Turning off my Facebook wall has led to an interesting experience.
I have noticed a lot less noise, a lot more time to think about the issues I have instead of other peoples.
It turned Facebook into much more of a signal based experience – If you need me call(tag) me .
Brené Brown wrote in Daring Greatly – "Whenever I am self-righteous I am afraid."
There is some heavy consciousness in those words – and they remind me of the fear that can take many forms, and disrupt many things happening in our lives.
It seems to be at the core of many of our decisions, and investigating it, like getting to the core of any thing, can help us understand it and overcome it to create amazing work.
I have a routine fear of not being good, interesting, or smart enough to hang around the best people in the world.
The ironic thing about that very statement – when I do decide to jump in anyway, I get a story that makes me better, more interesting, and more intelligent.
You only get one life to live – and this fight happens way more than you realize; you have to make the choice to grow or stay safe.
The most interesting work you can do demands you take the road less traveled and walk it consistently.
Reading the War of Art yesterday[Artist / Entrepreneur READ IT] was a recharging experience.
Main take away – if you want to make it you have to show up consistently and there isn't a way to make it easy.
Caring is one of the strongest weapons we have.
Indifference is the enemy of us all, and one of the enemies I continue to struggle with – it shields you from some hurt but within it stops you from giving all you can.
Work isn't a one way process, and as much as you can be disciplined and there in body, your spirit has to come along in for the ride.
Knowing what is possible allows us to tackle the "impossible", and eventually helps mankind.
The 4 minute mile was an impossible benchmark that was broken repeatedly since we found out it was possible.
What do you think is impossible – maybe your breakthrough could change the world.
I rush things – all the time. Every day is an experiment on how I can push through something faster.
My handwriting is a mess, I never show my work, my documentation of processes leave a lot to be desired, and I end up with a lot of “eureka” moments that either infuriate or amaze people.
It doesn’t leave a lot of stability – which is good for your ego (I wasn’t trying that hard, see, it was just off the top of your head) but bad for getting things done and finishing them or anything that is solid.
Through my recent meditation, among the many things I have discovered, my restlessness pops up a lot. I always seem to be a rush somewhere, even when I have no where to go.
There are a lot of instances where I have messed up the product I want to present, simply by rushing through the draft process, the editing, or even the submission.
For example – I worked hard at a paper in college. I had an A average in the class, which was difficult because I was just starting my freelance writing career, had a full time job at Walmart, and did student security. This paper had a heavy weight , and I spent a lot of time tightening it up.
When it was time to submit – I submitted a version of the paper that was half done, because I didn’t bother to:
a) Organize my version based writing system (RED CARD!!!)
b) Check what I submitted
I ended up getting a D on the paper, and that effected my final grade. I finished with a C in the class for the semester all because I didn’t bother to take some time, slow down, and verify my work.
Rushing things can effect you and cut you off at the knees. The amount of stories that are similar to that one above are legion, but it took meditation to bring it out of me.
My solution – slow down and be more deliberate. If you have any suggestions on how to help me along in that process, feel free to share them with me in the comments.
I’ve been wafering with my goals.
I think I balance between a fear of failure and success. I am scared to try new things, and when I do get going, I am scared that the work in front of me will drown me.
I need to beat both – and I have been spending a lot of time lately thinking about both.
Goals help – I have accomplished a lot of the goals I had set at the beginning of the year. However, when I sit down and try to add to them I end up procrastinating into a spiral of other things.
I have been forcing myself to put some time in and make it a part of my schedule. It is hard because it requires more stillness – and I am still working on making meditation a habit, but hopefully I can build on those successes I had with goals this year and make it a real habit.
Meditation happens to be the most difficult challenge I face in my creative life right now.
Even though I feel the effects, it still seems like a struggle to start – and like exercise, even though I feel better when I do it after, my brain soon gets amnesia to the effects.
Headspace has helped – giving me exercises to do and keeping a chart of progress – but I am curious, what could I do to push myself forward in the “want” category – meaning how can I make myself enthusiastic about meditation…or exercising, or whatever positive actions that are better for me than video games and junk food.
Following up with that post from yesterday – I would like to build an apprehension list.
I need to find out where my fears are – and really spend time deciding if:
a) They are even worth tackling – (Rational or Irrational)
b) If they are – What action steps I can start with
c) If someone I knew tackled this before – give them a call/email and start to break it down
d) Why does this scare me – and I need to be honest here. Failure isn’t worth being afraid of.
From the desk of Adam Thomas 