Hey guys,

I always found the thought of setting aside X amount of time for guided or solitary meditation annoying, wasteful and restrictive. In other words, I just didn't see the point. What happened over the last few weeks changed my mind on the subject of meditation in general.

A few weeks ago the frustration at work had reached its peak. I am now looking for a new job, but there's not much going on in my line of work at the moment, so that could take a while. Instead of focussing on the frustration, and in order to not take it out on the people around me, I took on a hobby. I wanted my new passion to be meaningful and potentially a source of income, so I started toying with a few ideas. Woodturning stood out, but after some research that's a hobby that is a. pricey, b. loud and c. requires a closed workshop in my home because of all the materials, tools and of course the mess.

Then it hit me. Book binding. And that's where the meditation part came in.

If you're not a complete moron, book binding is very easy to learn. It's inexpensive at first and as you become better at it, you can start selling your work on etsy. As I started laying out all the materials I needed for my first little notebook, this feeling of calm almost instantly took over. I knew at that point that I was going to create something with all the items on my desk. Step by step, I started cutting pages, folding them in half, sewing them together, glueing on the cover etc. It took me a while, it took all my attention, I had to concentrate on each step not only to get it right, but to remember it so I wouldn't need instructions for my next book. There wasn't a single distracting thought in my head as I was calmly working. I was in a state of calm focus like I haven't experienced before. A few hours later, my first book was done. A sense of pride and enthusiasm took over, and at that point I knew that I could take on the world. Ideas came rushing through my brain, new materials I was going to use, places where I could sell all the books I will make in the future, and a deep sense of real achievement, motivation and purpose filled my mind. This is the kind of meditation that I needed. This is why hobbies are important. This is why solitude is important. This is why learning and improvement are important. A month ago I was frustrated at work (which started to turn into a mild depression), right now I'm about to work on a leather journal.

Fuck video games. Fuck facebook. Fuck this instant gratification bullshit every moron is after. You're better than that. Take on a damn hobby. Even if you believe that society at large considers your hobby girly. You wanna design a dress? Fucking own that shit. You wanna bake cakes? You go, you delicious motherfucker. You wanna paint? Bob Ross the shit out of it. You wanna bind a notebook? Go on youtube and learn that shit. You have all the information you need to start any hobby you like at your fingertips. You don't owe anyone an explanation except yourself.

You got this.