Goal of the day: 724 words. Written: 1204.
Half a month ago, I was interviewed by the following Karolina, "Danske Bank public relations specialist. It turns out that she has been following Debesyl for a long time and wanted to take an interview from me, which would go to the internal portal of Dankse Bank.
Of course I agreed!
You write an online blog called Debesyla, which is full of positivity and tips on how to change your life for the better. What inspired you to start this blog?
I'll let you in on a little secret: I love interviews. I like to read them, analyze them, empathize with the lives of other heroes and see the wonderful stories of their origin. I am similar. Only not to the heroes, but probably to the readers - I didn't start writing a blog.
…rather he made me than I made him. One evening in November 2013, after watching Varna's "White Shroud" for the third time in the theater, I had nothing to do. And I decided that I needed a place where I could publish my long-created cartography maps (I drew fantasy worlds) and origami models (I also created my own, mostly frogs).
When I asked my friend what to name the blog, I heard "Debesyla". After three weeks, since I couldn't come up with anything better, I was left with "Debesyla"... And after a two-month break, I realized that maybe I should better describe the unexpectedly discovered philosophy of minimalism. How to name the blog? "Debesyla. Your life is easier."
Then one reader comment led to another. Article to article. And after two years I realized that someone was reading me. After another one, I published my first book, in which I talk about minimalism and laziness. And after another six months, we will get to today.
((Looks around and waves at the imaginary camera.))
Where do you get ideas from, what inspires you not only to move forward, but also to encourage others to do the same?
These are the readers. Without them, I wouldn't have started writing about productivity, then about the search for creativity, then about human psychology, then about relationships and back to minimalism.
There would be no readers - there would be no audience for me. And I am an attention-seeking hero - without an audience, I would have nowhere to put what I learn from reading books, browsing psychology research catalogs or talking to random grandmothers on Kaunas Laisvės Alley. Without it, it's true, I wouldn't make any money. I am the God of my audience, which they themselves created and will inevitably forget and destroy at some point in the future. (Then, perhaps, you will have to find another audience.)
You have repeatedly mentioned that challenges help you grow and learn. Kyou set yourself a new challenge every month, what was the biggest one?
The biggest one is a month without internet. When I was 10 years old, we got the Internet in our house. Then the house still had a modem for the whole neighborhood, the speed was close to zero and anyway - that was the beginning. After spending 13 years on the internet everyday, I finally decided I needed to try something different.
I handed over drafts of work to my staff and logged off. And… It was the best thing I have ever experienced! It was refreshing, I was able to finish long unfinished works and finally - after all, spend the whole of December with my family. Of course, I talked about it in more detail on my blog.
What are the benefits of such challenges?
You're asking the wrong way. This was the first thing to ask! Challenges help not only to get out of your usual life and finally take a break from the boring routine, but also... What is the most important thing, by the way... To learn new things.
Always wanted to learn how to bake cakes? Try to bake one every day for two weeks! You don't need to bake it perfectly, just do it 14 times! Do you want to get into the habit of quitting smoking (or smoking)? Do an experiment too. See what you get. Maybe it will be good, maybe it will be bad, but unequivocally - you will learn something.
It's not every day that we can force ourselves to really LIVE and try something NEW. Challenges - helps you do this because it's calculated and tangible.
How should they be created?
- Think about what you would like to try.
- Tell yourself how long you will do it.
- Tell yourself what the step of the day will be.
For example, if you want to try eating a kilogram of ice cream every day for one week and see what happens (maybe you will give up your addiction to ice cream? or maybe you will wake up a bit childlike and happy anyway?) - you already know what you will do, how long it will take and what step of the day.
After eating a kilogram of ice cream, you will be able to mark a plus on the calendar. Continue for another 6 days or however long you wish. Well done!
Of course, you can not only eat ice cream, but also run, walk, write a book, create a business project, meet a new potential business partner every day or spend at least 50 minutes playing with your children (or grandparents).
Which of all the happiness techniques described in the blog do you follow most often?
The ability to say "I did" sometimes.
Why?
Because not everything that happens around us is important or worth the nerves. Sometimes it's better to just spit and focus on customers who pay money (instead of those who choke and still don't pay much) or if the car is scratched by a branch in the forest - curse and drive on (after all, you won't change the fact that you entered through your stupidity, why bother here now? ).
Perhaps you could tell us more about this technique?
I explained more in my blog. But I can repeat it.
First of all: You need to concentrate a lot, light a holy candle, lay out a yoga mat -...
Do you know? No. Not at all. You just take it and spit it out. Not literally, of course! Although it can be direct. It's more convenient for you.
I simply curse the Kaunas "blin" and stop worrying about what doesn't matter. If the customer is an idiot, I don't need to serve him - let him go where people have more time for his nonsense. If I accidentally stepped in a dog's poop in the park, what will you do? I'll clean myself up in the grass and I'll probably need to catch less crows in the sky.
Finally, if I honestly made a mistake and, say, offended someone, there is nothing to be overly upset about. I say "I'm sorry" and honestly what I mean - I didn't mean to offend. And the rest is not my job. I'm going to live until at least 80, so I put it in my head that maybe sometimes I should control my tongue.
How I learn from the same grandmothers on the streets of Kaunas (or my grandparents) - not everything is important. Sometimes you don't need to pay attention to some nobody, it's better to focus on what will last!
How is a crazy goal list on a blog different from a regular dream list? Why does it work and how to create it? Where to start?
Common dreams are: "Write a book, climb a mountain, retire, be a good man..." Items on a list of crazy goals are not dreams. These are goals. After all, it's already said in the title! For example, "Write 50 pages of a book and see if I want to continue, climb the highest mountain in Poland, take my wife to the Druskininkai Spa...".
See the difference? If you are not a small child living out of your parents' pocket, you should notice - the second ones are defined. And in goals, as in business, only those who know what they will sell and to which people earn. Definitely. The magic word!
Behold. Part Two - The list of crazy goals grows with you. Did you write 50 pages? Now take it and write down the second item - write 100 more! Or maybe finish it. And when finished - to spend. Don't immediately write the dream "Publish a book" because you will never achieve it. Better to write it down in small steps and go slowly!
I also told you about this list.
Often people do not dare to pursue their dream, fearing failure or unstable income (especially if they have big obligations). What would you advise in such cases? How can such people be inspired to take initiative?
Don't do it.
Why do if you don't want to?
If you are afraid, lazy, always drop everything in the middle of work and do not look for solutions - it is obvious that you do not want to achieve that goal. Similar to how you wrote papers at school (and I wrote them) in a dismissive way.
Don't do it. When you feel like it, you will start and do it. Now relax.
For example, I may have a dream (but not really, as I understood) to travel all over the world. But that… Eh, well, I don't. I haven't even been to Poland! I simply put this dream in my "Shit dreams" bucket and left it outside. Let it lie when something changes - I will find it and do it!
Similar to how I now dream of writing articles. And I do.
You don't need to fulfill the dreams of others. And if after discarding unimportant dreams, you will see that there is nothing left... Then it's even cooler! It means you are already living a good life. Enjoy yourself, you bastard!
Seriously. Don't be a workaholic. We can all enjoy the good life. That's what I'm doing right now. I'm eating caramel ice cream and answering questions for this interview! Later, I will go to sleep, and after sleep - back to heart-pleasing work.
