Taking musicianship seriously. I started playing piano and taking classes when I was 15 but didn't pay enough attention to it. 15 years later, I'm angry at my past self at being so lazy and wasting time on things that are now utterly irrelevant.
Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
461–470 of 785 posts
Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
#462Earlier quoted context omitted.
Anecdotal, I was like you, extremely skeptical of meditation. Seriously, try it, it's free! Immediate benefits: * Clear, focused mind. I stop hopping from topic to topic in my mind "oh should I tidy the apartment, work on my website, etc etc" to a far more focused state. What you should do next is there with extreme clarity. You stop reading random junk on the internet too, and get down to it * Much better sleep (thi…
For those who are not familiar, or new to, meditation - I want to offer an alternative to "try not to have any thoughts". The reason why I never started meditating for a long time was because I felt it was too hard, and nearly impossible. Well... because it is very difficult. After years and years of meditating and practicing mindfulness, perhaps this is possible, but IMO not a good starting goal. I prefer to just be…
I don't know if you are aware of it or not but what you are describing is called mindfulness.
Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
#463Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's a hobby, and like any other hobby, it's profoundly stupid. How stupid is it to build model railways? How pointless is it to collect stamps. How dumb is it to fix cars? All "stupid" things we do for pleasure and for accomplishment. I suggest not being so focused on what should be stupid or not, and instead remember that time enjoyed is not time wasted.
> It's a hobby, and like any other hobby, it's profoundly stupid. I profoundly disagree with your definition of hobby. My "hobby" is writing a science fiction novel. I don't get nearly as much time to do it as what I do for my day job, but I try hard to approach it with the same degree of seriousness that I bring to my work. So far, I don't think I've written anything anyone else would want to read, but I've managed…
>>My "hobby" is writing a science fiction novel.
>>There is a very profound satisfaction in being able to do that.
For you its writing, for other its music, collecting stamps, playing games or whatever.
Why do you assume writing > everything else?
Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
#464Earlier quoted context omitted.
Count. Count each breath as you do it. When you get to ten, start at one. If you feel your mind wander, start your count at 1 again.
FWIW: I have been told not to count and to try not to focus on your breathing, as both are distractions.
We use lots of props while learning.
A crutch is good for you as long as you stop using it when you don't need it anymore.
Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
#465For me, it was 100% weight lifting and dieting (aka: exercise). Pretty much everyone here has mentioned this, but I don't think anyone has really explained just how incredibly life-changing it can really be. I've been programming since I was a kid. Spending most of my time at a desk eating Doritos and fast food wasn't really the best choice. I spent most of my 'good years' as a young guy being really overweight and h…
Body builders look like that because they swallow a ton of protein pills and other shit that eventually take a toll in their health. I hope for your sake you're not going down that path.
Protein pills? Seriously? There is nothing wrong with lifting weights and getting big.
Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
#466For me, it was 100% weight lifting and dieting (aka: exercise). Pretty much everyone here has mentioned this, but I don't think anyone has really explained just how incredibly life-changing it can really be. I've been programming since I was a kid. Spending most of my time at a desk eating Doritos and fast food wasn't really the best choice. I spent most of my 'good years' as a young guy being really overweight and h…
Body builders look like that because they swallow a ton of protein pills and other shit that eventually take a toll in their health. I hope for your sake you're not going down that path.
There are many different types of steroids each with their own protocols, pros, cons, and effects. The type of 'steroid cycle' you run can range from very casual to really complex and dangerous.
You're correct that top level bodybuilders are taking a toll to their health, but running a casual cycle really isn't anything to write home about. Combined with a decent body fat percentage and a few hundred worth of Test-E, you too could look like him.
There is a world of difference between the lifestyles of top level mass monster Olympia bodybuilders and casual steroid users.
Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
#467Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't understand the hype behind vim. The biggest productivity boost I find is having an editor which has great code completion and error squigglys as soon as you cause an error.
I'm trying to fix this part of my workflow myself. I'm a hardcore vimmer, trying to branch out into Java with IDEs. Every time I do it, the IDE brings in more headaches than it saves, by far. Plus, they almost seem to "break the abstraction" and make it less clear what's going on. I'm sure if I made a dedicated effort (ideally with a human present to answer the hard-to-phrase questions) I could work out all the kinks…
I'm kind of like that, only using plaintext editors, except for Java. I learned Java on eclipse, and there is no way I could do Java without it.
I think it has to do with Java having a lot of boilerplate that an IDE helps a lot with auto-completion, and Java allows for a lot of static analysis, so IDEs can add a lot of value.
Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
#4681) Programming in Smalltalk in 1998
2) Having beard
3) Freelancing with multiple tech
4) Understanding Conspicuous Signalling Theory (read Spent from Geoffrey Miller)
5) Since I've got meditation early I'd add trying to master lucid OBEs younger, they are uber cool. Neo mastering The Matrix kind of cool.
Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
#469For me, it was 100% weight lifting and dieting (aka: exercise). Pretty much everyone here has mentioned this, but I don't think anyone has really explained just how incredibly life-changing it can really be. I've been programming since I was a kid. Spending most of my time at a desk eating Doritos and fast food wasn't really the best choice. I spent most of my 'good years' as a young guy being really overweight and h…
Was honestly expecting an obese -> skinnyfat runner body transformation. Pleasantly surprised. What's your diet look like nowadays and what are your lifting stats/height if you don't mind sharing? Thanks.
Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?
#4703 things for me: 1) Meditation, I used to think it was something hippies did. I now think its worth 10 IQ points. I honestly can't recommend it enough. 2) Sleep, I'm getting close to 40 and the last 2 times I pulled all nighters I ended up deleting pretty much all the code I wrote from 11pm onward. 3) Occasional Fasts. I normally fast from 6pm until noon the next day but I now do one 3 day fast each month. I think th…
One cool tip - you can meditate while running in the morning. That way you can do two useful things at once, and meditation doesn't seem boring. It's also much easier to stop the thoughts, focus on the present moment, breathing, etc when you are running in a park as opposed to staring at the wall.
Meditation while running sounds fascinating. Can you explain the technique? Any good sources of information online?