x1+x2/2, y1+y2/2

After a million year hiatus…OK…maybe about two years…I decided to make good on my new year’s resolution and actually make an effort to go on dates. The resolution was to put myself out there more and meet new people since one of my life goals is to get married at some point; and at the big 3-0, I’m not really getting any younger. Side note, supposedly it is all downhill from here, but Jay-Z said 30 is the new 20, so maybe I can buy myself a few years here? Back to the blog, as I have started to jump into the dating pool once again, I have noticed a few things. Some of them about myself, some that others make about me, and a few general things in dating.

I’m fragile. At least that’s the impression I seem to give to girls. I did not really understand what this meant the first time I heard it. And then I did what every over analyzer does in this situation; I flipped the script and took a look at it from another perspective, my own. Who would I be concerned about dating due the fact that I would be scared of “breaking” them? Nice girls. Figures, I’ve been called a nice guy enough to be a billionaire 5 times over if people paid me a quarter every time they said it. So girls, I get you. I’m fragile. I would not want to break a nice girl’s heart, and you don’t want to break mine. Only problem with this b*llsh*t is that you have just admitted to me that you are judgmental. Lightweight deal breaker in my book.

As I’ve gotten older, one thing I realized is that we all have different stories. All that sh*t you hear on those talk shows about people having f*cked up childhoods that actually affect their growth and well being are actually true. SMH. Who would have f*cking known? I admittedly did not. I grew up pretty easy. My family stayed together. My parents raised me right (I think? hahaha). But it doesn’t mean that I didn’t have to develop thick skin or went through my own issues. Readers of my blog know that I am not shy to admit some of the trauma I’ve felt from growing up overweight. I have a 10+ page blog about it that just got way too personal to publish, but one drunken day I might pull it out of the vault. Lesson here, don’t let a good thing slip away because of what you think you know. On the same level, don’t assume you know the expectations of the other person when you haven’t even talked to them about it yet (this is a direct message to some people who I know read my blog and have yet to take this advice…haha).

Girls have some intense defense mechanisms programmed in them. And these mechanisms are set on auto start as soon as you meet them. All the “game” bullsh*t that guys have to come up with just to find out a name (that may or may not be real) is really just a strategical tactic to break down this defense. It may sound hilarious right now, but it is so f*cking true. Now say you get passed this defense mechanism, you are in right? Wrong. So far all you have done is gotten past the gate to the estate. Little did you know, there are 10 Doberman guard dogs ready to attack you. SMH. Assuming you actually have a personality and can get past the attack dog stage, maybe you make yourself into the house. Cool right? Once again, no! Instead of being asked if you would like something to drink, you have really just walked yourself into a fun house full of mirrors and trap doors. I swear, the number of walls and hoops you have to jump over and through is endless. Once you think you have conquered something, there is that bucket of water hanging over the door, ready to fall on top of your head as soon as you pass through.

In all seriousness, girls’ defense mechanisms are equivalent to guys’ insecurities and fears. Most guys have a fear of approaching, girls are the same. The fear of approaching is due to a fear of rejection, well, we’re all humans and the fear of rejection is present in both sexes as well. Once you get passed all this, there’s the fear of embarrassment or looking like you don’t know what to do. That exists in both too. So far, my method to combat these things has been to openly communicate. Faking it to make it will only last so long and the answers are far more complicated than any book can tell you, so just admit when you don’t know or aren’t sure. It’s not that bad. If you get laughed at or ridiculed, you probably don’t need to be with that person anyway. Not the kind of people you want to let into your circle. Besides, the one who laughs is probably the one with the real issues in this situation. Read: defense mechanism.

OK, enough being somewhat funny, yet enlightening, and to get my inner white pants wearing Drake on. I always hear and read about how previous relationships (whether serious or not) can leave a lasting impression on you. In other words, how previous relationships can traumatize your beliefs in the other person. Maybe I was naïve (OK I still am) in thinking that everyone can start with a clean slate. But I was talking to my therapists or friends, whatever you want to call them, and they made me realize that I have a collection of traumatizing events that have shaped my views and thinking today. It’s never fair when you let the past affect your future, especially when it comes to other people, so I feel pretty terrible about this. Another mental mountain to climb up and over, but I think I’m in decent shape, so it shouldn’t feel that bad.

t h i r t y

Dirty thirty. Ugh. I think I have been reminded that I am turning 30 tomorrow at least once every day for the last month. I hear that it’s supposed to be some milestone year and 5 years ago I would have believed it. When you’re 18 and fresh out of high school, 30 seems like light years away and is a nice age to kind of set your bench marks. I want to __________ before I turn 30 or by the time I am 30, I want to _________ . As people have reminded me that this day is coming up, I have slowly been going into my annual birthday reflections/depression. I hate my birthday. Absolutely hate it. I’ve talked in the past about all the tragedies that have surrounded my birthday and more recently, it’s been a time that I absolutely do not look forward to because it brings me nothing but mental stress.

Not many know this, but last year around this time, I checked myself into the hospital because I thought I was having a heart attack. I was wrong and it turns out that I was just having a massive anxiety attack. Laugh all you want, but when you compare the symptoms side-by-side, they are almost exactly the same and when you are a hypochondriac who knows that heart problems run in the family, it is automatically a spell for disaster. Anyway, I was healthy as can be, maybe even too healthy as every test came back much better than average and the ultrasound tech even told me that I would make a great model for a class because every part of my heart could clearly be seen on the ultrasound. I felt somewhat stupid and embarrassed after this, but then I realized that mental problems and anxiety are no joke and there are some people out there way worse than I am.

Fast forward to this year, I am much healthier mentally. I had great friends and great support during my struggles last year and now I am able to handle most things that come my way. I have lapses here and there, but I have pretty much expected those to last throughout my lifetime. We all have issues and bulls**t that we have to deal with on a daily basis and it’s always something different that triggers them. Something I have learned with the mental aspect of life and life in general is that it is much better to face something head on and learn how to deal or counter it, rather than put it off and avoid the confrontation. Sometimes confrontation can be a good thing. Getting backed into that corner where you are forced to make a decision or a move that you have never made before is how I/we learn and experience new things.

Last year I wasn’t sure (in my head) if I would even make it to see 30. This year, I am less than 24 hours away from and kind of curious of where I’ll be in the next year. I used to think of 30 as a year set as some kind of deadline to meet some expectations. Now I look at 30 and think that there is still so much to learn and experience, and mentally, I am ready to deal with all the excitement and disappointment that lie ahead.

mmddyyyy

Last night, I was having a conversation about dating and why we do it. After sending the last of my texts, I realized I was being somewhat of a hypocrite. All this time I had given people shit every time they did not want to give someone else a chance (nice guy mentality), when it turns it, I was doing the exact same thing. It’s funny how giving great advice and taking your own advice are always two completely different things.

So what did I realize I was doing? It wasn’t that the person I did not want to date was un-attractive, it was more along the lines that I was not sure if I really liked them or not. <> But in order to get to this type of mentality, I had to personally mindfuck myself into it. I have this tendency to over think or over analyze situations that I am not familiar with, and dating is no exception. If I ever found myself thinking that there was no future with this person because of a particular deal breaker, it was game over. Stupid. For someone who was single and trying to figure out the whole relationships thing, that was probably the dumbest thing I could do.

I wish I could sit here and write about how I am completely cured of this and how I have the solution to this situation, but I don’t. I probably still do not know anything about dating and relationships. I know for damn sure I know nothing about how a woman thinks because every time I run into a dilemma and ask for their opinion, it is usually completely left field compared to what I hear from the guys. Hahaha.

However, while lying in bed last night dreading the last few sentences that came out of my mouth, I came to a few realizations. It is ok to go into dating someone not knowing entirely what may or may not happen. Isn’t that what dating is actually for? To see if it will work or not? I never really know what I am getting myself into or what I actually want from the other person. But that is ok as well, since it is the job of the relationship to expose each others’ flaws, fears, and doubts, and for lack of better words, help make them better. Leaving yourself vulnerable to another person is scary as fuck. Telling someone what you are afraid of or what you’re afraid might happen is scary as fuck. Not knowing what will happen in the future is scary as fuck. Having anxiety and feeling like you are not going to see the next day has taught me one good thing and that is literally YOLO. As played out as that ridiculous acronym is, you never really know how something will turn out unless you take a few risks. Completely ruling something or someone out because YOU are afraid of those risks is completely unfair to not only the other person, but yourself as well. You (I) cannot be afraid to live in the moment and take each day one at a time. Stressing and worrying about what might come to be in the next few weeks is pointless since those next few weeks are never really guaranteed to begin with.

bold face italics underline

What’s your type? Being single for the last million years, I swear that I have heard this question about a million times. Truthful answer, I don’t know. One week it’s this and the next week it’s that. My “type” can be triggered by anything, a movie I saw, book I’m reading, a song, etc. What does that mean? Maybe I saw a movie starring Jessica Biel. That week, my type might be tall brunettes with a little bit of muscle on them. Maybe I went to a CrossFit competition. That following week, my type might be a girl who is really into fitness. No idea. But just like the fact that I have no idea, it is hard for me to define a type. But what about in real life? Do the qualities I look for change from week to week? Is everyone just part of a phase in my life?

Physically, I do not believe that anyone really has a type. Despite what I said above, when people are infatuated with someone else, they aren’t staring at their hair or their eyes; they are falling for their character. Jessica Biel, maybe she was the cool girl of the movie. That’s hot. CrossFit girl, maybe she was wilding out and being a beast in the competition. That’s hot. Just like Drake had mentioned in a quote last year, you typically associate music with an event or a feeling you were having. Well, I like to think that you associate a person’s physical qualities with how their personality portrays it. If the cool girl has long, flowing brown hair and a more muscular physique, then the cool girl you are searching for will have those same qualities. The same could be said if she had black hair and slanted eyes or blond hair and blue eyes. Get it?

Phases. We go in and out of them all the time. It’s natural. Does that mean the same thing in dating? Every time we go in and out of a phase, then it is time to switch it up? If it were true then there would be no such thing as relationships or marriages. Just like I mentioned in the previous paragraph, stating your type using physical qualities would be completely inaccurate. Defining the personality characteristics is much more realistic as these are the ones that have the ability to make it through phases and can remain consistent throughout. The person who inspired this blog summarized this best when they said, “if you can make it past these next few months, typically I will date you for a very long time.”

What about game? Overrated. Real game is knowing how to remain yourself despite the situation you are in and who is staring you in the face. Wtf? All of us have flaws. All these flaws can be exposed at any given time. Trying to remain perfect at all times is impossible. The person you are around your friends and family is the person that you need to be at all times. Anytime you break this character, you are asking for trouble because this tiny, little lie will eventually grow and you will be stuck scrambling to re-create yourself. Eh…not going to happen. Having real game means that you can stay yourself no matter how much pressure is put on you. When you are around people you are comfortable with, you are confident and can do whatever you want without feeling self-conscious. The person with the most game is the person who can do this with anyone without putting on a front.

lying on the floor

It’s funny how one simple event can completely change your perspective on a person. Normally it’s not so much what they did, but more like what they didn’t do. And what they didn’t do is tell the fucking truth! Liars. Can’t stand those motherfuckers.

Most of the time, I could really care less about what people do. It’s their life and I really have no say in the decision making. I’ve been trying to improve on my big brother syndrome and not offering unsolicited advice, which in turn has converted me into an observer in most situations.

I actually do not really mind this new role as it has made me a better listener, but at the same time, I feel like I come off as stand off-ish or somewhat boring sometimes. Usually my silence is due to the fact that I am extremely annoyed and upset about what is going on and would rather keep my mouth shut than burn a bridge.

But those liars though?!?!? Fuck them. Seriously. Nothing gets to me more than being lied to when I already know the truth. I will let someone continually fuck themselves by asking strategic questions that will lead to more lies just so I can shake my head at their stupidity.

I’ve lost friendships in the past because of times I have refused to lie about some shady ass shit. Fuck it. There’s a huge difference between trust and lying in friendship. You should never put your friend in a situation where they have to sacrifice their personal morals in order to have to protect your shady doings. That’s called being selfish.

middlemen

Where do you draw the line between being a good friend and standing by your morals? We always have moments where we are forced to sit back and watch our friends do things we do not agree with, yet have to somewhat support them because we are their friends. But do we always have to support them? Or is this the moment where we realize we may be starting to grow apart and it may be time to sever ties?

How are you supposed to give advice to someone when how you feel is not going to exactly make them feel better and will actually break them down as a person even more? It is always tough to have a friend turn themselves in even if both of you know that doing that is the best solution to the problem.

Some people get so caught up in their own fantasy worlds where they are invincible. Not only in their heart but with all the people who they have chosen to surround them self with. Yes men. Stronger bonds and friendships are built by dealing with the bullshit and finding a way through it. It’s like those couples who never fight and are always happy. Fuck them. That shit is fake as fuck and won’t last. I might sound bitter but slap yourself if you disagree cause you’re naive as hell and living a dream.

So now that you have committed yourself to standing by your friend through the nonsense, how much do you exactly get involved? Getting yourself too far immersed in your friend’s drama leads to your own personal drama. Instead of a one on one battle, alliances are formed and more people get caught up in the bullshit. Friendships are lost due to taking sides and in the end, people realize they were fighting over spilled milk.

I’ve learned to stop playing the middle man and big brother in all these situations. I always found that the more advice I gave, the more undeserved backlash I received. By keeping to myself an offering bits and pieces rather than trying to build the entire building myself, I find that I have stricken the balance between being supportive, while still standing my ground and not getting too immersed in someone’s bullshit other than my own.

Djfockejskansnwkasasdndkcnsnakd…

Today is one of those days where everything works every one of my last nerves. To say that I am irritated is almost an understatement. Maybe it’s the lack of sleep. Maybe it’s the stress. Maybe it’s the overwhelming frustration that nothing has really been going my way in the last few weeks (at least it feels that way).

We never really focus on what we have or what we have accomplished, but rather on what we need and what needs to still be done. To me, that is motivation. To others, it is a pessimistic point of view.

Either way, today has not gotten off to a great start. I have to admit that I went to bed last night extremely annoyed and my 5 hours of sleep were not enough to sleep it off or forget about it.

Oh well.

I’ve also somewhat decided that this will be the new format of my blog. Just a short rant/entry of what is on my mind that day. I feel like I never have time to myself, so I will use this as my way to kind of vent without punching everyone in the face.

Happy Thursday!

OLOY

Sometimes I find myself thinking back to something I did in the past and get the shivers from being so embarrassed about it. Along the same lines, sometimes I think back at something that I didn’t do and want to smack myself for being such an idiot. They say there’s no point living in the past since what’s done is done and there is nothing you can do. But if you fail to realize your disappointment from not living in the moment then how can you ensure that the future will be any better? I personally hate making the same mistake over and over, yet there are some things that constantly fail me time and time again. When I get that random light bulb moment of realizing how I fucked up and at the same time come up with the solution to make it better, it does not always stay in my memory bank. Reading helps. Talking to friends and gaining other perspectives helps. But at the end, practice makes perfect. Nothing really matters until what you came up with in your head actually proves itself in real life. I can barely take my own advice, so when it comes to others’ advice, I’m usually even more skeptical. To get something you’ve never had before, you need to do something you’ve never done. Maybe it’s time I start listening to myself.

Cause what I’m doing right now fucking sucks

My days are long and my free time is limited. When the only thing I love feels like an obligation rather than a passion, I want to scream and just lose it. Every idea can’t be successful and that’s how I live and learn. Sometimes I fuck up and that’s ok right? It’s fine to agree to disagree, but at least have some reasoning behind your opinions. The bar and pedestal can be set high but make sure you know why you decided to put it out of reach. Was it to punish yourself or was it set without any intention of ever reaching it. Be confident in yourself and your abilities. Rant over. Have a good one.

RUW

Write drunk.  Edit sober.

Every time I wake up f*cked up, I end up having a conversation in my head about all the random bullsh*t going on in my life.  Or better yet, all of the random uncompleted thoughts that are floating in there.  So as I am driving myself home this morning, listening to the Usher album (SMH), I hear the lyrics, “they say life is a battlefield, I say bring it on.”  Hmmm.

Competition brings out the best (or worst) in me.  Sometimes I get complacent and feel like I am just going through the motions, and I think this is when I am at my peak, confidence-wise.  Other times, it is the complete opposite.  I feel completely overwhelmed and the self-confidence shrinks to molecule sized particles.  Blah.  That is the feeling that I need to completely avoid.  So how does competition fit in all of this?  If I am not challenged or intrigued by something, then usually  I end up in the former, but when competition starts to creep up, I end up in the latter.  Not saying that I crumble under pressure, but it sure as hell gets to me every single time.

Every time I have to take a test, ask for a date, or venture into something new, something in my stomach starts turning and I become a complete wreck.  Butterflies.  Who doesn’t get them?  Usually when I think of competition, I think of me versus other people.  Maybe that is the true definition of competition.  Trying to get yourself to the top of whatever you are trying to accomplish and having pride in whoever you need to overcome along the way.  But what if you are feeling invincible and confidence is sky high up until you find yourself at that starting line.  Then who are you competing against?  Everyone else or yourself?

I often find myself competing against myself.  Sounds conceited as f*ck, but what I’m really saying is that I always tend to defeat myself in my head before the competition actually begins.  It’s not like I am not prepared, but isn’t that what life experiences are really about?   Is there anything that we can really be 100% prepared for anyway?  Sometimes  I do get into that OCD control freak mode where I start to expect the worst and that is where the trouble begins.  I end up taking myself out of the game before the whistle has even been blown.   F*ck my life, I am an idiot sometimes.

As a coach, I am always telling people to not get mentally mind f*cked when it comes to the weights they are lifting.  Too bad I am a f*cking hypocrite and cannot take my own advice.  I cannot understand why I let myself get into those battles in my head.  It annoys and frustrates the sh*t out of me all the time.  The opportunities I have missed out on due to the pessimistic voices in my head.  The times I have simply been defeated because I could not step up and compete with my own personal demons.

It’s too bad that the whole YOLO statement has turned into a played out joke because the meaning behind that statement makes  a lot of sense.  Last year, I suffered through my first anxiety attacks, and it really has changed my mentality towards a lot of things.  Sometimes it gets me to the point where I get impulsive with my decisions because of my fear of missing out on something.  But I guess these impulsive decisions are basically just trusting my gut instinct right?

I told myself that I would write this, take a nap, then re-read and edit it before publishing, but at this point, I am saying f*ck it and just posting it.  I cannot remember the first sentence I wrote any better than the last, so this whole thing just became a total cluster f*ck of true random unspoken word.  Hahaha.