Making a small piece of art isn’t necessarily hard, especially if you’ve done it before. Making a small drawing might take a few hours. A first draft of a short story might take an afternoon. Creating an interesting guitar riff—a few minutes.
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It’s easier to scroll than it is to read. It is difficult to prioritise reading above, say, watching TV. It is easy to scan through tweets and comments—but quite difficult to focus on a worthy book or article.
Here are my thoughts on why reading is hard and what to do about it.
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There is a difference between emotional containment and suppression. If we want to process through our emotions, we need to be aware of this distinction. This post discusses the difference between containment and suppression.
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I’ve often found myself pushing too far with a certain approach only to realise that my rigid consistency was actually damaging. Mindless consistency isn’t a good thing. The first John Glock short story touched on this idea. Mechanically repeating certain actions, just because you’re supposed to, isn’t a way to live.
Besides, it’s possible to be consistent in the wrong pursuits. It is possible to push too far with something that might have been good initially.
So, the question becomes, How do we know if we have moved too far with something? How do we know when to shift gears? Ho do we know when to slow down or when to try a different approach?
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How do we build inner strength? Do we push ourselves to the limits? Do we attempt really difficult things? Do we take enormous risks? Well, maybe. But I have a different take on this.
Continue reading “How to Build Inner Strength (Probably Not What You Think)”If there is one question that I am always trying to answer for myself it is this: what are the things that allow me to do more (better quality and quantity) creative work and what are the things that hinder creative output. This post discusses some of the biggest obstacles to consistent creative work.
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The other day, I had a conversation with a person who told me that he tends to have less arguments in his head these days. Yet, throughout the entire conversation he attempted to argue with me. I wondered how accurate his self-assessment was.
Over the years I’ve seen that we can avoid bad outcomes by paying close attention to our dreams. Problematic situations are revealed first in our dreams. Things take time to manifest in the physical. This is true even if it sounds like something a law of attraction guru would have said. There is a lag time between terrible dream and physical outcome. And if we assume that dreams are there to aid us, then we can see that even terrifying dreams are there to guide us away from destructive paths.
This is valuable.
Dreams—and especially nightmares—can empower us to grow beyond our shortcomings.
One of the most profound books I’ve ever read is Jung’s memoir, Memories, Dreams, Reflections. Not only did this book completely transform how I relate to my dreams, it also gave me deep insights into philosophical questions that I’d had for a number of years. Jung was a remarkable individual; he displayed extraordinary self-awareness and insight from a very young age. It really is hard to fathom just how insightful this man was. But for me personally, Jung’s writings changed the trajectory of my life in very meaningful ways.
Continue reading “Dreams and Synchronicity | Lessons from Jung”Living in the moment beats striving. It feels better. When you’re striving, you are in a state that says, I need to be more, I need to become more, or I need to acquire more. All of this is simply a state of lack. It is not particularly fun to pursue goals when you’re driven by lack.
Also, striving can be surprisingly inefficient. If you’re always rushing about, trying to get things done, you might find yourself, not only exhausted, but quite unproductive as well. I find that it’s better to focus on the present moment, rather than rush towards goals. It’s better, not only for the process but often the outcome too.
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