I’ve written before how videogames (especially Ring Fit and DDR) helped me come back from a brain tumor pretty strongly.
The last few months have been tough. DDR has again helped me bring happiness and focus back to my normal life of running a business and being a good dad, husband, and son (I hope).
And it kind of reminds me that goal-setting, even dumb ones for the silliest thing, can make a huge difference in your happiness.
Josie and I at the Bluey Live Show, she with all her Bluey crap and me with months without a haircut.
Recurring Phantom Head Stuff
I struggle with feeling “off” especially a few times a year when my head just feels really weird. Maybe it’s my ADHD, maybe it’s the brain surgery, whatever, but it’s really tough not to fixate on your head when it’s giving you alarming feelings.
But I’ve had to learn many mantras to get me through these extended episodes– one is, our mind is not always our friend.
She looks so innocent here! She’s wonderful! But also, she’s will insist her socks are putting her in excruciating pain, and she will let you know by making your lone functioning eardrum bleed
For months now, I wasn’t really working on any personal hobby stuff or doing much to see friends. Just kind of grinding through each day to get to the end.
Ahnold’s Pump Club
Arnold Schwarzenegger has a new 5-minute-episode, weekly podcast about general wellness — not just about lifting, but eating and generally looking for the positive in life.
I discovered it the same time as a new update came out for arcade Dance Dance Revolution. I was pretty maxed out on goals in DDR and haven’t had a good play session in months (and I played maybe 3 times this summer).
I expected to be old and slow, but playing new songs and having new goals makes me able to perform again. It really is like magic that I am playing at a high level again.
Goals are Magic Tricks
All of a sudden I’m feeling good again about my body, about the day ahead of me, and about focusing on the good about our family and not the speedbumps.
Unbelievably, now that I have goals again in DDR, I’m playing well. And I’m once again about to take the good feelings of accomplishment I get there and apply it to action in my real life.
With 2 kids hanging on me at night, I don’t have time and space to play Ring Fit anymore to stay in shape, but I did discover Ring Fit has an intense 5-minute arms-and-chest workout I can do while seated!
So that’s got me doing something , and since I’m working out in even a small way, I’m eating well again, which has me accomplishing DDR goals, and around and around we go.
I hope you’re able to find dumb little goals that help you not just survive your day, but enjoy it. I know I’ll have more down spells coming, more ADHD struggles, more head “episodes”, but all we can do is put ourselves in the position to best succeed! 
If you played DDR when it was popular, you might know “Butterfly”. It’s back!
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