I have this tendency. I’m sure many of us do. Basic life stuff, like where you’re going to live and what you’re going to do every day, is in flux, and it becomes a reason to shut down. Everything is deferred to that Never-never land of “when things calm down.”
But things rarely calm down. Hard as it is to find momentum in flux, being dependent on those fleeting passages of equilibrium for the time and space to do the things you really want to do more often than not means never-doing.
Which, kinda, you know, sucks.
So I’ve decided I need to do and be more of what I love, even though there’s a lot going on right now. Who’s with me?
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m with you! “If not now, when?”
Of course life gets in the way sometimes, but very often (maybe even always) there are things you DO have control over. Those bits of time sandwiched between everything else, or savoring a cup of coffee amid the chaos, or even composing a single blog post
High-fives and rah-rahs for both doing and being what you love!
Boy, do I hear that! I withdraw and hide, or distract myself with other things, or…well, whatever. lol And it does suck. And it DOES keep me away from what doesn’t suck.
I’m with you! 100%. But I’ve also learned that, when things are in chaos, there are going to be days when I don’t get much productive stuff done and I need to be ok with that. Otherwise it becomes a “what you resist persists” kind of thing. When I’m feeling particularly distracted, it is helpful to start working on something that I’m passionate about. The energy I get often spurs me on to other less passionate things.
Here, here. Love your bold move. Not only do you have to do what you love to make life worthwhile, you have to just do it, no matter what’s going on. It’s like my students who wait for the best time to write. It’s not going to happen. You’ve got to grab the time, with both hands. Go forth and enjoy!
@Jessica, “When I’m feeling particularly distracted, it is helpful to start working on something that I’m passionate about.” –>YES.
This has been a huge gotcha for me—some notion that the stuff I’m passionate about is dessert, and that I must eat my vegetables first. Sometimes the best way into the work I don’t want to do is by starting with what I do.
Thanks, all. It’s good to hear your encouragement.