Sunday, August 22, 2010

Self-respect

The worst thing in the world is to wake up really hungovered and the sun is shining outside your window. I can’t stand it. I also can’t stand being hungovered.  The sun was up today, but luckily I wasn’t hungovered.
The last 9 years going out has been an almost daily activity. Maybe not going out, but at least drinking was an almost everyday routine until I realized how much time I was wasting. It doesn’t get any better when you are studying for three years in the United Kingdom. If you are trying to avoid alcohol do not enter this country. I have friends who have actually become alcoholics, and they don’t even know it. Young people; age 20-35. People don’t associate a person who goes to dinner parties or networking multiple times a week where alcohol is involved every single time as an alcoholic. It is just regarded as fancy and important. You know what I mean… its like the alcoholism is covered in fancy agendas. It is even expected that you come to these parties and drink. If you don’t drink people think that there is something wrong with you. For instance… last night I decided to try and not drink until the end of the night…just have a couple of drinks near closing time, cause I didn’t wanted to feel reduced when I had a ton of stuff that needed to be done today. Almost everyone I met was wondering why I wasn’t drinking and if I was ok…funny thing to ask a person when you can’t even stand on your own two legs.  Its strange how it sometimes seems like people drink so that they can act like idiots and dance like they have down syndrome…not sexy btw. I used to do that too when I was around 20. It was fun, but now I cant deal with it anymore...all the side effects of alcohol. Well I still like to do the mental and drunk dance a couple of times a year, but that’s it. I have never been in better shape in my whole life, still drinking just ones a week kills me, so I try to assess what parties and ¨meetings¨ are really worth going to and what people are really worth hanging with. I think it increases your self-respect by being selective. Without respect for yourself you are nobody. That’s how I see it. I do have friends who are not very much liked by the media or the government, but as long as I feel that the relationship I have with them is meaningful I don’t care what other people think. I stand by it and I’m not afraid of being seen in public with these people.
What I don’t like and what I think is embarrassing is superficial clowns who only talks about rich men, themselves and what parties to go to in 2017. A lot of the ¨very important¨ networking stuff is really just a hype. Luckily I love my own company, so I am ok with spending that time alone working or watching a movie, but it took me years to realize that I’m actually not missing out on anything by not going to every single party in town.  It feels really good to be in control over my own time not letting life control me but me controlling life. 

I don’t know anyone in the world who can drink everyday and still be successful over a long period of time. The definition of success to me is also much wider than the profit you are making on your business. Its not just wealth, it is also health and happiness. If you abuse yourself with alcohol everyday it will def affect your wealth, health or happiness. This is not rocket science.

Yesterday a friend emailed me and told me how upset she was feeling. She was really feeling sad and that the darkness has swallowed her raw. She also seemed a little bit worried that she would drink the pain away. She is a very intelligent woman living in LA working on a huge business plan…I bet she will be one of the wealthiest in the US within 5-10 years from now. She is smart, funny and beautiful… still she feels like the whole world is collapsing around her. I told her a life philosophy that I never really was aware I was living, but it is a very simple one; Focus on what you want to do with your time, not what you don’t want. That way you don’t have time to do what you should not do. This is what I started to do a year ago when I was finishing my final year at University. I told myself that I would be very selective with both friends and projects. Automatically I avoided getting involved in anything I wasn’t really passionate about and I avoided less intelligent people taking up my time, because I focused on who I wanted to spend time with and what I wanted to do. Just like that I started to drink less, I didn't have time for stupid parties and so on. My time was spent on stuff I liked and everything started to become more meaningful and I was happier. Being happy is very important, because when you are happy you work better and you attract good energy. I think this strategy is very logical, but I also have to admit I am a true rebel by heart.  If I tell myself not to do something I will most likely do it. So in a way I have found a way to trick myself into the right direction.
Personally I think it is very important to respect yourself to be able to have wealth, health and happiness, and for entrepreneurs who are looking for results you don't want anything to slow you down, right?



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