Join In!

What does it mean to get involved?  Do you have to be a group organizer or the life of the party?  Does it mean rallying a ton of your friends to get things started, or go door to door getting people motivated?  Or is it something simple?  At the very least joining in means doing something, anything other than the same old stuff.  Have you ever thought about doing something that looked fun or interesting but ‘never got around to it’?  How horrible would you feel if you spent the rest of your life thinking about it and then never did it?  Regret is so very heavy; carrying it around with you can be de-motivating, especially if it’s for regret of not having ever tried.  I’d hate that.  Joining in can simply mean getting involved with your life. 

An old girlfriend of mine, who I’m still friends with, has a self-realized joy of wanderlust.  She can’t stay in one place for very long before she needs to go explore something new.  I’m intent on learning the saxophone, even though I have no music ability whatsoever.  I’ve said many times to my friends, family and anyone who listens that often times it’s the attempt that counts, not the result.  Attempting is doing, and doing is winning.  Why, because at the end of the day, if you never even tried, you’ve already failed. 

Getting involved in your own life is probably the most rewarding thing you can do.  I’ve watched as friends followed their dreams with fierce determination and drive and succeed!  It’s an awesome thing.  I’ve also watched friends languish with inactivity and malaise, with the constant complaint that ‘life sucks’ or ‘nothing ever changes’.  It’s actually pretty sad to see.  Remember, the common denominator throughout your entire life is you.  Make that factor a force to be reckoned with!

Motivation and Desire

Have you ever noticed that sometimes, inspiration isn't enough?  Sometimes you can have that killer, awesome idea, but you just can't do anything with it.  How is that possible?  I think it has a lot to do with motivation and desire.  Having a great imagination and inspiration are key elements to the creative process, but they aren't the whole story.  Motivation and desire are the 'action' elements of creativity.  Those two things are the ones that get you off your butt and actually 'doing'.  I've had incredible ideas and then done Nothing with them. Why?  Because I wasn't motivated.  The idea was there, but nothing about my life and my situation powered the drive to actually go out and do something with it. 

To actually act upon your inspiration and creativity, you have to get to what H. Peyton Young called the 'tipping point.'  He was discussing communities and their moments of change, but the same can hold true for individuals.  You need a shock or disruption to really get you moving.  Now it's true that sometimes inspiration alone can be that shock, but many times it isn't.  I think that forces in your life, be they external, but more likely internal, are instrumental in implimenting change.  Acting upon the inspiration and creativity will change your life if you let it.  I know for myself, when I combine inspiration and creativity with motivation and drive, I get a sense of almost euphoric possibility.  That's an awesome feeling.  If you've experienced it, you know what I mean, if you haven't, challenge yourself and you might feel it too. 

Give it a shot, you've got nothing to lose...

Carpe diem versus Do it Now!

Is there a difference between seizing the day or doing something right now?  They both carry the connotation of immediacy but when you think about it, there is a huge difference between the two.  If you ‘Do it now’ it’s immediate and spontaneous; there’s nothing wrong with taking advantage of right now.  In fact, I would say that doing things right when you think of them is a great hedge against procrastination.  There’s no time to second guess or get anxious.  Taking action immediately avoids the otherwise inevitable self-doubt and regret.  The rewards can be great too.  How many times have you done something on the spur of the moment and it turned out to be one of the best times of your life?  I think we all have stories like that.

But sometimes action without contemplation is unrewarding, even dangerous. Second guessing can and is very important; life-saving even.  I know we all have stories about how we should have just taken an extra moment to think about the consequences.  It happens and we all make mistakes. The key is to learn how to identify the positive spontaneous moments and the negative thoughtless ones.

Seizing the day, however, is a different, though similar concept.  I see it as taking advantage of what you have before you to the fullest.  Recognizing the positive elements of a situation to not only make the best of it, but drive the situation toward an eventful, enjoyable, learning experience that enriches and benefits your life.  This requires not just being spontaneous, but being expediently contemplative or ‘thinking fast’, keeping in mind the obvious possible positive and negative outcomes.  So what does this mean?

I’d say seize the day now, just think about it…quickly!

Being the Malcontent

 

Okay, so I’m not advocating revolution or dissent, but I am thinking about changing the status quo.  I’m contemplating the innovation of change.  Not just rhetorical change that politicians spout, but real, positive, life-improving change.  Have you ever just done something the same way for so long it seems alien to you to even attempt doing it a different way?  The familiar pattern is so engrained in you that the discomfort that accompanies change can seem overwhelming.  I understand that, but have you ever noticed that sometimes (actually lots of times) with no change comes stagnation. 

Stagnation is detrimental to experiencing the new.  It saps creativity and inspiration and clouds your mind’s eye to something fresh.  Case in point, driving home from work is a chore, but I go a certain way because I know it to be the fastest.  What I noticed was, after a while, I stopped noticing things: The scenery, the buildings, the road signs.  I recall thinking that I didn’t even want to go home because it was the same old boring trip.  So, I went a different way.  Okay, I wasn’t transported into a fantastic wonderland (wouldn’t that have been cool?), but I made a conscious choice for change. It at least made the trip home more enjoyable.  Point being, I experienced something different, albeit a very small difference, but it made me feel better. 

Being a malcontent with the status quo is a good thing.  When things are always the same nothing different will ever happen.  I’ve learned that experiences both good and bad help foster an innovative and creative spirit. New experiences demand that the status quo be broken. Now, every day doesn’t have to be completely random and unpredictable, that would be chaos (although for a time it might be fun).  But shaking things up and refocusing your attention, energy and thoughts to something new will drive new experiences.  I’ve come to understand, at least for me, the new is an exciting thing, one to be sought after.  Now you might not be as adventurous, but focusing on your malcontent state and deliberately scrambling it up a bit will benefit you a little.  At least it might show you just how good things are right now.  If they aren’t good, well then, maybe you’ll just find yourself in the middle of a personal revolution.  Trust me, it can actually be a good thing. 

 

What’s Your Medium?

Sometimes self expression comes naturally.  Sometimes it has to be cultivated.  Knowing where and how to communicate your creative desire is not only helpful but necessary.  Imagine a singer trying to draw a picture, or a sculptor trying to write a novel.  Communicating your vision through the wrong medium can cloud your message and discourage you from continuing. 

Why is this important?  Experimentation is critical in finding your voice and medium.  I know this seems obvious, but sometimes trying something completely new and outside your comfort zone is exactly what you need to excel.  I’m primarily a writer, but I also draw and sketch.  Now I’m not the greatest artist in the world but doing my little doodles gives me another avenue for expression.  It also helps to get my imagination working in different levels.  I’ve also tried learning to play the Saxophone.  Okay my efforts haven’t born any fruits.  Trust me you don’t want to hear that cacophony. But the point of it all is doing it. 

My daughter is a picky eater.  It’s hard to get her to try anything new.  She also loves bacon (smart girl).  But there was a time when she wouldn’t even try that.  I always ask her “Remember when you wouldn’t try bacon? Imagine your world if you had no bacon.  Seems pretty grim to me”.  She begrudgingly tries the new food I give her and lo and behold, now she loves salami. 

What I’m getting at is the attempt, the force of ‘the new’.  I was writing a story and just kind of threw it in the narrative that my main character wanted to learn how to play the piano.  That little characterization turned into a major force in the story and made it all the more rich and interesting.  Sometimes taking a new direction can alter things considerably and in a good way.

Remember, pushing on your comfort zone is the only way to keep it from shrinking.  Trying new forms of art and expression will help focus your vision.  It will also help you find direction.  It worked for me.  You’ve got nothing to lose.  Give it a shot.

 

Persistence and Determination

To me, there’s nothing more infuriating than a lost opportunity.  When I was younger, I would lament and feel sorry for myself when I didn’t get what I wanted. Thing was, I rarely went out and seized the opportunity to get it.  Really.  That doesn’t make much sense does it?  I’ve noticed that a lot of people bemoan the fact that their lives aren’t the way they want them to be.  But I rarely see people driving forward and really fostering that change necessary to make a real difference.  There is a certain amount of effort that is necessary to ‘just get by’ and there is about a hundred times more effort necessary to ‘make it happen’.  It wasn’t until I realized I was the only one that could honestly ‘make it happen’ in my life, that I really started to see the positive improvements and change happen. 

Someone recently said to me, “A great idea is the start, but those that are successful have persistence and determination.”  That is so true it’s hard to describe.  Never giving up is a hallmark of success.  It reminds me of a poster I saw long ago and always kept in mind.  I didn’t do the artwork for this one, but it is so apt for what I’m talking about I have to include it.  The question for today however is this, Can you persist through adversity to get what you want, or will you just give up?  Think about it…

Magically disappearing posts...

So I had a pretty good post written up here.  Posted on May 11th, and just like many things in life, it up and disappeared before you know it. Do you think it has something to do with it being Friday the 13th?  Creapy.   This reminds me that enjoying the moment and really appreciating what you have right now really counts for the most. Worrying about the past or the future really takes up a lot of energy and just sucks you dry.

So, appreciate the moment, because nothing is guaranteed.