Self Improvement

I’ve been playing a lot of recreation league soccer and basketball recently. It scratches two itches: getting in shape, and being consistent. I’ve long been an all-or-nothing type of person, diving headlong into some hobby ¹ or another with reckless disregard for sleep or previous obligations It has served me well in some cases and others has delayed progress of better goals.

The best part about recreational leagues is that allows me to use two powerful urges to my own advantage. I like to compete and I hate to let people down that are depending on me. So having to show up weekly and compete forces me to show up weekly and do athletic-y things while trying to do the necessary preparation to not completely suck ass.

This convoluted process is quite ridiculous. I could easily use my various gym memberships to keep my heart from collapsing in upon itself (or whatever it is that bad hearts do) but I’ve thus far been a cliché. I cannot force myself to do these things without some reason to be doing them aside from “health”.

I’m not unique in this kind of thing. Half the internet lifehackery sites are simply lists of ways to trick yourself into doing ‘productive’ things. I wish I were a unique snowflake but instead I’m a lego man.