this is one fairly good example of how i've been playing lately (im sure its not exactly sound). I used to play very slow positional games, which is admittedly can get a bit boring at times, and for a beginner who relies on this, would get uncomfortable if my opponent brought the game into an unfamiliar line, and I would avoid tactics at all cost, and trading to the endgame the second i was up a pawn.

Lately However, things have changed completely around, and I don't feel that I am even invoking it. I play fairly frequently, and the last 20 or so games have been filled with checkmates, tactics, flanks, etc. Im not sure what i'm doing differently, but the game is surely much more fun as a result, and as a bonus i've been winning much more often. (here's two games as examples, one where i lost (though it was a silly blunder) and one where i won) I'm black in both games enjoy :)

Your first game has a lot of blunders.

18... Ne2?? loses a knight for nothing and then 19...f6?? loses a rook.  20:Bb5+ and 21: RxR.  Your opponent had a won game there and just threw it away.

right, looking at white's perspective, both players had many blunders, here's another example similar to the first one, i seem to be behind, but due to mistakes from white i end up winning