Tag: self improvement

100 Days to Change // Day 32 – 59

100 Days to Change // Day 32 – 59 // Feb 1 – 27 2016

I kinda realised somewhere along the way that if I was actually trying to do stuff properly that I probably wouldn’t be able to keep updating this every day. But, even though I haven’t updated this, it doesn’t mean that I haven’t been a busy bee.

As I write this, the temperature today was 6 degrees so even though there might be a few green shoots on the trees it’s still winter. It’s too cold for me. Hats, scarves and frost covered cars seem to have dominated more for the past week than all of winter so far. The seasons are shifting, winter is starting later and going on later.

Even though this makes me want to go hibernate, I have been putting a decent amount of effort into changing things, and doing things to make that happen.

I’ve been continuing doing the modules in Music Publishing from the Music Managers Forum. Lots of information, sometimes nearly too much to take in at once. I’ve registered for a day course next week which has been described as ‘a three year degree in one day’. I’ll need my sleep the night before!

I also was at February’s RIG Train night which was entitled ‘Loving the sound of Breaking Glass’. I really enjoyed it. One of the best of their nights I’ve been to in a while. It was basically all based around sound and how it can be cleverly used in radio, in tandem with foley sounds, library music and when scripting.

There was one part of the night which was delivered by Mat McKinley of Hotwiredmusic.co.uk . I love how upbeat and motivating he was when speaking about making your own music (even if you don’t know much about music). Biggest thing really to remember is that you’re being creative, nothing can be wrong. Mat runs some courses and things. Definitely going to investigate more about doing them. You’ll be buzzing after listening to the man.

Other things that have been taking up some of my time are writing and voicing some pieces for The Irish Times, which is pretty cool. I’ve never really thought of myself as political, I just believe that everyone is equal. Everyone should be given the same opportunities and chances. You look after those less fortunate, make sure everyone has a bed to sleep in, a school to be educated in, a hospital to get better in and hopefully, let them know that someone loves them. There’s a lot of religions actually based on less. If I can raise awareness about matters I feel are important at home and for emigrants abroad who would like to eventually move home, I’m glad I can. Thanks to The Irish Times and Generation Emigration for giving me a platform.

The biggest thing for me has been working on a new London based website which I hope to launch next week. It could actually be done by tomorrow evening. Once it’s done, I’ll let you know. Once I get that up and running I hope to launch a UK version of the same site. I’m looking forward to seeing if it will all work. I think it can, I just need to remember that it will be a bit of work for a while.

If it works, it would be a big step towards a lifestyle change, which is really what we all want. Anytime I feel like I need a little inspiration, I think of what Johnny Ward, (onestep4ward) has done and I say, I want that!

February 27, 2016
100 Days to Change // Day 6 – 9

January 6/7/8/9 2016

I was right. Turns out the main aim of this week was just to get through it. Have to say the first week back at work was a bit of torture. Horrible commuting, trains being diverted and being unable to kill this cold contributed to the outcome. Once Friday evening came, I was fit to sit on the couch, watch some telly and veg.

I did manage to get this week’s episode of The London Ear recorded on Thursday evening, so the second part of the week wasn’t completely lost.

Saturday 9th January 2016

Unable to shake cold or not, today is Saturday, I wanted to make the most of it. I kinda miss working with music on a daily basis and decided a while back that I wanted to do more with music, whether it’s working with some artists again, running a night somewhere, maybe even proper management, which I haven’t done in a few years.

Today I joined the Music Managers Forum and have signed up to do their Music Publishing Programme. It’s always good to update the knowledge you have and learn new things. I love all this so this is right up my street. Can’t wait for it to start.

If I was into canoeing, today would have been perfect! Despite the deluge from the sky, I decided to brave the conditions and head into town even without an arc. Just went for a walkabout really, just to get out, get a bit of fresh air and exercise. Even though there were reports this week that London exceeded the pollutant levels already for 2016, it’s good to get out for a little while.

Tomorrow marks Day 10 of 100 Days to Change, that’s one tenth of the way through. I better make it count!

January 9, 2016
100 Days to Change // Day 2

January 2 2016

I’m a bit late with yesterday’s post. I was busy doing today’s, which means, I think, that sometimes I may write about two days in one.

So yesterday was Saturday, the last proper day of the holidays really. So what did I do to get me closer to where I want to be in 2016? A couple of things actually, starting with making a couple of subtle changes to this very website.

Things like tidying up the main menu, adding some content to the ‘About Me’ section, including a ‘Work with Me’ page. I also uploaded yesterday’s episode of The London Ear. IF you haven’t listened yet, now’s your chance!

Once that was done, I set off on a journey to get a notebook. I wanted a new Moleskin notebook to write ideas / plans / plots in. The last one of these I had was while I was in DCU and it worked a treat. I kept all my ideas in there and all my assignments came out of that little black book. I still have that one but DCU was a while ago now and I want a clean slate.

Thanks to the lovely ‘ongoing improvements’, London Bridge and Waterloo East stations have been closed over the holiday season. This means it can be a pain in the ass to get into town/our usual haunts. We (Tahlula and myself) got a train to Blackfriars, where there was a Paperchase, found the notebook I wanted and was all done in 5 minutes flat.

We wandered around town for a while before deciding we’d go home, have the last takeaway until February and chill out. We were at Covent Garden when I thought it would be a great idea to use this opportunity to get some fresh air (well, London fresh) and a walk in, and walk to Blackfriars.

We could and probably should have gone Embankment and got a Tube over to Blackfriars, from where we were, we could see Charing Cross station (also closed). Along the way, I popped into a camera shop, priced a new DSLR and was quite chuffed that I was having a productive day.

As we walked from the Strand, around Somerset House, it just started lashing rain. Like ridiculous. But – had coat and umbrella, was determined and walking along the Northbank of the Thames is something different – we’re normally Southbank people.

Got to the train station with one soggy foot and scored a nice 1st Class seat in the first carriage. South Eastern trains don’t do 1st class on that route so anyone can sit there. I double checked the app. There was me, Tahlula and some guy with a trenchcoat and bad headphones in 1st class.

30 minutes later, we were home, removing the previously mentioned soggy sock and ordering from Just Eat. I unwrapped the notebook and there was a blob of glue sitting on the top/bottom of the notebook, holding some of the pages together. After all that I can’t use it.

Someone once told me that if you were buying an ‘ideas notebook’, buy the most expensive one you can for your needs. You know how much it cost so you will always respect what you write in there, you’ll respect your ideas, you’ll take the time to work it all out. I’ve never forgotten that. The perfectionist in me hasn’t either. I need a perfect notebook, I have to get a new one. Can’t win them all I guess.

Blurry, wet, taken at Blackfriars looking to the SouthBank of the Thames

Taxi – Bronze Sculpture of J. Seward Johnson at John Carpenter Street, London

January 3, 2016
2016 // 100 Days to Change

It’s New Year’s Eve, a good time to reflect and make plans for the upcoming year. 2015 was good, nay, great in some ways. Ireland made history and got equal marriage and my new niece Charlee was born. Good things, I’m sure you’ll agree.

But 2015 has also made me think. It’s time we all took a step back and actually thought about us for a change. How we are, the mental stupid running around we do. We should be concentrating on enjoying life, doing things to better ourselves, doing things we enjoy rather than living a complete humdrum existence.

We all have to pay our way in this world and yes, money helps – a lot. But many of us spend up at least an hour each way commuting to work, that’s 10 hours a week. That approx 480 hours a year. Is there anything we can do to benefit us in that time or change our lifestyles so we gain that time back?

2016 is a year where we MUST treat the little rock that is our home better than we have been. Recycling, conserving energy, things people have been speaking about for years but still our planet is in a mess. We need to change and not be selfish. It’s the kids in 80 years time that we need to think about.

I’ve heard productivity experts say that if you want to change and are serious about it, an accountability buddy is the way to go, someone who will ask what you’ve done to achieve your goal this week. To be honest, I really don’t want to lumber any friend with hassling me about my guitar practice or other goals. Of course, there are friends I chat to about goals and plans, different people for different things. What I want to do though in 2016, is to ensure that everyday I do something to benefit me in some way, whether it be losing a few pound, doing a software tutorial, do some volunteering, actually playing guitar, you get the idea. I have to do something everyday.

You need to do something 21 times before it becomes a habit, so this will enable me to make the most of my evenings and out of work time for the better. There’s more to life than a boring 9 to 5 existence. It’s up to us to make a change, if we make a change in us, it hopefully will rub off on those around us.

I’m going to try and tell you everyday in a short post, what I’ve done and by Day 100, hopefully will have changed my habits and myself, for the better.

Happy New Year, here goes nothing!

Image from Facebook

December 31, 2015