Helpful Tips

[Kitti]

Whether your passion is cooking or painting, makeup or weightlifting, or something else entirely...
What is your best piece of advice for people who want to try it out?​

 

[Brovo]

weightlifting,

UWAAAGGGHHH--erimean.

In all seriousness I'll do two, just for fun.

Workouts

• Don't compare yourself to anyone else. Not to your family, friends, celebrities, and definitely not these assholes. Compare yourself to yourself--who you are now, who you were a week ago.
• From the beginning, take weekly pictures of yourself. After a month or two, compare yourself to pictures from the beginning. You'll be surprised, since you won't generally notice changes over several days without evidence.
• Weigh yourself regularly. It helps to determine, quickly, if you're gaining or losing weight. If you're gaining weight in spite of eating a healthy diet, remember that muscle weighs more than fat. So long as you're within your healthy weight range, that's a good sign--not a bad one!
• You make abs in the kitchen, not at McDonalds. Grab fruits and veggies for snacks instead of chips and ice cream. Watch your caloric intake and saturated fat intake--especially if you're trying to lose weight.
• Start with simple things. You don't need a gym membership, you can do it all from home if you get the right tools. It won't cost you a fortune either--try warming yourself up over a couple weeks with jogging a few minutes a day, doing squats, crunches, push-ups, stretching, et cetera. After that, if you seriously want to avoid the gym because you're self-conscious or don't have the time, try looking at home programs like P90X. Seriously I can't stress this enough--you don't need a gym for personal fitness.
• Workout until you've built up a sweat and you feel a burning sensation in your muscles. Then, go a little further--a couple extra push-ups, a couple extra minutes. Push yourself to your limit, then a little beyond it. That is how you succeed.
• For the first 3-4 weeks, you'll feel stiff doing workouts. This is normal--stiffness is a sign your body is rebuilding your muscles to be stronger than before.
• If you keep doing workouts regularly, daily, after about 3-4 weeks, your body will start to reward you by producing dopamine as a result of the workout. Dopamine is also one of the primary chemicals released after coitus--which is why people who body build for a living often compare a good workout to sex.
• If you want to burn weight, do more reps. If you want to gain more muscle, do less reps with heavier weights. "Reps" refers to how many times you perform a movement. If you're doing 100 squats without weights, you're burning fat. If you're doing 20 squats with weights in each hand, you're building muscle. See? Easy.
• Don't beat yourself up if you don't reach your targets. Do what you can, don't let your ego or embarrassment get in the way. If people make fun of you jogging because you're fat or something, remember this adage: Those who mind don't matter, those who matter don't mind.
• Don't aim for six pack abs or whatever else. Aim to just go a little further each time you try. A little faster, a little harder, a little stronger. Aim to feel the burn, because that's when you're telling your body that it needs to improve... And it will, if you give it the right resources to do so. Protein is a big one, so meat eaters delight: You can keep eating your steaks, just maybe not every night.

Role-Playing as a GM or DM or Roleplay Creator

• Take your time, don't rush into an idea. Spend time writing out a premise and working on it, the world around it, the direction you want to take it.
• Players are your greatest asset and your greatest weakness. They can build your RP with delights you never dreamed of, or totally destroy it. Trust them to pursue their own interests, and try to guide those interests toward your plot line.
• Be sociable. Learn how to say no, softly. Learn how to say yes, emphatically. Learn how to manage groups. Players are not machines, they're human beings: They require engagement from you to stay interested in your RP. After all, they could be sinking hundreds of hours into it--give them good reasons why they should.
• Be very clear what you want the RP to be about and what could happen to player characters from the beginning. If your RP might include sex, mention it. If your RP might include death, mention it. Clarity is a virtue that cannot be understated.
• A premise is an idea, a plot is a series of events. If you're unsure as to how this works, read more here.
• Less is more. Learn how to say a lot with few words. Don't demand your players to meet outlandish requirements--like six paragraphs per post. Art is determined by pacing, not arbitrary word limits.
• Be prepared for your RP to die at least once, probably more than once. When it does, look it over and see what went wrong. Look at your own faults first and address what you can, and keep players who stayed to the end on board with you. Take suggestions from them as to how you could improve it.
• Set posting dates. If your players fail to meet them, move on without them. Remind them regularly and politely (say, once a day or once every other day) to post in the RP.
• Talk to your players. Befriend them. I cannot stress enough to be sociable--you're basically the head of the party. If you go hide in a corner all night, your guests will feel no compelling reason to stay, no matter how much work you put into the party.

 

[Greenie]

I'm not really an expert in anything if I'm being honest.

But what I do know and often tell the kids I teach is that no one is perfect at the beginning. The key is to at least start and try, have patience and expect that you're going to make mistakes. Learn from them, get back up when you fall, and try again. If someone offers you sincere help that will benefit you, take it. Don't let your pride stop you.

Easier said than done, I know. Hell, I'm known for whining and complaining a lot. ^_^' But, the only time you start at the top is when you're digging a hole.

Uhm. Well I suppose I do have a little something to say about writing, which is my passion.

When writing, read and re-read your work. Out loud if possible. See if it makes sense to you. Use your commas and your periods. Looks up words in dictionaries and thesauruses. However, try not to overcomplicate your writing by using too many different and uncommon words. There's no point in writing something that will fly a foot over the reader's head, or worse, not make any sense at all.

 

[LogicfromLogic]

Ah, the advice thread.

My advice:

1. Never not assume that I am tuning you out to watch Archer, drink a Bloody Mary and play Skyrim.
2. Make sure that you get the right mix for a drink, nobody likes a watered down rum and coke.
3. Don't read too much into things, it's a pain in the ass for everyone around you.
4. If it looks like I am not listening, assume that I am not.
5. Turn off the stove when you are done with it. You'd not believe how many house fires are started because people forget that they are in a damn kitchen.
6. If you want to make art, first stop doubting your ability and hop to it.

 

[Kitti]

Ah, the advice thread.

My advice:

1. Never not assume that I am tuning you out to watch Archer, drink a Bloody Mary and play Skyrim.
2. Don't read too much into things, it's a pain in the ass for everyone around you.
3. If it looks like I am not listening, assume that I am not.

What hobbies are these for, exactly...? I feel like I'm missing something.

 

[Absyinthe_Artica]

• Take your time, don't rush into an idea. Spend time writing out a premise and working on it, the world around it, the direction you want to take it. { Thank you Brovo. I am writing this and pinning it to my wall. )

Hmm, I feel as though most of my advice has already been stated previously XD
Well, in regards to colors..
When creating art or any color palette keep in mind complimentary colors! These colors will always work together when used in a piece. Try to avoid highly saturated colors as those can sometimes hurt others eyes, and that's the last thing you want. If you want to make coherent art (div boxes too) on Iwaku, make sure to check the colors your are using on each theme. This will ensure that all of your information is legible and not killing our eyeballs.

 

[LogicfromLogic]

What hobbies are these for, exactly...? I feel like I'm missing something.

I think I misread it honestly

 

[King]

Time Travelling tips

• Don't try to visit family in the past, especially not your past self! You don't wanna mess up your own timeline.
• Keep a close eye on your machine, you don't wanna be robbed.
• Blend in. People from the past don't usually deal well with you and your cell phone (Witch!)
• On that note, don't let anything from the future get lost in the past - The butterfly effect is a bitch.
• Don't make friends too closely with anyone in the past, you'll have to leave them eventually.
• Nobody will believe you, no matter how strong your evidence. Accept that.
• Have good intentions, nothing good comes from greed or revenge.
• A day will do, there may be things you could be exposed to that your modern day body isn't used to/can't handle.
• When in doubt, jump in the time machine come home.

:o)

 

[Kehvarl]

Hope for the best.
Prepare for the worst.
Run faster than your associates.
-- Basic rules for mad science.