In my latest article I have mentioned that I should go back to my initial approach of writing articles. As this article is the first one since I have published my latest article it seems that it did not work out. I guess my main obstacle is that with every article I intend to create value. Not only for me, but for the other person who reads this article. I´m talking about you. However, I recognized that this intention restricts me from simply starting writing even without a concrete idea in my mind.
So for now I want to give it a try. This article now is for my own joy. I started this article without a specific topic in my mind which I want to write about. So this time I do not want to focus on creating value. I simply want to write down my thoughts. At least I´m productive. It´s in line with the initial purpose of why I started this blog. Which is the simple fact that there´s no need to think specific thoughts if I do not turn these into action or if at least I do not capture them in written.
Reducing the amount of distracting thoughts
In this context within my recent article I have mentioned that in the past I spent a lot of time thinking about specific topics without any productive outcome. I simply gave unfiltered intention to any distraction which occurred within my mind. Since I mentioned that fact two months ago I feel a certain kind of improvement. Although I´m still not following the approach of taking a serious two hours reflection session per week I feel that the amount of „unnecessary“ thoughts has been reduced. The word „unnecessary“ has been marked with quotation marks as for me as a creative person I feel the pressure that every arising thought comes with the potential to act as a new inspiration.
That´s why for me it´s so challenging to not give attention to „distracting“ thoughts. However, going forward I will continue to trust in the approach that the thoughts which are of essential value, they will pop up anyway in a repetitive manner. That´s why I can allow myself to swipe them away in the moment they occur. If they become recurring, then it will be the time to take them serious.
So since I have started this blog my main approach is the following: Stop thinking, start producing. This approach can be enhanced by the following phrases: Create measurable results. Become vulnerable. Be open for criticism. In modern literature, I guess this approach is similar to phrases such as „Go your own way“ or „Just do it.“ I guess that everyone knows about these phrases. They are easy to read. But implementation can be challenging.
What is the essential core?
Then, a while ago, I started to ask myself: What exactly is the challenging part? When people talk about that it´s „difficult“ to make this or that a success, nowadays I´m asking: What exactly is the difficult part? When people say that it´s „hard“ work to complete that specific task, nowadays I´m asking myself: What do you mean with „hard“? Does it mean that I need to work more? Does it mean that I need to work with my teeth pressed on each others while showing an angry face?
Currently I´m writing this article. I´m in a very relaxed mood. I have no time pressure. I can stop writing whenever I want. No one will judge me. Besides myself. Is this hard work?
Am I allowed to smile while completing hard work? Does hard work mean that there is no time left for jokes and that I have to be serious all the time? Does hard work mean that I constantly have to work with the concentration level of a formula one racing pilot?
It´s hard to find customers. Why? Is it because you forgot to check if there´s a market for your product or your service? Is it because you´re simply not a sales person? Is it because you´re not convinced of your own product or service? What is the hard part in finding customers?
Since I have developed that way of questioning I give less weight to people´s words which state that things are challenging, difficult and hard. If things maintain as part of this superficial level (What is the essence of challenging, difficult and hard?) there´s no productive outcome. For this reason I prefer to constantly break down things to the bottom to identify the real source which acts as an obstacle. I consider this as a much more useful attitude rather than being superficial.
My aversion to routines
Within the above I have mentioned that I did not implement the approach of the serious two hours reflection session per week. I thought about why I did not implement that approach although it sounded so useful. My current answer is: I simply do not enjoy too much of routines. If routines would be of that high value for me, I could have simply stayed in the army. As part of army´s nature I was embedded into an overall and clear structured framework while being a soldier. As a result I cannot think of any other time in my life when I have acted with such a less amount of thinking on how to structure my day than during my time serving the army.
In contrast, for me as a creative person it´s of very high value to do and think whatever I want and to do this at the times when I want to do so. That´s a very high level of freedom and I cannot state for myself that currently I´m constantly being able to stick to that approach. But at least it´s a good sign that I have recognized my need for independent thinking and acting as well as my need for active decision making.
Diary entries
I currently feel that this article has similarities to a diary entry. In contrast, the previous articles dealt with specific topics. Actually I´m thinking about publishing my previous articles as a book to summarize my first year running this blog. The main intention is not to sell a book but to simply experience how it feels to publish a book. If for now I continue with these kind of diary entries, I could then publish a second book containing these diary entries. But this is simply an idea which just popped up in my mind and due to the intention and the purpose of today´s article, I have to write it down without overthinking the idea.
But probably the wording of a diary entry is not correct. Do these kind of entries not require much more of personal content? I did not mention at which place I´m right now. I did not mention the weather circumstances. So maybe it´s simply the next article in line. There´s no need to think about it. I´m capturing my thoughts. In written. Of what I need to think about, I can simply write it down now. It´s my own joy.
Is it just joy?
For sure it´s also a kind of a work. If writing these kind of articles would be pure fun, I assume I had already published much more. One reason which restricts me from writing more is that I do not want to repeat myself. I´m fine with making a hint that one aspect I´m currently thinking about has already been captured within another article. But this whole thing should not be too repetitive. Probably in the past I did not write down a certain article as I felt a certain kind of fear of writing about something which I had already mentioned. By doing so this would feel like being captured within a circle. It would feel that I´m captured within a circle of myself without any progress into a new direction. What would be the purpose of constantly mentioning that circle again and again?
It´s better to be productive rather than thinking. Writing is fun but also work. I´m giving pressure to myself because I want to improve. I prefer to be quiet rather than talking irrelevant stuff.
Going forward, shall I use this blog to publish „irrelevant“ things in my mind? Shall I commence writing diary entries in which I´m allowed to mention „unnecessary“ details? What would be the purpose of such articles?
Holy words
I´m glad about the fact that I have once decided to start this blog. It feels satisfying to be in possession of a place which I can use as a collection of my creative work. As there seem to be no limits in my fantasy it´s good to know that there is a place where I can bring my thoughts to the core to distinguish the superficial ones from the ones that really matter. It´s a discovery to myself. It´s an experience. I like experiences. I value the good ones and suffer from the bad ones. Thinking is easy, otherwise I would not think that much.
Any thoughts on this can be sent privately to send@realthoughts.me or publicly via the comment function below
Martin