Friday, June 18, 2010

The War of Art

Not much fun going on here at work, but I am leaving for Eagle soon!  Whee! 

Karen updated her blog with this post: Fighting the Blahs: Overcoming Boredom

I felt like she wrote that for me since I am usually complaining about being bored.  Or boring, but same diff.



She links to the website of the author of The War of Art.  As Karen explains, "The book is about breaking through your blocks-- blocks to anything you know you need to get done--whether it's writing a book, a blog, sticking to a diet, going to the gym, starting a business. These are the tasks or goals that have a funny way of luring us into resistance, and resistance, according to Stephen Pressfield, is the enemy to accomplishing our dreams, however big or small."

 Here is an excerpt to give you the basic idea:

"THE UNLIVED LIFE

Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance. 

Have you ever brought home a treadmill and let it gather dust in the attic? Ever resolved on a diet, a course of yoga, a meditation practice? Have you ever felt a call to embark upon a spiritual practice, dedicate yourself to a humanitarian calling, commit your life to the service of others? Have you ever wanted to be a mother, a doctor, an advocate for the weak and helpless; to run for office, crusade for the planet, campaign for world peace or to preserve the environment? Late at night have you experienced a vision of the person you might become, the work you could accomplish, the realized being you were meant to be? Are you a writer who doesn't write, a painter who doesn't paint, an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what Resistance is."


I think the main symptom of Resistance is boredom.  Feeling bored makes me feel paralyzed.  I can't even THINK of what it is I've always wanted to do!  And my boredom is directly tied to procrastination.

But the point I wanted to make is this: we perceive these external blocks to our achievement of our goals.  Like my sister who complained that she was going to stop searching for a job because there aren't any out there because of the economy.  If she stops looking, is it really the fault of this outside force known as The Economy?  Or what's keeping me from starting a healthy lifestyle (better diet, exercise): mainly, the ice cream in my fridge.  And the Oreos in the cupboard.  But once THOSE are gone, THEN...  well, then there will probably be something else.  So *gasp* maybe it's actually ME just not choosing vegetables instead of ice cream that's holding me back!  Or what keeps me from completing all of my tasks at work: distractions.  But *again: gasp* maybe it's ME logging onto Facebook instead of starting that spreadsheet! 

I guess it all goes back to this mantra: Just Do It.  Don't think too much about it, don't consider whether you WANT to do it, just know that doing brings you closer to your goals.  And remember that those outside obstacles probably don't exist.

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