Are we having fun yet?

Looking for positive emotions to absorb, swallow, and digest so I can feel whole again.

I spent last night singing with a song’s playlist on YouTube. Songs: “This is how you remind me”[i] by Nickel Back, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”[ii] by Green Day, Numb and Caste of Glass by “Linkin Park”, Hero by Alan Walker, and others that I was discovering for the first time.

In the late afternoon, before sunset, I went to a karaoke Café where I took an Avocado Juice, and sang 3 songs on the stage with a mic and YouTube Lyrics and Songs playing. There was no audience until the last song 2 girls entered the Café. I sang along with the song playing:” Breaking the Habit”[iii] by Linkin Park, “This is how you remind me” by Nickel Back, and the last one” Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day. I liked singing these 3 songs. I know my singing voice is awful, so I sang along with the songs, which is more enjoyable for me and the people around me. The pressure is a lot less on my singing performance, but I know the songs well before singing. So, I follow the rhythm precisely and I match the words one after one. I went alone and sat alone. I prohibited myself from bringing my Smartphone. It is still off for more than 1 month now.

I’m trying to have a lifestyle that doesn’t include the smartphone. It hurts my eyes and my brain a lot because my eyes and brain are very sensitive to the blue light and glare of the screen. Plus, using the smartphone as a social escape whenever I’m alone somewhere doesn’t seem to be a good strategy. Many people do it, but I prefer not to. Either I’m equipped and can deal with the environment I’m in or I leave to another one where I can express myself and not be idle. I’m not an antenna that keeps waiting for information to be received. I should take my time seriously and my life with my own hands. Never wait until you know what you are waiting for and when it will happen.

Living in a fantasy of imaginary hopes leads automatically to disappointment since Reality doesn’t even know what you are expecting from it. This is the “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”[iv] where you are alone but if you are walking in it at least you can find a turn at any time and take it to get out. Introverts have the habit or tendency to wait for the external world to do things on their behalf while extroverts look for people to do things for them. Introverts should “break the habit tonight”[v] and realize that they have another side of their personality that needs to be activated properly. Therefore, they should know enough about it and make the conscious decision regularly to use it even if it seems like work. It is actually” the work” for them. This is how they share their internal world and the beauty/ complexity they have inside.

The internal Work that their Brain and body do on a regular basis is useful and can be valued in the right environment for the right people with the right sharing tools. Dwelling on the past is a hindrance that we all know about. However, since it is an automatic mechanism for more than 45% of the population supposedly[vi][vii][viii][ix][x], we should see the whole picture and when it is valuable or not. Thinking about the past, cognitively, comes with the sense of maintaining physical structures. So, orienting the dwelling on the past toward the looping cycle of taking care of a physical system can solve a lot of psychological drama and trauma. It can sound simple but sure this process requires proper guidance from a mentor well-versed about it. Introverts are more prone to this Dwelling in the past but some extroverts like ESTJ and ESFJ are also heavily concerned as they lean considerably on the dwelling.

Having things that “remind me of what I really am”[xi] is not dwelling as it gives me access to my past versions and allows me to self-reflect, correct, improve, and plan. Sounds like the PDCA [xii] tool of Quality Management Science.

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[i] “Nickelback – How You Remind Me Lyrics | Genius Lyrics.”

[ii] “Green Day – Boulevard Of Broken Dreams Lyrics | AZLyrics.Com.”

[iii] “Linkin Park – Breaking the Habit Lyrics | Genius Lyrics.”

[iv] “Green Day – Boulevard of Broken Dreams Lyrics | Genius Lyrics.”

[v] “Linkin Park – Breaking The Habit Lyrics | AZLyrics.Com.”

[vi] “What Is Introverted Sensing?”

[vii] Moore, “Introverted Sensing vs Extroverted Sensing.”

[viii] “MBTI® Manual for the Global Step I^TM and Step II^TM Assessments (4th Ed.) | The Myers-Briggs Company Pty Ltd.”

[ix] “Item Detail – MBTI Manual for the Global Step I and Step II Assessments 4th Ed | The Myers-Briggs Company.”

[x] “What Does Research Tell Us about Introverted Types and Leadership?”

[xi] “The Meaning Behind The Song: How You Remind Me by Nickelback – Old Time Music.”

[xii] Tague, “Plan–Do–Study–Act Cycle.”

“Green Day – Boulevard Of Broken Dreams Lyrics | AZLyrics.Com.” Accessed January 4, 2024. https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/greenday/boulevardofbrokendreams.html.

“Green Day – Boulevard of Broken Dreams Lyrics | Genius Lyrics.” Accessed January 4, 2024. https://genius.com/Green-day-boulevard-of-broken-dreams-lyrics.

“Item Detail – MBTI Manual for the Global Step I and Step II Assessments 4th Ed | The Myers-Briggs Company.” Accessed January 4, 2024. https://shop.themyersbriggs.com/en/mbtiitems.aspx?ic=6131.

“Linkin Park – Breaking The Habit Lyrics | AZLyrics.Com.” Accessed January 4, 2024. https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/linkinpark/breakingthehabit.html.

“Linkin Park – Breaking the Habit Lyrics | Genius Lyrics.” Accessed January 4, 2024. https://genius.com/Linkin-park-breaking-the-habit-lyrics.

“MBTI® Manual for the Global Step I^TM and Step II^TM Assessments (4th Ed.) | The Myers-Briggs Company Pty Ltd.” Accessed January 4, 2024. https://ap.themyersbriggs.com/productdetails.aspx?Product=405&Type=1.

Moore, Julie. “Introverted Sensing vs Extroverted Sensing.” Talent Insights, February 12, 2015. https://www.talentinsights.com/blog/introverted-sensing-vs-extroverted-sensing/.

“Nickelback – How You Remind Me Lyrics | Genius Lyrics.” Accessed January 4, 2024. https://genius.com/Nickelback-how-you-remind-me-lyrics.

Tague, Nancy R. “Plan–Do–Study–Act Cycle.” In The Quality Toolbox, 2nd ed., 390–92. Milwaukee: ASQ Quality Press, 2005. http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/project-planning-tools/overview/pdca-cycle.html.

“The Meaning Behind The Song: How You Remind Me by Nickelback – Old Time Music.” Accessed January 4, 2024. https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-how-you-remind-me-by-nickelback/.

“What Does Research Tell Us about Introverted Types and Leadership?” Accessed January 4, 2024. https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Connect-With-Us/Blog/2020/January/World-Introvert-Day-2020.

“What Is Introverted Sensing? | True You Journal,” March 16, 2022. https://www.truity.com/blog/what-introverted-sensing.