Enough Already

OK, you know when I first heard about blogging, it was from Merlin Mann, who said you should blog on a topic for six months, and then when you ran out of things to say, stop.

So I am. I am not where I was when this whole thing started, and obviously, it isn't motivating enough for me to write about it. I have some ideas for what the next thing is, but for now, I've apparently said everything I have to say on this topic.

Rock on.

Saw "yes man" today

Saw Yes Man today. It was a pretty enjoyable film, all in all. OK, I give up. It was a movie, not a film.

Anyway, it was a really fun experience. I don't suppose it is any great piece of art, but it was enjoyable and we saw it for $1, which makes it even better.

I thought it had a really powerful message though, one I found pretty inspirational. Because, truth be told, I am Jim Carrey early in the film in some ways. My goals this year are to write and read and watch movies--generally alone.

Of course, the premise is that he hears a motivational speaker who convinces him to say YES to everything. Clearly, this strategy proves as (hilariously) untenable as saying NO to everything when taken in the extreme.

But along the way, his life is a lot richer for having taken a few chances and working outside his comfort zone.

One of my goals is to live an enriching life. I think I have a different perspective on what that could be. Or should be. So, it is time to do some research and find myself something--a group, an activity, a hobby or a challenge that will get me out of the the house and living a little.

And no more settling for what's easy in a relationship...I want to find something that will rock my world.

In honor of Merlin Mann

I was driving to Columbus today and I started to listen to a talk from David Allen on productivity. On the passenger seat was a list of phone calls that needed to be made. So, to be productive, I actually DID SOMETHING instead of listening to a tape about doing something.

And it was good.

Quick thoughts

It has been a while since I posted, so just a quick note. Things are very busy, lots of time on the road and some OT from work, and I haven't had time to do much blogging. But, I do pride myself on knowing when something has to give, and this has been it for a while.

Things are going well, though. I am making progress on challenges, and feeling pretty good along the way.

Pretty Good Day

It was a pretty good day today. Lots to do, but I worked my way through it and eventually made some progress. Felt good when I left work today...lots of things behind me, email cleaned out. Pushed myself through some projects. The kind of day I need more of.

Of course, that's all about me.

The Economist has an interesting article on procrastination. It says that one of the reasons people procrastinate is that when they are forced to think in the abstract.

As the team report in Psychological Science, in all three studies, those who were presented with concrete tasks and information responded more promptly than did those who were asked to think in an abstract way. Moreover, almost all the students who had been prompted to think in concrete terms completed their tasks by the deadline while up to 56% of students asked to think in abstract terms failed to respond at all.

This is something that David Allen talks about a lot. The reason we often don't do a task is that we don't know what we are supposed to do first. We don't have it boiled down to a specific enough "next action." I would argue that ambiguity rather than abstraction is at the heart of the answer to this question.

At any rate, it is nice to see something besides the usual fear, perfectionism, discomfort occupying this debate.

Each of the tasks I had postponed to day--each for far too long--had been because I didn't know what the next step was. Once I exposed that first step, the rest of the work flowed right along.

Thought for Today.....

And still this emptiness persists
Perhaps this is as good as it gets
When you’ve given up the drink and those nasty cigarettes
Now I leave the party early at least with no regrets
I watch the sun as it comes up I watch it as it sets
Yeah this is as good as it gets.

Obligations

So, what is your obligation to yourself, and what is your obligation to others? I have been involved with someone, and everything was going fine. I only saw her every week or so, which is fine, because I just got out of my marriage, and I'm enjoying having some freedom and flexibility, and the prospect of having to look at the same person and deal with all those complications is about as far from my mind as the prospect of getting my nipples pierced.

She is somewhat needy, however, and this has generally not been a problem because she had female friends she cried to. She seems to have worn her welcome out with them, and last night, that left me facing the torrent of tears in the middle of the night.

I care for her. I don't want anything bad to happen to her. But, I'm not sure right now my shoulders are broad enough to be carrying someone else right now. I don't want to get out at the worst possible time, but I wonder if the time might ONLY get worse from here. What I'd like most is to continue to way it is, but I don't think that is in the cards, either.

So, the question is, do I have a higher obligation to me or to her. Of course, just writing this, the answer has become clear.