What Treasures Lie Buried Just Beneath the Surface?

by Douglas Clark

I was reading an article about Mayan ruins in Guatemala where archaeologists are exploring the intricacies and wonders that lie within the pyramid walls. In these ruins a frieze was found carved in great detail. Apparently about 1400 years ago, Mayan artisans carved out their beliefs and cultural identity in the rock used to build their temples. If you know anything about Mayan civilization, their culture and identity died out almost a thousand years ago. Fascination took over as I read the article. Imagining those archaeologists uncovering the amazing artwork, which sat covered in jungle growth, unknown, untouched and undisturbed for centuries, amazed me. Think about it. The skill and dedication that went into crafting such wonderful work went unappreciated for so long. Empires rose and fell, cultures flourished and died, the lives of countless people marched on, and still not a soul knew of the amazing work, just out of sight. But it sat there and waited, just beneath the jungle foliage.

It makes me wonder what’s just underneath the veneer of our lives, that mask that hides our true selves from the world and ourselves as well. What do we have to offer, that is just under the surface, but of which we’re totally unaware? One of my longest held fears, for lack of a better term, is that I won’t live up to my own potential. It’s a curious thing to think about how much you might accomplish compared to how much you have accomplished. Every once in a while, I sit back and remember the dreams I dreamed of in the yesteryears of my life. In some ways, I am totally and woefully off track and behind schedule. We all know my book isn’t published yet. I haven’t been around the world (thanks to the Navy I’ve made it half way), and a whole host of other things not yet achieved. But, I managed to accomplish much in the last decade or so. In just the last year I actually Finished my novel, which is light years ahead of where I was just two years ago. I set out to write that story, and wrote it I did. Which brings me back to potential; I always knew I could do it; the trouble was actually Doing it. It may very well be that my novel could sit undiscovered for years, centuries in fact like our Mayan friends’ stellar work. But does that really matter?

What are we here for? Fame, adoration, validation from others? Okay, maybe that would be cool for a while, but how meaningful would adoring fans and platitudes be if we truly didn’t have our heart in what we were doing? To me fame without substance is a hollow endeavor. What do you think?

Thanks for reading.

Questions and Comments are welcome.

DouglasHClark.com

21 Days to a Good Habit

There’s an old saying that I’ve heard and read countless times.  It says to form a habit you have to do something for 21 days in a row. Now usually it seems easier to form a bad habit than it does to form a good habit. Ever wonder how you fell into watching TV every night, or eating macaroni and cheese for dinner; because it’s easy. Bad habits are easy to form because they don’t take much effort, usually because they arose out of some need for a short cut. You found that short cut and BANG, it’s a bad habit. Okay, so that 21 days may be an arbitrary number, and it’s fair to say that not all people will need 21 days and some people may need more. But you should get the idea behind the premise. Doing something consistently for a specific period of time will help form patterns in your behavior that eventually becomes second nature.

So, why the hell am I bothering with all this you might ask? Easy. I want to form Good habits. Why does it seem that doing ‘good’ things for ourselves are so much harder? I’d say it’s because anything worth doing takes effort. Personally, I’m trying to add a good habit to my daily routine right now. What I’m trying to do is jog every morning, for just one mile. See, I go to the gym three days a week, but most of the rest of my time is spent not doing much physical activity at all. I’m not lazy, just not very active. And to be honest, I have a few pounds of vanity fat I want to work off. I know it seems ridiculous to try and sculpt my body to look like a Greek god, or fitness model, which is only part of the reason I’m working on this new habit. The main reason is health, both mental and physical. Being active helps the body be more healthy, running helps circulation, breathing capacity, just to name a few things. For the mind, activity helps creativity and imagination. Physical activity makes the mind work better and faster. I’ve noticed that the more active I am, the better and more consistent I am with writing and actually getting words on the page. Now that’s a good motivator, at least for me. You’ve probably heard another old saying, ‘healthy body, healthy mind’. Well I think it’s true. So I’m putting that idea to the test.

Every morning I get up at 6 am, put my jogging clothes on and head out. It usually takes me around 11 minutes to run around that mile track. Yeah, I’m a pretty slow runner. To be fair, it’s really 1.1 miles around several blocks, but that’s not really important. What is important is that for eight days so far I’ve gotten my butt out of bed that early just to do it. Now I know some of you will say ‘I just can’t do it’ and you’re right. You can’t, not with that attitude. You’re certain to fail. You have to change your mind set. Also, it’s easier to think of doing an activity just once. Don’t worry about tomorrow, or the next day, or the next week. Just worry about this one time, today. You can do something once can’t you? Even if you think you can’t, can you at least try? Remember, bad habits are formed because we’re looking for short cuts. Sleeping in or not bothering to try is a short cut. They are also bad habits. So look at trying something new as a one-day-at-a-time endeavor, 21 times in a row.

If you fail, at least you tried. If you didn’t try you’ve already failed. So give success a chance. You never know, 21 days from now, you might just be on your way to a life-long good habit that does a world of good. Go for it!

Thanks for reading. Comments and questions are always welcome. 

Enjoy the silence.

Sometimes it’s okay to have nothing to say.  Sometimes it’s okay to just be quiet, sit back and enjoy the peace and quiet that can come with inactivity.  Relaxing and letting your mind decompress from the day, or week depending on how stressed you are, can be a great thing.  Not every minute of every day of your life has to be chasing your dream, carrying out your mission, or on your feet.  You are allowed to relax every once and a while.  In fact, it should be part of your schedule.  You know that old saying, ‘All work and no play makes jack a dull boy?’  Well, it’s true.  You have to know when to slow down, take a moment and pause.  Reflecting on what you’ve accomplished for the day, the week, or just at the task at hand is a good way to gauge how your success is going, or not going as the case may be. 

Sometimes I have felt myself pushing too hard and not getting a good return on my time investment.  If that ever happens to you, slow down, stop even.  After I finished my master’s thesis, I wanted to just jump right into my next project.  I thought being busy was the best way to maintain my productivity.  But you know what I found out?  My brain was way over taxed and I needed time to decompress.  I realized and had to accept that I needed time to be silence, relax, and find a new perspective.  It took three months before I felt like I could realistically take on a new challenge.  But you know what?  I’m glad I took that time because now I have so much more mental energy to devote to my new endeavors, it feels invigorating!

So, you should take a look at what has worked, what isn’t working, and what might work.  Sleep on it.  It will be there in the morning.  And if you come to your task with a fresh perspective, you might just be more successful at achieving your goal.  And all of it was because you weren’t afraid to take a minute and relax.

If you have questions or comments, please reply.  Thanks for reading.

What’s the price of your dream?

Ocean of Dreams

Have you ever wanted something so bad that you were willing to sacrifice everything else to get it?  There are so many choices we have to make in life, sometimes it’s difficult to know what to sacrifice and what to hold on to.  Dreams can be powerful motivators in directing your life to a positive state.  However, dreams can be destructive gremlins that ruin everything else if you let them.  It’s okay to have a dream, to want it fulfilled and live the way you want to live, but it always comes at a price.  I’ve heard it said, you have to give to get.  Well I’m sure that’s true, but how much should you give, and how much should you get back?  If you haven’t realized yet, I’m talking about balance.  When your life is balanced, things make sense.  When you are off kilter, things are confusing.  So, if you have a dream and are willing to sacrifice everything else to get it, will that balance your life?  To me, the easy answer is no.

When I was in college, I wanted to graduate.  Obviously graduation represented an accomplishment and proof to the world that I achieved something extraordinary.  Graduating also meant I could get a better job.  But also, and even more important to me, were the experiences I gained while in school.  Yes it was important to get an education, it was important to have credentials and documents, but I was not willing to sacrifice everything to get it.  I read about some people who sacrifice things in advance without knowing the consequences, and it’s sad.  Was their dream to be mired in debt for life?  Of course not, but it goes to show you life can be tipped off balance easily if you don’t pay attention to details.  I worked through college just like a lot of other students.  I also knew exactly why I was there.  And, coming from a poor family, I understood the value of every dollar I earned and spent.  I had to balance my dreams with my reality. 

It’s hard to find balance sometimes.  It may be that you will have to suffer before you come to understand.  I know that’s not comforting, but it is reassuring to know if you pay attention to those details I was talking about, you will find that balance… eventually.  Following your dreams is a worthy endeavor.  Don’t stop.  Just remember that there are many paths to go down in your pursuit.  If something seems way too difficult, complex, or confusing, stop.  You don’t have to change your dream, just change the path you take to get there.  That way, you can still follow your dream without sacrificing everything else you care about to get it.  And that’s a good balance in life!

This amazing painting is by Josephine Wall; it's called Ocean of Dreams.  Check out her online gallery.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reply.  Thanks for reading!

What is greatness?

Philosophers have been trying to answer that question for ages.  The idea of Greatness occupies the minds of many, controlling their thoughts, actions, and entire lives.  But the question remains: What is Greatness?  Also, how does one obtain it, retain it, recognize it, utilize it, and wield it effectively?  The big problem here is defining Greatness.  Whose definition is correct?  Do we go with the militaristic view and say Greatness is when someone can command others, lead him/herself and others to victory over competing forcers?  Do we go with the economic view and say Greatness is when someone can accumulate the most wealth by manipulating the system to its fullest?  Do we go with the religious view and say Greatness is when someone represents themselves as the best human reflection of their god, or follows the tenants of their religion as devoutly as possible?  The possibilities and avenues we could go down in trying to define Greatness are vast and wide.  So the obvious course of action is to try and understand what Greatness means on a personal level.

Is that easier?  Probably not, but it’s certainly less involved than including all the above examples.  I like to think of Greatness in terms of personal evolution.  To me, I’m in competition with no one but myself.  I believe that I am the single greatest resource I have.  I can provide the psychological foundation, motivational framework, and positive perspective I need to achieve something greater than I did yesterday.  Sounds lofty doesn’t it?  Sure, and I’ve failed at it more times than I’d like to admit.  But as I’ve said many times, it’s the attempt to succeed that is a success.  It may sound cliché, but you only have to get up one more time than you fell down.  So, how does this help define and ultimately achieve personal Greatness? 

Knowing that when it’s all said and done, you are in competition with no one but yourself, all you need to do is improve; One day at a time.  Look at it this way: Take a moment and reflect on your life  up until now.  If that’s too much, take the last year, six months, week, if you will.  Are you doing better, have you accomplished a goal, or even set one?  If the answer is no, than you are not living up to your own potential.  If that’s the case you can never achieve personal greatness.  But why is personal greatness important you might ask?  Why should you even be concerned with the loft pie in the sky idea of greatness?  Because, we’re talking about your life!  You only get one and if you don’t make the most of it, life will pass you by and you’ll have nothing to show for it.  Is that what you want?  I’m sure not. Personal Greatness is the culmination of your mission.  You don’t have to command armies, have a massive vault of gold, recite scripture verbatim, or whatever anyone else’s definition of greatness may be.  What you should strive to do is be better today than you were yesterday and be better tomorrow than you were today.  It’s a worthy endeavor to improve your life, for your own life’s sake.  Greatness is a state of mind you can have where you know your life had and has positive meaning.  It is possible and you can and should do it.  So, be Great!

Feel free to leave a comment or question.  I'd love to hear what you're thinking!  Thanks for reading.