by Owen | Feb 24, 2020 | Impromptu, Practices, Vocabulary
You wake up with a start. Look at the clock. Shit. You accidentally slept in — and you had the best morning planned too. You were going to go to the gym, spend a few minutes journaling, and eat a healthy breakfast. And now what? You are rushing to the shower, throwing clothes on (whatever is on top of the hamper), and running out the door — probably to Starbucks for a last-ditch hit of caffeine and a breakfast sandwich. The rest of the day, you can’t focus, you’re bleary-eyed and lashing out at co-workers. By the time you get home, you can’t be bothered to do anything but slump on the couch and watch TV before bed. A whole day wasted.
We’ve all had days like this. An extra hour of unintended sleep somehow puts our whole day to hell. But how do we keep something so small from affecting our entire day?
Think back to your bad mornings and rough starts. Those days you were in a rush. What was the one thing you could have done to set yourself up for success or energy? If nothing comes to mind, try thinking of your best days. How did they start? What made you feel the most energetic. The activity that comes to mind is our Daily Linchpin: the one practice that counts for a hundred others and gives us the motivation that carries us all day. This is what we need to prioritize. Some days we won’t be able to everything, but prioritizing our linchpin practice, even a shortened or sloppy version, can make all the difference.
My daily linchpin is exercise. Days, where I can’t go for a run or go to the gym, used to be the worst. I got cranky and depressed. My insecurities ran wild, and I would spend the whole day dragging my feet. Now, however, when I’m in a rush, I prioritize this activity no matter what. Maybe I only have 30 minutes. I’ll go for a quick run. 5 minutes? Stretching and pushups. No matter what, I make sure I start my day off with some exercise. Even though it’s not perfect, prioritizing that single activity can make all the difference in my day.
Find your daily linchpin and stick to it. No matter what. Even if it has to push some less important activities out of the way. And don’t worry if you can’t do it to the best of your ability, or you don’t have as much time as you would like. A little bit goes a long way. Maybe your linchpin is meditation, do a few minutes of deep breathing before you leave. No time to do your three morning pages? Try for one. Whatever your linchpin is, stick to it relentlessly. It can be the difference between our best days and our worst.
by Owen | Feb 23, 2020 | 2019-2020, Weekend Reflections
One of the best self-help books I’ve read thus far. Forleo has managed to add some new perspective to a very crowded genre. The book manages to balance personal testimony (author and reader), style, and actionable practice, and mantra, all without overwhelming the reader. Its the self-help book I wish I had from the beginning, and I will definitely be recommending this to others looking for a place to start or refresh their practice.
What I Missed: Publishing an Article
After all that talk of my writing routine last week, I totally missed publishing an article this week! I beat myself up about it a little, but getting the routine down is going to take time — like anything else. I’m determined to get it out this Friday and get the routine down.
What I’m Getting Back to: Photography
As I get this whole writing thing down, I’m finding I need to round my hobbies out with something visual. Unfortunately, my photography hobby went away as I devoted more and more time to the blog. As with everything, I can waste time thinking about it, or I can do it. So this week I’m hoping to pick up the camera again and get back to the streets.
This Weeks Posts:
by Owen | Feb 19, 2020 | Impromptu
The word authenticity gets thrown around a lot today. Its become the go-to catchword for every artist and entrepreneur. Everyone wants to be authentic, true to one’s self, genuine, transparent. These are all fantastic goals in the face of personal growth and reflection. But is that something we can really work on? More importantly, how do we actually prove we are authentic? Saying you are authentic means nothing if you can’t back it up.
When we think of someone who is authentic. We think of someone who follows through. The person who you can always count on to be themselves and act as themselves in every situation. They live up to promises and show up every day to work hard towards the goals they set for themselves.
What drives change is not authenticity then, but consistency — of person and of action. We know that someone is authentic because they are consistent in who they prove themselves to be. As the marketing guru, Seth Godin says: “We call a brand or a person authentic when they’re consistent, when they act the same way whether or not someone is looking. Someone is authentic when their actions are in alignment with what they promise.”
Authenticity, while a great catchword, is not an actionable goal. Its a definition of something more –a state of character over time. Instead of trying to be authentic, let’s try to be a little more consistent. Be the person you want to be every day, that’s authenticity.
by Owen | Feb 17, 2020 | Creativity, Impromptu
We can spend a lot of our creative lives criticizing the work of others. We all want to believe we could have done a better job or had a better idea. “I would have done it this way instead” or “That color? Really?” Hell, a lot of people are all criticism and very little creativity. But let’s be honest, we don’t know any better. Not really. We are all lost on the creative path, trying to stumble on something worth sharing. Some of us maybe a little farther down, but we are all just trying to figure it out.
So why waste your time criticizing? Because the truth is that criticizing comes easier than creating. And that soothes us. Creativity and ego are a matched pair. As we start to build creative confidence, we inevitably want to show it off. As we develop a style, we are suddenly at odds with everyone else’s. So we point, and we criticize, and we nitpick and try to show how much more creative we are than everyone else. Creativity without creating.
The worst crime of all, however, is believing we have any say in what someone else created. The truth is it’s probably just not for us. We can dislike something, but if we do, well then, it wasn’t made for us, and that’s okay. Everyone is trying to connect with someone. That someone isn’t always you. So leave it alone. Maybe someone will come along and see beauty where you never could.
Don’t bother fretting about how it’s not what you would’ve done — go and do it.
by Owen | Feb 16, 2020 | 2019-2020, Weekend Reflections
What I Accomplished: 6 Months of Weekend Reflection
In honor of 6 months of these posts, I’ve decided to change the name to the Weekend Reflection. It feels more fitting for what these posts, and this blog, has become.
What started as a way to reflect and vent has now become a regular practice and routine. More than that it lead me to the creation of this blog and a whole new creative outlet I never knew I had. I wouldn’t have imagined 6 months later it would become such a vital part of my life. Here’s to sixth more months of reflections ahead.
The sound designer in me absolutely loves this audiobook, although it’s more like a performance. Break Shot, from the mouth of Taylor himself, takes you through his childhood and artistic beginnings through to his initial success. Early recordings, demo’s and performances are scattered throughout, tying the narrative together beautifully. I’m relatively new to the world of memoir and biography, but even this short 90-minute piece has given me more than I could have asked for. I will absolutely be digging more into the genre. The audiobook is free for audible members until April, and I highly recommend you take the time. Fan or not, it’s a brilliant look into one of the most prolific songwriters of our time.
This book couldn’t have come along at a better time for me. Kleon, following up on his first book Steal Like an Artist (another recommendation), reveals the necessity and tools of sharing your work. This for me has been one of the most difficult things to do. I’ve always felt a bit strange sharing this blog. This book has given me a lot to think about, and more importantly a lot to work on and experiment with. One of the great things about Kleon is his practical advice (like reading obituaries!). His books give you a palette of things to try. I will absolutely be referring back to this book and his others for advice as I continue to create.
What I’m Working On: Writing Routine
Working more regularly on the blog I’ve settled into a kind of routine. In order to keep myself accountable, I’ve decided that I’m going to do my best to stick to a publishing schedule. Mondays and Wednesdays are Impromptu post days. These posts, as the name implies, are written the day off with minimal editing. They serve mostly as reflections of what I’ve been pondering and/or drafts of what may become larger pieces. These impromptu pieces help to keep me on my toes and force me to get something out, even if it’s not perfect. In order to balance this, I will be publishing longer Articles on Fridays. These will feature more in-depth topics or reflections and will be written ahead of time with more editing. Hopefully, the balance of these two styles will keep things interesting and lead to even more development.
