enough

I feel like many times we can shy away from starting something because we want to get everything juuust right.  We focus so much on getting the little details perfect that sometimes we get so discouraged and we don’t start at all.

It can be the start of something simple–like starting a painting or learning a new skill…to something bigger like starting a new career, relationship or family.

We’re waiting for the right time, we tell ourselves.

But like Tim Ferriss says in the The 4-Hour Workweek, “For all of the most important things, the timing always sucks. Waiting for a good time to quit your job? The stars will never align and the traffic lights of life will never all be green at the same time. The universe doesn’t conspire against you, but it doesn’t go out of its way to line up the pins either. Conditions are never perfect. ‘Someday’ is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you. Pro and con lists are just as bad. If it’s important to you and you want to do it ‘eventually,’ just do it and correct course along the way.” 

Also, the start of something may seem quite scary.  The fear of failing can really just eat us up.

It’s also the fear of not knowing where it will all go…or even how long the feeling of excitement will last.  Haven’t we all had that fear?  The fear of putting so much effort into something we care about…and having to watch everything crash and burn?

And fearing that we won’t have the will to get back up again?

And we know the typical advice on fighting fear…surround ourselves with the right people, keep in mind what our goals are, know that the world is not going to end if things don’t work out…

But knowing those things doesn’t make it any less scary. And no matter how many encouraging people we surround ourselves with, sometimes one nagging or discouraging person can just drag us down–and oftentimes that person is our very own self.

It’s that voice inside that won’t shut up, that we can’t run away from, that tells us we’re not good enough.

I don’t have the answer to eliminate fear or ignore that voice inside our head that can often discourage us. I think that a little dose of fear is normal, and the voices inside our heads can sometimes keep us from danger.

But we just can’t let them overcome our will to move forward, to grow.

Two things I’ve kept in mind from reading the The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin:

“The days are long but the years are short.”  

“What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.”

For me, I think doing a little something every day is a start to getting started.

So I’ll be creating something new every day.  I was inspired by Noah Scalin’s art project where he decided to make a skull a day for a year (it’s really cool, check out the link).  I recently picked up his book, 365: A Daily Creativity Journal  that inspires people to be creative every day (we can make our own rules!).  Since I make my own rules, I may or may not be posting what I make every day–but I will definitely be posting more often than every three months.

And I’ll need you to keep me accountable, OK?

Let’s get started.

*The little doodle/creation today was made with pieces of some old receipts.

*Join me in this project if you are interested! There are tons of people who’ve done this. Check it out.

kid

I remember when I was younger I’d look up to the kids a few grades above me and think they were so cool.  They were seniors in high school.  And for those I met who were in college–wow, that’s only where I go when I’m smart.

And then a strange thing kept happening—I’d keep growing up.

Every time I got to the stage that I once looked up to, I realized I didn’t feel drastically different than I did before, or that I now knew it all.

And I’d think, I’m in high school now, why doesn’t this feel all that cool?  I’m in college now, aren’t I supposed to know exactly what I want to do with my life?

Instead of feeling cool or smart, I just felt like a big kid.

I’d always feel like I’d know more at the next stage, or when I’m at a certain point of my life, or when I’ve accomplished a certain something.  As if once I reach a certain age, things were just going to fall into place and things would magically make sense.

Yet in every stage, I’ve realized there’s always going to be something new to figure out, something new that’ll take us right back to that childhood learning mentality.

Like when we’re done with school, and we must learn about what it means to apply what we’ve studied in our work lives…and learn about all the dedication, persistence, and hard work it takes.

Or when we get married, and we must learn what it means to be a spouse or a parent…and all the commitment, responsibilities, and sacrifice that comes with it.

And then things happen in our lives—things that force us to learn.

Like when we lose someone, and we must figure out how to mend that hole…and figure out how to move on.

Or like when we find someone, and we must figure out how to let someone in…and figure out how to let our guards down.

There is always a new step in life that will shake us up again, making us feel maybe a little insecure, maybe a little scared—taking us right take back to feeling like a kid all over again, just trying to figure it all out.

being

My mom has had a deep fascination and appreciation for flowers since I was young.

Every birthday, anniversary, Mother’s Day, you name it—we didn’t have to worry—my mom would always be completely satisfied with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

Frankly, I just didn’t get it.

Flowers die, I thought.  Yeah, they’re pretty or whatever, but what are you left with after a week? Dried up nastiness.

But I still remember the moment my perspective changed.

It was definitely a cheesy moment, because it involved a Hallmark card that said something along the lines of “You, like flowers, bring happiness just by being.”

But I liked that idea—that flowers, by their plain existence, can do so much.

They can brighten up the room and lift up a mood.

They don’t call for attention in flashy ways, but exude a beauty that’s pure and simple.

They take in simply what they need, like the basic nutrients, the sunlight, water…and never too much.

And they can do all that even in the limited amount of time they are alive.

After that day, I didn’t go and plant a flower garden or spend all my money on vases and bouquets.

But I can appreciate them now, and can only wish that I could be half as cool as they are.