"A man who wants something will find a way.
A man who doesn't will find an excuse."
-Stephen Dolley Jr.-
I've been judging myself by this quote lately. So- evidently I am someone who does not want to write, because I have been making excuse after excuse for why I don't have the time to just sit down and put pen to paper. But that's crazy, because I know the freedom that writing affords me and I know it's something I will 'ever desire. Now this is certainly not the first time I've realized I'm devoting excessive time to things that are not representative of who I want to be, and insufficient time to the things I really am passionate about. So, I intend on giving myself a good pep talk about this, followed by a quick kick in the ass, and then setting a daily scheduled time to get back to writing persistently and fervently. Hopefully this means there will soon be more to come.. hopefully....
4 comments:
I totally feel you on this one. I am guilty of it in making art. It is easier when I have a deadline, but when there is no show in the horizon, it is painfully hard. An occasional ass-kicking is exactly what I need!
What interesting timing, because the last time I saw you and Christian, I used, and was instantly stricken by the significance of, the phrase, "find a way." in light of our historical context regarding that phrase and this, then future, use, I see a couple of different time-related ways of approaching a search for either excuses and paths: 1st, a planned course of action, with no firm beginning, but with a desired end goal or result. This seems to happen quite a lot in my experience because I can foresee a desired outcome and the steps necessary to achieve, however, I often lack follow-through, which, if left unchecked, compounds any sense of failure until I spiral ever downward in the opposite direction of my originally intended course. So for writing or eating healthily, or exercising, or brushing your teeth, we, or at least, I, tend to make the decision because of a distant, future outcome. this far-off land of wonder and attempted perfection often seems unattainable, especially because it is, by my own definition..... indefinitely in the future. So my realization of success may only be a matter of perspective (like most things, I suppose).
So, I've been operating in this manner for many of the loftier things/goals in my life; and I'd say that there's nothing wrong with the intentions, but I also think it can be a set up for unaccomplished goals. I found an interesting idea in Gallup's Wellbeing book, which leads me to the 2nd of my time-related ways of approaching a search for excuses or ways: finding shorter term, more immediate benefits to the little steps that eventually lead up to the end result or goal. I'm more apt to go play tennis for the fun of it, and the practice if I know it will make me feel better for the rest of the day. This builds toward my goals of getting better at tennis, and getting in better shape. An example in the Wellbeing book talks about how we might be more likely to not eat a fast food meal for lunch if we know that it will give us a high-fat hang over for the next few hours, possibly ruining our afternoon, and not just our bodies over a longer period of time.
Hopefully my points came across relatively clearly, though probably in more words than necessary. But I see this as more of a starting point for brainstorming, not, by any means, actual solutions. Since writing is such a passion of yours, so essential to your.... wellbeing, I hope that this is only the beginning of a longer conversation.
What are some of the short-term benefits of taking the time to write something? eschew all thoughts of things far off in the future, even possibly an end product. I know that often the end is daunting, without even taking into account the process.
And what are some of the excuses (maybe even the consistent ones, if there are any) that prevent you from writing? Nothing is too simple, nothing is too obvious.
-Fuj
P.S. ass-kicking may be one of those immediate negative-motivators. Pressure must have steel-toed boots, because it gets me to follow through almost every time.
Macha- YES.. deadlines, as stressful and time-crunching and torcherous as they can be, incite productivity like nothing else can. I can't wonder enough about the paradox of producing art 'freely' and 'naturally' versus needing rigid external deadlines to get us moving..
Fuj- whoa. I'll save this for a face-to-face. Let's hit up one of the many cafe's you need to be introduced to in your new town, and re-hash there. (And if an intriguing female happens to arrive on the scene, don't worry, I'll scram ;)
p.s. "pressure must have steele-toed boots, because it gets me to follow through every time"...
perfectly articulated.
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