Every six months, I go through a period of time where I find it necessary to scrutinize everything in my life. The end result is usually a lot of energy, enthusiasm, and momentum towards a plan to move forward. Unfortunately, after six months things go right back to the same indifferent contemplative funk.
It always seems like my focus is on the big hurdles and how to properly overcome them. Despite my thinking as such, the actuality is that life’s hurdles are not linearly oriented and can be broken down such that overcoming them is rather simple. Too often, I spend considerable amounts of time trying to reason and rationalize when there is really no point to it.
Somewhere along the way most adults lose that ability to just be in the moment. Our attempts to understand and control the future through the present usually fail because we are never truly there. The act of analysis effectively kills the magic of being in that moment. This line of thought always reminds me of the “Flower’s for Algernon” argument - Perhaps it is best to feel rather than know. The sanitized mainstream culture dulls our inherent proclivity toward creative and unique thought.
It is so easy to lose sight of personal enrichment amidst the daily grind of life unless it becomes an integral part. Unfortunately, we seem to make that integration much harder than it needs to be. Television, video games, the internet, and consumerism have a way of sneaking up on us with their limitless time sapping abilities.
Right now, my only goal is to do something every day to make myself better. When there is momentum, things always fall into place. Doing things just for the sake of doing them is reason enough to get excited. I have no idea where I am going, but when I get there, I want the journey to have been an enriching and enjoyable experience.
Do something you enjoy that will allow you to see your progress. Take pictures, write, just create something. The first wall of self-doubt and defeatism is the hardest one to overcome, but once you clear it, everything flows.
A shovelful of dirt a day and eventually you have a mountain. Break down the big stuff, prioritize, and you will be moving forward. Our abilities are only limited by time, so make it count.