What Did You Just Call Yourself?

 You're going to do what?

A young Walt Disney once told his family he was going to make a living as a cartoonist. He told them at a time when cartooning was almost unheard of and appeared only in newspapers as editorial illustrations. Motion pictures were new and still silent at the time and there were no animated cartoons shown in movie houses. 

His father asked him "how are you going to do that?" to which Disney replied, "I don't know". History goes on to show that he not only made a living as a cartoonist, but he radically changed the entertainment industry and created a pan generational empire.

15 minutes of Experience

When President Kennedy set a goal for America to walk on the moon before 1970, at the time he made that bold objective, America had spent a total of only 15 minutes in space, and we hadn't even put a man in earth orbit yet. Many thought it impossible. The technology for going to the moon didn't exist, we had no plan on how to do it and there was Kennedy saying we're not just going to get there but we'll be the first. Not only was the goal reached but America to this day is the only nation to do so and it propelled the USA into a leadership role of manned spaceflight.

Two good, real-life stories about doing something no one in their right minds would do. We have to know what we want but you don't always have to know how to do it. Just start it.

I Scream but you're not listening!

In my experience I've often come across people who are going through a trying time and express their feelings unabashedly seeking a sympathetic ear but when instead they are given suggestions or advice designed to relieve their anxiety, or puts it in a favorable perspective, they abruptly end the conversation. I have been guilty of this also, particularly in my younger years when I was prone to be more dramatic when, at that time, things seemed catastrophic but were, in retrospect, no big deal.

Some problems, no matter the size, seems ferocious and foreboding when facing it but from a distance or from another's prospective appears easily solvable and not so frightful but who wants to hear that, right?  Sometimes we just want to be affirmed in our self pity. We just want sympathy and ice cream which sure goes down better than advice.

Say it ain't So

There is a well worn mantra going around in many circles that says "fake it till you make it" and there are areas where this behavior can superficially benefit someone.  However for the long term, especially when dealing with a marketable skill or chronic mental state this philosophy can lead to embarrassment, frustration and worse. There is such a thing as self deception and less than honest approaches to ourselves. In some ways it can be related to the Dunning-Kruger affect; a cognitive bias whereby incompetent people don't view themselves as incompetent. A person can, for example, tell himself he is great at drawing when his skills still need to be developed before he can hope to profit from them.

Psychologists stipulate that affirmations are beneficial if the person reciting them is honest and realistic. Someone suffering from depression who constantly repeats to herself how happy she is will actually become more depressed because she reminds herself how unhappy she actually is with each affirmation of happiness. Happy people don't have to tell themselves how happy they are, they're just happy. This lends credence to another mantra: "what you resist will persist"

A Decision to Decide

 Wiggling Not allowed

According to psychologists, there is a condition called decision fatigue that occurs when we constantly weigh the pros and cons of a every decision to be made and even after we make one, we are plagued by self-doubt and second guessing especially if we give ourselves a little "wiggle room".

No Medals for Trying

Nate Lambert always had a problem with his weight and tried everything that was available to lose weight but never succeeded. Finally, one day after a period of research and reflection he made a firm decision to completely eliminate from his diet all forms of refined sugar for the rest of his life. After coming to this decision firmly in his mind and making it his new lifestyle he was able to lose weight and keep it off and is now enjoying a much healthier life and one of higher quality as a result. His final decision to never have refined sugar again was a decision he finalized and was never bothered with temptation or decision fatigue again.

Harvard business professor Clayton Christianson said it's easier to stick to your principles 100% of the time than it is 98% of the time. To be 98% committed means you haven't truly made a decision and thus decision fatigue sets in opening yourself up for failure as it leads to indecision and confusion. A decision you're 100% committed to leads to enhanced self-confidence and progress.

Making a Passion

Personality isn't Permanent

In his book, Personality Isn't Permanent by Benjamin Hardy, PhD, Dr Hardy writes that one's passion cannot be discovered but must be cultivated and shaped. A person isn't born with a natural passion for a certain vocation or interest. It isn't inherent in people and in order to find it a person must start working and it will be developed. The operative word here is work.

A Means to an End

Many have described my love for drawing and cartooning as a "passion" when I don't see it that way because I'm actually not passionate about it at all. If I did what I was passionate about, I'd be cooking all the time, which is a pastime I truly love doing. I get excited about it and it brings me peace and joy to get in the kitchen and mindfully make a meal for someone. However, I would never consider making it a career or getting a job as a cook. Drawing, however, not being a passion, can be described as my life's purpose. This purpose is constantly evolving to meet specific needs and new avenues of fulfilling that purpose is always being discovered. It's an effective way for me to tell my story or even someone else's story but it is basically a means to an end. The end is to have a life of purpose and significance.

One more thing. 

There is also an adage that has been going around which says,

 "If you do what you love you'll never work a day in your life."

Although I understand the spirit behind the maxim, it can be very misleading and just wrong. I love drawing and writing but it's hard work. Sometimes, after a long session of drawing for clients, I come home, plop down in my easy chair with ink-stained hands, and 10 seconds later I'm asleep. Where's the "never work" part?

Who's Your Friend?

I recently posted this illustration to social media for followers to see and the feedback was pretty consistent; there are many of us who can't make the claim that we have five close friends. We may have acquaintances or work associates but to call them "close" friends would not be accurate. The claim, however is not toward five close friends but your five closest friends.

Regardless of that, one of my followers presented a keen question; who are my five favorite authors to whom I often refer. Who are among those to whom I look up and invokes within me my behavior as would a friend or mentor? Well, it is an insightful look at a humorous situation. in that case I would say I'm an average of:

1. Zig Ziglar
2. Mark Manson
3. Rich Karlgaard
4. Dr Benjamin Hardy
5. Tracy Doll

What's the focus?

I've been a subscriber to the above philosophy for quite a while but my said belief has recently been challenged. In the course of reading Personality isn't Permanent by Dr. Benjamin Hardy, he professes that it is impossible to proceed without being mindful of the result. He states that to in order to take steps toward a goal one must always envision the goal clearly every step of the way; always having the target in focus.

I believe this to be true. One must have a clear vision of a particular objective in mind then map out the steps necessary to reach it. However in my experience, although it is important to frequently visualize the goal, I find it critical to focus undistracted on the work at hand. If that project is related to achieving the end result then it puts me one step closer to realizing the desired outcome.