So Much Time Wasted Lurking Around

I can be easily distracted. That's all I have to say. I am very much disappointed with myself because of the fact that I cannot maintain focus when I am doing something that is important. I kept "Lurking Around". (I just clicked on a new tab and checked out Facebook)

Okay I'm back. I will try to focus on writing this article. I have wasted so much time just lurking around the web sphere. Some of the websites that continually provide distractions are: Facebook, YouTube and Yahoo! Sports (NBA). Sometimes, Wikipedia hopping as well. These things are not evil. They don't intent to ruin productivity and destroy someone's life. They are there for a reason and it is up to us, internet users, on how deal with it in such a way that it won't cause negative effects to our lives.

Investing in My Career Skills

I've been wanting to focus on this goal. I want to hone the skills that I use in my profession. I am a software developer. What do I do? I develop applications. Web applications to be specific. But I am open to developing other systems. But right now, my goal is to continuously develop my web development skills.

My goal for this year is to finally become an Oracle Certified Java Programmer/Professional. In order to achieve that, I will need to dedicate my time to studying and refreshing my knowledge in Java programming. And when I am confident enough about my knowledge, I will take the OCJP exam. Many programmers have done this. It's a long road ahead. It won't be easy. But I know and I believe that I can do it. I've been using Java for almost seven years. This shouldn't be very hard for me. Or not. Of course it is just a matter of self discipline and the desire to achieve this goal.

I am Not Mindful Enough

I have been struggling to master the art of mindfulness. The concept and the idea has been ingrained in my head for a long time but I lack in actually applying it into my daily activities. Yes it's hard. It takes a lot of practice. But one good thing about this is that I am aware that I am failing. And I am aware that I have a long way to go towards fulfilling my goal of mastering mindfulness.

I just kept saying to myself, "Don't worry, everything will be fine. You'll learn from your mistakes and failures today and become a better person tomorrow."

Becoming A Better Version of Myself

Everyone wants to improve in all aspects of life and simply life in general. I, myself, am very keen to developing my own way of living. I read a lot of self help books and blog articles hoping that I can use whatever I have read to improve my way of living. But within all the self improvement formulas and life upgrade tips, I have learned two key principles that I need to incorporate into my life. That is mindfulness and minimalism.

Why mindfulness? Because if we are aware of the present moment, we get to evaluate and reflect about everything that is currently in front of us. Any situation. Any emotional state. Being mindful means we are fully aware of what is happening in the present moment. Our movements, what we see, what we hear, what we smell, what we think of and what we feel. All of those things are within our graps and we have the free will to act on them. Being mindful helps us to reflect on our day-to-day decisions. Once we are in a specific situation, being mindful gives us the capability to assess the scenario and how we are going to react to it.