It's been a solid six months since I lasted updated the Injection of Inspiration blog (partly due to being busy and partly due to pure laziness). I've been delivering weekly injections of inspiration on my YouTube channel if you want to check those out, but what prompted me to want to write this in particular is because I have a three-day weekend thanks to President's Day. And it's been a blast.

From all the articles I write to school stuff (I'm nearing the end of my college career believe it or not), very rarely do I have free time on my hands, and even when I do, I try to use it effectively. That brings me to the topic of today's blog. I often find whenever people are presented with free time, they don't know how to spend it, or at least wisely. Years ago, I wrote about my own experiences with time management upon coming to college, but this blog will be a bit broader in terms of five things you can do to fill the free time. Soon you'll find that the day will fly by quicker than you thought it would.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews
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​I was listening to Chris Jericho's interview with Christian on his podcast just recently (strongly suggesting checking it out if you have the time) and Christian mentioned something that peaked my interest. Jericho asked Christian what it was like to finally win the world championship at 2011's Extreme Rules event and Christian said it was the greatest feeling he ever experienced in his career.

​Interestingly enough, however, he said he has yet to watch that match/moment back. Why? Because he didn't want to watch it back and come to discover that the moment of winning the world title might not have been as great as he remembers it as. And that couldn't had made any more sense to me.

​By Graham "GSM" Matthews

​Compliments are a funny thing. When you don't get a lot of them, you appreciate the ones you do get that much more. I'm the type of person that takes everything to heart. Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes that's not such a good thing.

​But I don't forget stuff, especially anything positive, and to say that every “Hey, good job on that!” or “Congrats on this!” means the world to me is a massive, massive understatement. I feed off that positive energy, and even negative vibes fuel me. It reminds me why I do what I do. It keeps me going when all hope is seemingly lost.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

​​One of the most common questions I'm asked is why I don't drink, and if I'd ever consider drinking on my 21st birthday. I wouldn't, and I haven't. I feel that part of what makes me who I am is that I don't drink, do drugs or smoke. Not to say that there's anything wrong with doing those things, but I've always been a big believer that I've never needed them to have a good time or to make me happy (not to mention I'm already crazy enough as it is). My only addictions are writing, wrestling and life itself.

Straight edge was a path I chose six years ago, and I didn't do it because I thought alcohol was “evil” or anything along those lines. I did it because I knew it would make me different from everyone else, and it has. I'd love to be remembered as the one person (or among the few) who has never taken a sip of alcohol. Ever. I greatly appreciate anyone and everyone who has understood my straight edge lifestyle and has accepted me for who I am and what I stand for. Swig of soda for those amazing people!

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

​Final exam period is the most stressful time for any college student. Yet somehow, despite how I have four final exams coming up in the next week, I don't find myself to be the least bit stressed. That isn't to say that I don't care about college or finals because I've absolutely put effort into studying and completing the projects I've needed to get done, but I don't see the purpose of being stressed out. In the end, you're simply putting extra pressure on yourself, and if you constantly worry that you aren't going to do well on something, odds are you probably won't.

I don't mean to scare you with that statement, but that mindset can be applied to just about anything in life. If you think you're going to lose a match or a fight, you've given your opponent the advantage and you've already lost. If you think your relationship is going to fail, it likely will because that's all that is on your mind. A positive attitude prepares you for a positive experience. Don't just think you're going to do well. Assure yourself you'll do well in anything you do by backing it up: study hard, avoid waiting until the last minute, and come prepared. I know there will be times you'll study like crazy for a test and still do poorly, but hey, at least you weren't stressed out! There wasn't much more you could have done at that point (maybe you just didn't understand the material as well as you thought you did).