The Irritating Internet and a Celebration of Incompetence
Feel good memes are sometimes useful.
But if we’re not careful, they can lead us to stagnation.
How do we tread a path forward without sinking?
Sometimes, the Internet troubles me.
Every day, several tasks appear in my list:
– “Visit Twitter [now X]”,
– “Comment in LinkedIn”
– “Consider creating an Instagram post”
The hope is that I’d be inspired somewhere between tapping the link and getting to the writing prompt, inspired enough to write something inspiring enough to out-inspire beyond the cacophony of inspiring marketing that already exists and continues to drown us…
… not that I have any feelings about it.
So, I hold my breath and dive in.
Immediately, I’m confronted by a sea of posts about ADHD, productivity, therapists, and the like. It’s my own fault. I’ve subscribed to them all. Occupational hazard, I suppose.
Daunted by the sense that I don’t stand on a pulpit nearly as much as others, I still bear down.
I read a tweet by a well-known talking head that says something along the lines of,
“That ADHD tendency to think you can exercise, take a shower, and get ready to go out in the half an hour before an appointment!”
It’s got lots of likes and replies.
Ugh. I admit, I have some awkward feelings… What if I came up with that? Would I have gotten those likes and replies? A multitude of other middle school feelings jump up.
Enough about me. I push through some more…
Something about the tweet still bugs me. It’s a funny comment. That much is true. It is awareness raising about the difficulties in connecting with time. That’s good, too.
But it’s not the tweet that’s the problem.
It’s that the conversation stops there. Replies are only of confirming examples and laughter.
Laughter is good medicine. But beyond a certain dose, any medicine can become a poison.
When the conversation stops, it appears to be a celebration of helplessness.
Certainly, there are difficulties posed for those with wandering minds. Certainly, they can be hard for others to understand.
But, the thing is we *can do* these things. I do all of them, as well as meditate, journal, and practice piano all before seeing my first client, with a hot cup of tea sitting nearby, to boot.
Yes, I brag, but I also hope to point out that these things are possible.
You can do many things. You can pursue multiple interests. You can do things with the time you have.
To do so is a matter of paying attention to, developing, and orchestrating the rhythms of your life. It is a practice, not something that happens overnight.
While there may be fits and spurts, growths and collapses, that’s the path of any form of mastery.
It’s not magic. It’s not hidden. It is an attainable path that begins with the first step.
And frankly, I don’t know how to say all of that in a tweet.
– Kourosh
PS Waves of Focus is about to launch its fifth module, “Getting Started”. Prices will rise shortly afterwards. If you’d like to start learning how to guide a wandering mind, without force, without frustration, considering hopping aboard.
Productivity is many things. For some, it is about doing a lot in a little time.
But, truly, productivity is so much more. It is about:
- Setting yourself up for success.
- Being focused where you want to be.
- Doing things that you find meaningful.
- Being creative, sometimes even in harsh environments.
- Forging your own paths.
- Finding your voice and delivering it well.
- Knowing and actively deciding on your obligations.
- Knowing where and how to say “no”.
- Avoiding procrastination.
Too often, many of us fall into just going along with and fighting whatever the world throws at us. “Go with the flow!”, we say. Meanwhile, we might think, “I’d like to do that one thing. Maybe one day I will.” The days go by. The goal never arrives, and then we wonder why or blame circumstance.
But when we learn to take charge of our lives and the world
around us, we start living life with intention.
Of course, striking out may seem scary. It takes courage to live life with purpose and on purpose. Roadblocks and worries, fears and concerns show up everywhere.
This is my passion. I want to help you to find that sense of your own unique play to meet the world so that you can:
- Create a life that is yours.
- Find and follow an inner guide in a way that works for you and those you care for.
- Decide on your obligations and meet them while building the world you want.
Free Agents podcast
An interview with David Sparks and Jason Snell in which I compare work to boats and need re-direction from talking too much about video games…
Power In Iteration
Hey Folks, Bit of a change up today. This one's got video... A few months ago, my friend Jim Green asked me to help out with one of his pieces, Scryer. I was in a bit of a bind that I imagine many can relate to. I'd like to do it, but how? I've got other stuff to do!...
Attempting to use the force
Posts are on hold while I focus my attention on getting the new book ready ... Almost there ... Stay on target ... Almost there ...
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