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@neauoire
Last active October 20, 2019 17:23
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For Josh Castle

You seem very stable mentally and emotionally, at least from the outside. Is that an accurate perception? Or is that just how you appear through the lens of social media?

It's possible that I am, but the way I see it, I might have less of an emotional dynamic range than some people, I definitely also oscillate between better and worse moods, but less intense highs and lows.

You track lots of things about yourself; do you also track your mood? And do you make an effort to fight it or to stabilize it, or do you just try to "go with the flow" and let your mood dictate your workflow?

I don't track my moods, but as my moods usually follow my tracked input/output, so moods can be inferred. I am happiest when I get to dedicate myself fully to any one task. So, that being said, tracking the way I do, can be seen as stabilizing my moods? I never have professional frustration, and I can very easily imagine that affecting my moods. To go with the flow, you have to be able to see the flow, what you're asking me is if I just wing it, and I never wing it.

Do you have any rituals, habits, or practices that keep you mentally and emotionally healthy?

I have collected some habits here

  • Doing the right tasks is more important than doing your tasks efficiently.
  • Write down your goals. Break them down into manageable tasks.
  • Tackle one task at a time, and group similar tasks together.
  • You're more attentive in the morning, tackle hard stuff then.
  • If you can't do it in 8 hours, you can't do it in 10.
  • Don't forget to stretch, and drink plenty of water.
  • Keep a record of your time use.

Do you make an effort to avoid any particular thoughts or behaviors?

  • The best test of a person's character is how they treats those with less power.
  • Err on the side of optimism and positive energy in all things.
  • If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.
  • You get what you expect from people.
  • Don’t waste your time on gossip.

What's your philosophy of dealing with or preparing for hard times or for the unexpected? How do you develop resilience, flexibility, and perseverance?

Try to not make long-term plans. You'll always be better tomorrow at dealing with what's to come, I tend to offload anxiety onto my tomorrow-self, and focus on preparing that fictional self as best as I can. But in general, I don't think about providence too much. Shit happens, I'm grateful to have had the experiences I did, everytime I go sailing, I think that it might be the last, but desptite these thoughts, I just feel grateful that I got this far, everything else is New Game+.

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