Part of my writing tends to be dedicated to self-analysis. We all think about it, I believe… Why we do certain things, and not others. What led us to those choices.
A little introspection is a good thing.
Too much can lead to decision paralysis. If we’ve made the wrong choice – or believe we had – we are more inclined to think we’ll choose poorly again.
So, in a away – it’s beneficial to think like a goldfish. Not that they actually have a three-second memory, but you get the gist.
What about aggregation?
Let’s say you actually do want to receive a daily, weekly, or monthly notice of something. Something that, when compiled, is a lot easier to look at than going to each individual reference.
So, who does it well?
Here’s the thing. Everyone is selling you something. The stores are. The media is. Every newsletter, podcast, film, tv show, blog. All of it. It’s selling you. Even me.
Does it mean it’s not worth it? Not necessarily. But knowing that everyone is selling you on something could, possibly, give you an edge in decision making. You should decide, is this worth it.
If your life is set up to minimize decision-making except for the utmost critical, you can give full attention to important matters and let the inconsequential slip by.
Case in point. I receive, on average, a shit-ton of email every day.
Why? I don’t know. Newsletters. Sales. Events. People wanting to contact me. People wanting money. People wanting time.
It all comes down to time and money.
Now, if I unsubscribe from unwanted senders – no small task in and of itself – that will keep them from diverting my attention, regardless of how little attention it actually commands.
Thus, I’ve reallocated a small sliver of my time. Rather, I’ve freed it up, to reallocate somewhere else. Something that might provide me with more significant returns.
In looking at goals I’ve set for myself, it’s figuring out what can I balance to ensure that I’m working towards each of them? What’s distracting me from those goals?
First and foremost, the smartphone. What is the phone even for? It sucks you in. The emails. The accounts. The stupid notifications that pop up. But are they stupid, or are we?
Looking through an old journal, found something that, after my friend’s comment, made me laugh.
From an undated entry in journal Oct ’13 – Oct ’14:
“I need to be writing. All of my days are spent w/ wasting time. Being time-poor, mostly of my own doing. Even at the office, my motivation wanes so quickly. I look forward to the show’s end, where I can try to reclaim some of my lost life.”
Looks like it’s a struggle I’ve had now over ten years, and most likely longer.
When you set a goal, it’s easy to view the whole goal. When after toiling for however long, you look at the goal, and it’s still far off – you may think of abandoning your goal.
But if you notice the distance from where you started, that may be all the motivation you need to keep going.
A friend of mine called me “time poor” this past week. I couldn’t agree more.
I’ve been balancing my time as best as I can. Sometimes, you bite off more than you can chew
But what do you do then? What do you do after you’ve taken the bite?
You can spit it out, I guess. Now, maybe some people are disappointed. Maybe you’re letting them down. But if it’s too much, it’s too much.
You can chew – try to work your way through it. Maybe it’s uncomfortable. Painful. Maybe it takes way too long.
Then, you can swallow it. Perhaps it’s okay. Perhaps you choke. But it’s done.
If you find yourself in the situation, the worst thing to do is just sit there. You can’t let inaction ruin you. Decide.
The best thing you can do is make the right decision. The next best thing is the wrong decision. The worst thing is no decision at all.
Some writers like routine. Some writers need routine. Some writers seem to have no problem just getting to it.
I juggle writing with life. With work. With chores and dating and obligations.
Steven Pressfield wrote a book, some time ago, called The War of Art. How to beat the resistance. I heard Seth Godin talking about it, and read it.
It’s inspiring, but, however many years later, I only know that the Resistance is a powerful thing.
If you can, give yourself every advantage against it. Otherwise, beating it back may not be possible when you’re trying to create something.
We don’t seem to take interest in ourselves anymore. (This comes from a man of a certain age, so read that with a grain of salt.)
But, it seems that once you’ve acquired a certain place in your life, you content yourself with not really considering the implications. What makes me happy?
It’s easier when you’re younger, sure. Quitting a job at 20 isn’t the same as quitting at 30 (or older). Constant travels to foreign countries – good for diplomats and travel influencers. Not for the salaryman.
And yet, travel gives our world meaning. You can’t know what your life is like in a vacuum. You have to travel outside of your environment, and see what the world has to offer.
“Most people are on the world, not in it.” – John Muir
Finally sat down to watch this. I had intended to see it when it released, but I just missed it. I do, regrettably, miss more films in theaters than I would like to, but the schedule doesn’t always work out in the way I try to make it.
So, popped a bag of popcorn, opened a can of pop, and settled into The Long Walk.
Knowing roughly the premise, it picks up right where it needs to. Ray being driven by his mother to the starting line. Now, in this world, there is not much that is explained. There was a war. There is some sort of dictatorship. As it goes on, you discover that many things are banned, the teaching of enjoyment of outlawed – books, music, likely other enjoyments.
You don’t see the upper class – those striving for the win are certainly of low economic status.
It’s possible that everyone applies to the Long Walk Lottery – only fifty are chosen each year, one from each state.
And the winner gets a heap of money and one wish.
It’s in this environment that Ray meets Pete. And while at first, like the characters, you’re not sure if there’s substance there, as they walk on, so do we. And it becomes apparent that friendship can form in the strangest of places.
There are others who become a part of the pack, and a story of battlefield camaraderie takes hold.
It isn’t long into the movie before the first contestant is removed, with extreme prejudice. Before the Title Crawl actually. And it lets the viewer know the stakes.
About halfway through, I found myself loving the relationship between Pete and Ray, and I was happy the story hinged on that. I’d not read the story, but I assumed I knew where the film was going. It still took a turn, and left several twists that I wouldn’t have expected. Plus a couple I’d called early.
Even still, at moments I would find tears in my eyes, and wish that, like one contestant said (paraphrasing) – “I’d wish that two could win the Long Walk, so that you had a chance to finish with your friend.”
Enjoyed it, but not sure if that’s one I’ll get around to watching again.
