Looking at it backwards

Tuesday insights ...

I spent the long weekend reading a new book. May long weekend lived up to its reputation - rain, rain, rain. So while everyone declared "movie day" and headed to the big screen in the basement, I got comfortable on the couch with the kindle reader on the ipad.

An interesting quote from Aristotle in this book stood out in my mind -

the mark of an educated mind is being able to entertain a thought without adopting it.

That thought adequately described this book. Lots of ideas to challenge the mind - perhaps a few to adopt.

For years I've been advising folks that the best place to get started is by just doing something - like the Nike moto, Just do it. The deeper meaning here is that you will discover a way to solve your problem by simply jumping in and working on it. Many get stuck in analysis paralysis and they never get to actually working on the problem.

Well, it turns out there is a "Do Something Principle". This principle says that action drives inspiration and inspiration drives motivation.

That sounds backwards. Most of us commit to action only if we feel a certain level of motivation. And we feel motivated only when we feel emotionally inspired. If you want to accomplish something, but you don't feel motivated or inspired, you're screwed.

Turns out that's just wrong. If you want to learn to play the piano, but are not inspired to take lessons or lack the motivation to practice, just play. The more you play, the more you become inspired to learn. And that inspiration motivates you to practice and take lessons.

If you're trying to write a book, but you have writers block, just start writing stuff. The simple act of writing will inspire great thoughts and motivate you to get to work on the book.

It seems counter intuitive - even backwards, but it works. And that is the premise in this book - that the reason we don't get to where we want to be is that we are working at the wrong stuff and looking at things the wrong way.

So just do it. Get started on what it is that you want to do. By getting started, you'll be inspired to create a way to make what you want a reality. It all starts with taking action.

Want more information about this? Send me an email and I'll tell you where to get this book I'm reading.

//Norm