Well, here I am. Typing this article. I’m not really sure, what I’m supposed to be writing about. To be honest, I’m not entirely convinced that I know why I’m even doing this.
Oh sure, I’ve had lots of ideas for what to write my first blog post about. I thought about writing about my favorite web tools or delving into the depths of a personal existential crisis. I thought about writing a piece concerning the non-meaning of hierarchical art interpretation. I considered, mildly humorously, that I might describe in depth for you the subtle complexities of the game of GO.
Quite possibly any of those topics might have made for a great post.
I have a tendency towards avoiding things I perceive as pretentious. Somewhat paradoxically, I also wish for all of my work to be expertly designed and perfected. And so the reason I did not pursue any of the above mentioned topics is because I feel neither qualified nor narcissistic enough to assume that any of them would have been a desirable addition to our anthology.
Despite all of these mental machinations, however, I still do not know what the subject of this post will be. I haven’t even made a title yet (and will probably add one, posthumously, right before I post this). Yet – despite having no clear resolution or direction – I have decided to soldier on and write this blog post. Let’s see where it takes us.
I suppose the real reason I’m typing this has less to do with my desire to express something profound and more to do with a sense of personal stagnation. You see, much like how my friend Connor expressed his struggles with procrastination, I too have often felt that I think more often than I do. It has become a recurring frustration resulting in the evolution of what I like to think of as my “Do, Don’t think” philosophy. While it’s tempting to view this as an exercise in impulsiveness more than anything else, “Do. Don’t think” approaches the wall of inactivity that I have fallen into and seems to surpass it.
To give an example, today I went for a run. I ran 3.5 miles up and down the steep hills of my hometown which just about killed me. It’s the first time I have run in a little over four months. When I decided to go for a run today, I did not weigh the pros and cons. I did not let the knowledge that I have no running shoes stop me. I did not allow myself to stop and consider how hard it is to run up a fifteen degree slope. I simply ran.
While this may seem like a small victory, it is a victory nonetheless.
The same technique can be applied to many other facets of my life. When I need to clean the kitchen, I clean the kitchen. When think it would be good to exercise, I exercise. In this way I do not allow procrastination to take hold and I defeat my stagnation one step at a time.
I think that all too often we, as humans, are victims of inaction. In an animistic sense, it is more energy efficient to not take action than to do so. In this way, it is easy for me to talk myself out of action when my basic needs have already been provided for.
I have a job. I have a place to live. I have warmth and food and personal comforts in excessive quantities. It is easy to allow myself to lapse into stagnation and easy to rationalize that decision. But one thing I have discovered about myself is that I feel more satisfied and generally happier about my life when I have actually done or accomplished something. It is for this reason that I developed my “Do, Don’t think” strategy.
Make no mistake; I am not saying that ruminating on my choices is wrong. There are many important life decisions that need to be carefully deliberated. But for the everyday choice: “to do or not to do”, I have found that allowing myself the time to think about not acting is a slippery slope towards procrastination.
So why am I writing this post?
I am writing this because I am worried that if I do not write it now, I never will. If I allow myself the time to worry over the details or think of all the reasons not to publish, than there is the chance that I may never have anything to add to this blog.
And just like that we have come to the end of our journey. I now have the topic of this post, the reason I posted it, and a solid takeaway. When I began writing this post, I had no idea where to take it. But, by following my “Do, Don’t think” philosophy, I have a completed piece ready to send off into the world. Now if I could just think of a title…
Aaauueegh 