just don't want to live. I could just as well die right now if this is how I intend to live my life. It is damn important that I figure out how to organize my work (I do have some unpaid obligations toward my work today, that I didn't have to take on but that seemed logical and just humane to me) AND the rest of my life so that time that is my own gets to be time I value and actually use for myself.

[Jean]

Putting it here not to forget: the actual goals are (in that order):

• protect my sanity
• build a good mental space and physical shape
• build financial sturdiness
• cultivate purpose

I know I'm on my way and making progress, it's just I may be piling too many things too early and it's using up all my energy and attention. Things should get better by the end of the year. Next steps:

 

• Moving in September (call to visit new appartments on Monday!).
• Paying my taxes (take steps to have enough money on the side to fulfill all my obligations!)
• Preparing the next session of my course, including a bivouac (get back on What's App even though you hate it to keep in touch with the other participants! Can't wait for that to be over too (the need for What's App part, not the other participants and lessons one - not being able to choose my tools and means of communications is a big hurdle to me)).
• Getting the professional stuff that needs to get done done, focusing on the legal process and letting other demands slide over it.

 

ETA: putting it here to get it out of my nerves:

F**** Facebook!

F**** What's and similar App(s)!

F**** Constant stimulations with tens of alerts anytime anybody posts anything because everybody reacts in the next two seconds.

 

I want my communication to let me choose when to tackle it. I know I'm old school but why throw away and replace what works? Group communication? Meet for a drink or emails. Urgent thing? Phone call. Personal communication? Come home for a drink and some cheese and dried meat. No, I don't have to communicate everything. No, not everything you display interests me. Most often, the news in and of themselves bear no interest to me: what matters is the time that we spend together. Take more time, communicate more personally and give it time.

[Tobbe]

3 hours ago, Jean said:

No, not everything you display interests me. Most often, the news in and of themselves bear no interest to me: what matters is the time that we spend together.

 

Wow! This is something I need to contemplate. I'm often frustrated with the meaningless things people talk about. With me and/or each other. But maybe, as you say, it's the time spent together that's important, not the actual words. Definitely food for thought

[Jean]

Sooo... I'm building a time budget and I need accountability, so I'm posting it here. The idea comes from several realizations:

• I need to toughen up my game if I want to really spend the time on self improvement that I want to do. I'm doing much and felt at the breaking point at times but that's only leaving me thrown around by life without giving me a real mastery of the direction in which I go. I'm willing to put in the extra energy to become the person I'm dreaming to be.
• I'm spending a lot of time broswing the internet and/or working (without registering it) and way not enough taking care of myself (sleeping, for example) or becoming the person I want to be when the dark is finally over (life, now, feels like crawling through the dark).
• I have more than 50 spreadsheets for my financial budget, with slightly different numbers, concepts and/or graphs. Budgeting is fun! I hope to use that energy toward self improvement.

 

Here are the things I want to improve. The list will evolve with time:

 

Wandering

My pace isn't confident enough. It's too quick and my feet slip a lot. Going out and practice walking constitutes self improvement.

 

Knowledge of nature

Weather understanding and forecasting;

Edible plants;

Medicinal plants;

Rocks, fossils and crystals;

Stars and constellations.

 

Permits/licenses

Fishing;

Hunting;

Motorbike;

Mountain paths guiding (lvl4 paths).

 

Languages

German

 

I'll be using the following time categories for my budgeting:

 

Basic maintenance

Sleeping;

Bodycare;

Cooking and eating;

Home cleaning/maintenance;

Health appointments, grocery shopping and the like.

 

Bringing in the money

Working;

Commuting;

Other unpaid work related engagements.

 

Family

Activities with/for the couple, the children or the family.

 

Self improvement

Pick an item on the list above and go toward it.

 

Lobyism

Building a website where I can share what I want to share with the world;

Politics;

Time spent for humanitarian causes.

 

Leisure

Browsing the internet;

Going out with friends;

Going to the restaurant or other activities;

Travelling.

 

Social standing

Activities meant to maintain or improve my social standing (I'm doing it to look good even though I put no real personal interest in them).

 

Life planning

Thinking about my future and/or writing it down;

Building my budgets (financial and time related);

Accounting (counting my expenses -financial and time related- comparing them to my budget).

 

 

Anything I've forgotten?

 

 

I'm taking the coming week to build my budget for November. I'll update when it's done.

 

[Tobbe]

👋 Nice to see you around Jean!

 

That's a lot of things on your list! What's the plan? Assign time constraints (min/max) to each item? Each group of items?

 

Love that you're thinking of getting a motorcycle license! It's well worth it 🏍️

[Jean]

3 hours ago, Tobbe said:

That's a lot of things on your list! What's the plan? Assign time constraints (min/max) to each item? Each group of items?

 

Setting a basic schedule for work days (wake up at 5:30 am, go to work at 6:20 am, come back home at 7:10 pm, go to bed at 10:30 pm), then define specific time allocations for different tasks (mainly internet browsing (leisure), website building (lobyism) and self improvement (starting with weatherforcasting and hiking, maybe running and doing some light workouts)). Same for weekends and holidays.

 

When a major item gets done with (like my hiking guide formation), that frees time for another major item (like the motorbike license, then fishing permits, then hunting license).

 

I'm registering what I've done in the evening and take more time on Sunday to compile it, then check how well I'm doing and adapt the schedule if warranted.

[Jean]

Whining makes me feel better. Can I use this thread to whine a bit?

 

I'm so tired of some people around me being either completely stupid, or utterly malevolent (I don't know which). Namely, in this case, my former landlord who won't free my rent deposit due to some undue claims of his. He doesn't have a leg to stand on but it would cost me one of mine to sue him and prove him so.

 

That's... tiring.

[Jupiter]

1 hour ago, Jean said:

Whining makes me feel better. Can I use this thread to whine a bit?

 

Go for it (though I would say this is more venting, and everyone needs a space to vent). 

 

I'm sorry about the situation with the landlord, that sucks.  

[Jean]

I used whining because it's definitely entitlement: I don't need that money for the year so I can totally wait until I automatically get it back. I'm still tired of clueless people in a position of power, though. Not tired enough to go after them with the burning fire of a thousand suns but I hope to reach there someday. That's not wisdom, though, that's vindictiveness. I don't really know what to think of it.

[Renate]

Haha welllll... You still have a legal right/TITLE to that money 😇 So entitlement is in place.  And going after such people with a burning fire with a thousand suns will teach them something, which may be a net benefit to the world.

 

The catch is to not have it eat at you like the wise saying that anger/revenge is drinking poison with the hope that someone else will die

[Jean]

19 hours ago, Aθena said:

And going after such people with a burning fire with a thousand suns will teach them something, which may be a net benefit to the world.

 

The catch is to not have it eat at you like the wise saying that anger/revenge is drinking poison with the hope that someone else will die

 

Thanks for the saying, I like it! That's something that's been on my mind for quite some time: un-nicing myself to act way more on the offense when confronted to bullshit. Counter to that, I've been considering my niceness like a desirable feature we should have more of, so have been reluctant to truly evolve as a person.

 

Also, fear and procrastination.

 

I'll probably up my game just a bit in this instance (by having a lawyer send a written mail but not pushing it any further if it fails - the stakes aren't worth investing more money and time in them). We'll see how that goes.

 

ETA: thinking more about it, this is exactly the story of "Goupil, the fox who was learning to hunt", that I so loved when I was young. Goupil didn't want to kill other beings, he didn't want to be a fox. That he didn't want to evolve didn't push the world toward change, though and every alternative he was offered ended up frightnening him more than actually fulfilling his fox behaviors. No amount of wishful thinking will make any difference in how things goes: this is a time to get tougher, yet more fair, stronger, more courageous and more active, yet kind. Not nice. I'm not the first to think the world would be a better place if self-oriented people were magically kept in place and we valued niceness more. I won't be the last. Self-oriented people stay put because we put boundaries and make them stand.

[Jean]

Ohmyohmyohmy! I am feeling the flame again!

 

I hate being responsible for wrongs that may be done to others. That's one of my defining traits: I care for others over myself most of the time.

 

Now, when I have made sure that I have fulfilled all of my responsibilities and completely held my side of the bargain... oooooh boy! All that remains is play! I can be firm, and subtly threatening, until I get fairness back from the other party involved. My former landlord has sent a reply to my last request for him to surrender my deposit already. He's either playing coy or unable to understand even the most basic things of the agreement he's signed. At this point, the risk for me is zero. There's nothing he can do to harm me, there's no judge that'd get behind his claims and all I have to do is wait to get my money back.

 

So I can play. The roles are reversed and I get to put a burden upon his life until he decides to play it fair and that is fun.

 

I don't like undecided conflicts but I'm discovering that I do like the fight when victory doesn't cast the shadow of a doubt and the other party is being thoroughly obtuse.

 

Let's dance!

[Jean]

So... I've come to realize a few things:

 

1) I don't have values. Everything seems equal, I'm equal to everything, why should I hold value? This definitely puts a hole in my whole "moving up one step at a time theory". This means I'm doing shit, and I don't like it.

 

2) I used to wield a katana of a mind. Now it's a cudgel. It's so blunt I can't even think out my situation or where I want to go from here. I'm passive. Life happens to me. At this pace, I'll soon become a stick, then a twig.

 

3) I don't know what to do to recover. It feels like I'm stuck.

 

So, in short: I don't know what to do. I'd need at least a 6 months pure rest to figure out but that ain't happening without me actively making it happen and I'm in no state to actively do anything right now. Also, finances.

 

I just wanted to write it down in case I figure something out. If a cudgel is what I'm wielding now, let's get all Cro-Magnon on life.

[Jean]

Hi folks! Long time no see!

 

I'm putting together the list of the things I want to work on for 2021, this is a living document so it's pretty bare for now.

 

Fitness

Strength: keep on working on my core and arms, keep on hiking, start running more.

Movement: parkour (let's start it).

Martial arts: Tai chi.

 

Hygiene

Sleep.

Take care of my teeth.

Keep a bare but clean house (that means getting rid of all the stuff I'm not using anymore since 20 years ago and making room for the things that are truly dear to me).

 

Love

Be someone I can love so that others can do it too.

 

Edit 2: I've got to layer it.

 

I want to build physical shape, that means:

• exercise
• eating
• sleep

 

Exercising can be enacted immediately.

Sleeping faces no physical obstacle but requires working on my state of mind. Right now, that means a decluttered house and sane finances.

Eating requires a decluttered house and a proper kitchen, that will probably require moving at some point.

 

On the hygiene side, if I want to brush and flush my teeth regularly, I need a proper bathroom were I don't have to bow to look in the mirror.

In order to have a decluttered house, I need to set a system in motion where I don't have to move the laundry machine in the middle of the kitchen when I want to do my laundry and I need a system to dry my clothes without loosing use of big chunks of my place.

 

Underlying all those goals are the two master goals:

• earn enough money to jump out of the "always dealing with the 0 reserves line"
• achieve my hiking training

 

The financial one requires either keeping my job or finding another that works for me. While I'll probably have to change job to nourrish fullfilment and happiness at some point, I can go with it for some more time so I'll direct my energy elsewhere.

 

The hiking training means going to the courses and organizing hikes for people in order to get in the hours of practice I need to register to the exams.

 

So, my goals for this year are:

1) Go to work, make it sustainable and make it bearable.

2) Show up for my hiking courses.

3) Keep practicing mini-workouts to sustain my mindset.

4) Keep following my finances and make sure it takes off or, at the minimum, sustains my stated goals.

5) Use my weekends to summon my friends and go on a hike with them.

6) Declutter the fu***g home.

7) Set up a working system for my laundry. That means either using an outside cleaning spot (there is one around my workplace) or upgrading the laundry machine so that it doesn't have to be moved to be used AND set up a dedicated place or system to dry my clothes, dry them and fold them immediately when they're clean.

 

 -> that is the point where romantic ventures can enter my life. Thinking of it before that "because there is an opportunity that is about to fade" is taking things out of order. If the opportunity is actually about to fade, that means it wasn't a proper opportunity in the first place. It was a love trap that had big chances to make me miserable on the long run.

 

8 )Set up my kitchen to make it elicit joy when it's used. This may require moving.

9) Focus on nutrition, eat healthy, eat enough.

 

If I can do all that, I'll be good. Now to cut it in smaller bits and keep making real progress.

 

Edit 1: Got a theme music for the year :

 

 

A motivational video right on point to get back to through tough times:

 

 

Edit 3: I'm not feeling at ease in my current life. Here are the areas in which I have to figure out what I want:

• Job;
• Location;
• Home;
• Hobbies/activities;
• Family.

 

Job

I'm currently unhappy with the following aspects of my job:

• Time : we're working 42.5 hours weeks with 4 weeks of holidays and roughly 9 fixed holidays. I'm working full time.
  -> I want ideally to work at 60% (80% is acceptable as a start). 8.5 hours days is too much for me, 7 hours a day sounds fine.
• Leadership: I'm subject to the whims of a boss who doesn't live in reality. I want to be able to discuss issues without them being dismissed, even if the final decision doesn't fit what I would have chosen.

 

I'm currently happy with the following aspects of my job:

• I'm free to organize my time as I want (this is huge).
• I'm feeling like I can achieve something for the betterment of my area (this is also huge).

 

Globally, the cons outweigh the pros: I'm feeling like I don't have a life. Potential options include:

• teaching;
• a more support oriented position in nature hazard (working for the Swiss Confederacy on that field);
• a wealth/investments management position;
• Survival coaching.

 

That last option has huge appeal. It would involve:

• life in nature skills: finding/cooking food, building shelters, first aid and knowledge of natural medicine, crafting of clothes and accessories;
• finances management: financial independance is an essential part of modern life survival;
• mental balance: in particular, how to deal with stress, burnout, relationships management.

 

Location

The current situation stresses the feeling of uneasiness I have with my town/valley. We're a tourism oriented area, people are pouring in from all over Europe to relax and gather, during a pandemic. This doesn't align with my core values, when the winter comes, I want to be with people who can sacrifice what's superficial to preserve what truly matters. I want to explore other areas where I could live to see if I'd feel at home there.

 

Home

I'm living in a very small, very old, very broken house. I want to live in something functional with the following "spare" rooms:

• a workshop;
• a training room/dojo;
• a spare room for visiting friends.

I also want a nice kitchen and enough room in my bathroom for the morning ritual to be a pleasant experience.

 

Hobbies/activities

I want to have room in my life for hikes and living in nature.

I want to backpack in Asia, Northern and Southern America.

I want to be involved in charities and politics.

I want to craft and cook.

 

Family

I'm not willing to sacrifice my core values for family: I want a family that aligns with the broad direction of what matters to me or no family at all.

I want complicity and a feeling of tackling life as a team. Conflict is bound to happen but it can't be the core of the relationship.

I'd like a few children and I'll have to be up to the task to bring meaningfullness into their early life.

 

 

Now to craft a path leading there:

• financial independance is paramount to the whole plan. I've built myself a nice savings rate, I must protect it against my tendency to give my resources away for causes/people I don't support.
• nature survival skills are on their way to be built. I must put an increased focus on medical herbs. Getting a hunting license would be a mid-term goal. Getting a fishing license comes before that.
• I'm confident in my mental balance skills, which will keep improving with time. I need to start writing them down and find how I can pass them to other people.

 

I'll use the 5 week challenges to build aspects of this all. It's going to be a tough year but I'm intent on moving forward no matter what.

[Amazon Ninja]

Hi Jean! Your goals for 2021 are quite similar to my own!

I know you're going to do well! 😁

[Jean]

That's it. My body is in caffeine overdrive and my mind can 't think anymore. I need rest that doesn't seem to come. Strange that.

 

Anyway, I've thought a bit more about my targets (before reaching saturation). I'll edit my post tonight.

 

 

13 hours ago, Amazon Ninja said:

I know you're going to do well! 😁

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

 

Edit: How does that even happen!? I wanted to think about a nice New Year's Eve menu and now I have one. Rest, boiling mind, I've told you, dammit! Rest!

[Jean]

3rd edit done. It's somewhat big, I'm pasting it here for an easier read:

 

Edit 3: I'm not feeling at ease in my current life. Here are the areas in which I have to figure out what I want:

• Job;
• Location;
• Home;
• Hobbies/activities;
• Family.

 

Job

I'm currently unhappy with the following aspects of my job:

• Time : we're working 42.5 hours weeks with 4 weeks of holidays and roughly 9 fixed holidays. I'm working full time.
  -> I want ideally to work at 60% (80% is acceptable as a start). 8.5 hours days is too much for me, 7 hours a day sounds fine.
• Leadership: I'm subject to the whims of a boss who doesn't live in reality. I want to be able to discuss issues without them being dismissed, even if the final decision doesn't fit what I would have chosen.

 

I'm currently happy with the following aspects of my job:

• I'm free to organize my time as I want (this is huge).
• I'm feeling like I can achieve something for the betterment of my area (this is also huge).

 

Globally, the cons outweigh the pros: I'm feeling like I don't have a life. Potential options include:

• teaching;
• a more support oriented position in nature hazard (working for the Swiss Confederacy on that field);
• a wealth/investments management position;
• Survival coaching.

 

That last option has huge appeal. It would involve:

• life in nature skills: finding/cooking food, building shelters, first aid and knowledge of natural medicine, crafting of clothes and accessories;
• finances management: financial independance is an essential part of modern life survival;
• mental balance: in particular, how to deal with stress, burnout, relationships management.

 

Location

The current situation stresses the feeling of uneasiness I have with my town/valley. We're a tourism oriented area, people are pouring in from all over Europe to relax and gather, during a pandemic. This doesn't align with my core values, when the winter comes, I want to be with people who can sacrifice what's superficial to preserve what truly matters. I want to explore other areas where I could live to see if I'd feel at home there.

 

Home

I'm living in a very small, very old, very broken house. I want to live in something functional with the following "spare" rooms:

• a workshop;
• a training room/dojo;
• a spare room for visiting friends.

I also want a nice kitchen and enough room in my bathroom for the morning ritual to be a pleasant experience.

 

Hobbies/activities

I want to have room in my life for hikes and living in nature.

I want to backpack in Asia, Northern and Southern America.

I want to be involved in charities and politics.

I want to craft and cook.

 

Family

I'm not willing to sacrifice my core values for family: I want a family that aligns with the broad direction of what matters to me or no family at all.

I want complicity and a feeling of tackling life as a team. Conflict is bound to happen but it can't be the core of the relationship.

I'd like a few children and I'll have to be up to the task to bring meaningfullness into their early life.

 

 

Now to craft a path leading there:

• financial independance is paramount to the whole plan. I've built myself a nice savings rate, I must protect it against my tendency to give my resources away for causes/people I don't support.
• nature survival skills are on their way to be built. I must put an increased focus on medical herbs. Getting a hunting license would be a mid-term goal. Getting a fishing license comes before that.
• I'm confident in my mental balance skills, which will keep improving with time. I need to start writing them down and find how I can pass them to other people.

 

I'll use the 5 week challenges to build aspects of this all. It's going to be a tough year but I'm intent on moving forward no matter what.

[Tobbe]

17 hours ago, Jean said:

It's somewhat big,

 

No kidding! 😅

 

17 hours ago, Jean said:

Time : we're working 42.5 hours weeks with 4 weeks of holidays and roughly 9 fixed holidays. I'm working full time.
-> I want ideally to work at 60% (80% is acceptable as a start). 8.5 hours days is too much for me, 7 hours a day sounds fine.

 

What's the norm where you live? Here the default work week is 40 hours and most places are pretty good at keeping it at that. You are not expected to work more than those 40 hours. My father in law works at a place where 100% is 38.5 hours, so that's also an option here.

My mom worked 75% my entire childhood. Every parent has the right to work less here, your employee has nothing to say about it. I'm not sure what the limit is, but it's either 60 or 80%. 

Overall from what you write about your goals and wishes about your job it seems you should work for yourself. Start your own company.

 

17 hours ago, Jean said:

The current situation stresses the feeling of uneasiness I have with my town/valley. We're a tourism oriented area, people are pouring in from all over Europe to relax and gather, during a pandemic.

 

Sounds like your issue is more with the people who comes to your town than with the people already living there.

 

17 hours ago, Jean said:

I want to live in something functional with the following "spare" rooms:

• a workshop;
• a training room/dojo;
• a spare room for visiting friends.

 

So a garage to outfit as a workshop and a guest room with enough floor space to do some exercise. Sounds reasonable  

 

18 hours ago, Jean said:

I'd like a few children and I'll have to be up to the task to bring meaningfullness into their early life.

 

You'll do great! As long as you have a job that don't exhaust you too much everything else is going to be fine

 

18 hours ago, Jean said:

Getting a fishing license comes before that.

 

What's involved in a fishing license? We don't have that here. Here all you have to do is buy a permit (or be the land owner, or be part of a club that has access to a lake).

 

18 hours ago, Jean said:

I'll use the 5 week challenges to build aspects of this all.

 

Looking forward to following you

[Jean]

Wow, thanks for your insights!

 

17 hours ago, Tobbe said:

What's the norm where you live? Here the default work week is 40 hours and most places are pretty good at keeping it at that. You are not expected to work more than those 40 hours. My father in law works at a place where 100% is 38.5 hours, so that's also an option here.

 

The norm is around 41h/week.

4 weeks of holidays is the bare minimum, which is very often used, though. 5 weeks are not uncommon.

I'm working public, though, so the conditions we're offered are very bad for the field (and reflect a very poor human ressources assessment with a focus on draining your employees in order to get as much as you can while giving out as little as you can), which leads me away from my current position.

 

 

17 hours ago, Tobbe said:

Sounds like your issue is more with the people who comes to your town than with the people already living there.

 

Yes! That's it, totally! Today has been very draining, there were cars all around, people in the streets (which is normal), my local groceries shop was crowded (seriously, how can you line up for 30 min just to enter a shop when there's a perfectly serviceable shop 10 min away in the next village where you'll even be able to access the items you want to buy...) and they have different wants than the locals. The locals pay for their infrastructures directly through taxes, most want them to be cheap (and so, they are not really up to date). Tourists pay for them with the activities and goods they buy, which are expensive as in most tourist destinations. They want things to work and, at the end of the year where most of the staff is on holidays, that's pretty draining.

 

It feels like I'm always fleeing, so I don't know how much of this reflects my true needs and wants, but I'd target a medium sized mountain village without a ski resort for my future. The commute wouldn't be worth it right now, which points toward changing job too.

 

 

17 hours ago, Tobbe said:

So a garage to outfit as a workshop and a guest room with enough floor space to do some exercise. Sounds reasonable  

 

Oh no, what I want involves rakes full of pseudo-medieval weapons and a lot of space. My dreams are not reasonable, the path to get there should be.

 

17 hours ago, Tobbe said:

You'll do great! As long as you have a job that don't exhaust you too much everything else is going to be fine

 

Thanks! Also, ayup!

 

17 hours ago, Tobbe said:

What's involved in a fishing license? We don't have that here. Here all you have to do is buy a permit (or be the land owner, or be part of a club that has access to a lake).

 

My bad, I got carried on. No fishing licenses either, just buyable fishing permits. It would still require me learning the skill, though, which is why I put it on the same level as the hunting license (which is a whole different kind of endeavour regarding the studying and practice involved, I grant you that).

 

 

17 hours ago, Tobbe said:

Looking forward to following you

 

Looking forward to having you.

[Jean]

Alrighty, let's get down to it:

 

Areas of focus:

• Job;
• Location;
• Home;
• Hobies/activities;
• Family.

 

Specific goals:

 

Job:

• Show up and do the work;
• Plan for teaching survival seminars:
  • Nature:
    • Show up to my hike guiding course and take the lessons;
    • Go hiking with friends and other groups, registering at least 50 hours of it;
    • Learn about medical herbs.
  • Finances:
    • Keep building up my models and testing on investment strategies and vehicles.
  • Mental balance:
    • Practice workouts every other day;
    • Write down at least 4 articles on the topic.

Location:

• Visit at least 2 villages per month and keep the list of potential places where I could live updated.

Home:

• Declutter;
• Build a cleaning habit;
• Put together a down payment for when it'll be time to buy something.

Hobies/activities:

• Cook delicious meals throughout the year.

Family:

• Take charge of my life, accept responsibilities and to give in, weigh in with all my weight when I give in.
• Stop fleeing, start acting.

 

Ordered progression:

 

1) Go to work, make it sustainable and make it bearable.

2) Show up for my hiking courses.

3) Keep practicing mini-workouts to sustain my mindset.

4) Keep following my finances and make sure it takes off or, at the minimum, sustains my stated goals.

5) Use my weekends to summon my friends and go on a hike with them.

6) Declutter the fu***g home.

7) Set up a working system for my laundry. That means either using an outside cleaning spot (there is one around my workplace) or upgrading the laundry machine so that it doesn't have to be moved to be used AND set up a dedicated place or system to dry my clothes, dry them and fold them immediately when they're clean.

8). Visit villages and update the list of nice places to live.

 

9) Start being a man and taking charge of life without fears, see if that leads to romantic relationship development.

 

10) Set up my kitchen to make it elicit joy when it's used. This may require moving.

11) Focus on nutrition, eat healthy, eat enough.

 

Theme music: Liquid Cinema - Valor

 

Motivational fall-back:

 

 

Let's do this!