If you want to go down some epistemological rabbit holes, google “proving a negative.”
In the meantime, let’s briefly engage in some logic, shall we?. Ready, here goes…
We can’t absolutely prove that positive thinking works.
Okay. Maybe so.
But there’s a ton of proof that negative thinking does. Countless research studies including this latest one show the destructive power of our negative thoughts.
We might as well think positively, right? What have we got to lose?
Everything happens for a reason…But you need a reason for everything to happen.
What I mean by this is that only after you’ve decided to manifest your passion project, that’s when you’ll start affirming everything happening to you as evidence supporting your decision. You’ll suddenly see “signs”, “twists of fate” or “things falling into place.” Even events you might previously have seen as roadblocks or obstacles, you’ll now see in a different light.
As the Stoics and other great thinkers like Viktor Frankl remind us, what makes us uniquely human is our ability to derive meaning from our circumstances. We don’t get to choose what happens to us, but we do get to choose the reason.
Making your art is a great choice.
“Life is sad. Life is a bust. All you can do is do what you must.” -Bob Dylan, Buckets Of Rain
“Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” —St. Francis of Assisi.
When you wait tables, there’s no worse feeling than being “in the weeds.” You’re overwhelmed. You have too many tables, too many orders coming at you at once, and there’s just no way you can provide any kind of timely service.
Life feels like that sometimes. Especially when you’re working on a passion project. You feel like there’s too much to do and not enough hours in the day to do them well. Let alone do them at all. You’re paralyzed. You just wanna curl up into a ball and cry buckets of rain.
What to do?
First, take a deep breath. Take many deep breaths. Remind yourself that this is just a feeling. Like all feelings, this too shall pass.
Second, put on Bob Dylan’s “Blood On The Tracks.” Trust me. You’ll immediately feel better as you listen to one of the greatest albums ever made.
Third, take out a pad and paper and write down everything on your list. Do a giant “brain dump.” Write down everything you think you have to do. Don’t stop writing until you’ve sufficiently exhausted your list (usually no more than 30 minutes or so).
Fourth, go for a walk. Get some fresh air and exercise.
Then, when you return hopefully with a clearer head, look at your list and start prioritizing. Put an asterisk next to the “absolutely necessary” tasks. Decide, make a plan and take one small action step. Just like the server who handles one order at a time, as best they can, you do the same with your list.
Pretty soon, just like the server, you’ll look up and notice that things are happening. You’re getting things done. You’re feeling better. You’re on your way towards doing the impossible.
Then celebrate. Because you just pulled yourself out of the weeds.
If everyone just did things only when they felt like doing them, nothing would ever get done.
What makes you a professional is doing it even when you’re “not feeling it.”
SLOG (noun): 1. hard, persistent work; a prolonged arduous task or effort. 2. a hard, dogged march or journey
I’m not sure if the word “slog” is an example of Onomatopoeia, but just the sound of it is ominous. It strikes fear into our hearts. Fills us with dread. Especially when we add the word “long” in front of it. “The long slog.” Ugh. Who wants that?! We want it easy. We want to flow.
But to do anything worthwhile, to create any kind of meaningful change, to make any kind of lasting impact, especially with our art…it’s gonna be a slog. How could it not? If it was easy, anyone and everyone would do it and do it all the time, right?
So, rather than fight the slog, let us lean into it. Embrace it. Dance with the resistance we regularly feel. Visualize and love the process way more than the outcome. Ensure we have a strong why. And trust in our ability to endure and eventually get to where we wanna go.
Let us be…Slogbusters!
“All self-help boils down to: choose long-term over short-term.” -Naval Ravikant
“Be radically proactive about any behavior that pays off in 10 years.” -James Clear
“Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.” -Bill Gates
For whatever you want, whatever decision you’re struggling with, whatever change you’re trying to make, ask yourself one question: “How will doing this affect or contribute to what I really want for myself, my family, my community, my country and the world in the long term?”
To make art that you’re proud of, to make real and lasting change, you have to think differently. You have to play a different game. Instead of going short, you go loooooooong.
P.S. – Happy Election Day. Please remember to vote. And be thankful we live in a democracy where we can choose our leadership, we can pursue Happiness and we can strive to make things better for all.
“When the people lead, the leaders will follow.” -Mahatma Gandhi
“Get a move on…don’t worry whether anyone will give you credit for it. And don’t go expecting Plato’s Republic; be satisfied with even the smallest progress.” -Marcus Aurelius
Just a reminder to exercise your great privilege as a United States citizen and vote. If you need a little inspiration, here’s an excellent blog post from Seth Godin and another one from The Daily Stoic.
Thanks for doing your duty.
“Become the curator of your life. Edit, leave out the junk. But when you find something worth keeping, treasure it.” -Robert Greene
In a world of infinite choice, the trusted curator remains supreme.
For anything we want to do, there exists lots of different ways to do it. “How” we do something is far less important than “why.”
Actors for example, can choose from among lots of different methods and schools. Meisner, Stanislavski, Hagen, Chekov, Adler, Strasberg, and Grotowski are just a few that come to mind. They all have value and we’d be wise to learn something about all of them. You never know what sticks, what nugget you can use in some future situation.
The trouble comes when we think there should only be one way or the right way or the absolute best way to do something. Nonsense. That’s what leads to dogma and closed-minded thinking.
Instead let us be grocery store artists! Pick and choose from the abundance of knowledge and techniques and great ideas that exist. Fill our carts with whatever we think we need to get the job done right now. While remaining open to choosing new items when the situation and project calls for it.
It feels great to be asked to the dance.
Or picked for the team.
Or accepted into the college of your choice.
Or told you booked the job.
Guess what?….When you have the courage to follow your dreams and manifest your passion project, you get to make a whole bunch of people feel really great. You get to ask them to the dance. Because invariably you will need and want them for their talent and spirit. They’re the right match for your journey. And now you all get to do something great. Together.
No better feeling than that.
The Vs. Studio Blog