Stepping out of the way
The hardest thing to recognise is when you’re holding yourself back. Especially if what you're doing is creative and unknown.
The hardest thing to recognise is when you’re holding yourself back. Especially if what you’re doing is creative and unknown, which is 80% of all things.
We might think what’s stopping us is external circumstances or a lack of time, but often I found I knew exactly what to do but I was unwilling to do it for a reason that became apparent later on.
The metaphor that comes to mind is a shadow version of yourself, they are standing in the way of where you really want to go and if they just took a step to the side, the path would be clear and easy.
Where is your progress getting stuck? If you were an outsider looking at yourself, where are you stagnating for no good reason? What do you know how to do, but can’t bring yourself to do?
When I’m holding myself back, it’s for two reasons. Either it’s fear, dressed up in a thousand different forms, or it’s because I don’t want to do the thing.
If it’s fear, it’s workable. There’s a knowledge gap or I just need to take the first step.
If it’s because I don’t want to do the thing, that’s harder, because it requires reflection. Ask yourself why you don’t want to do something and if it’s avoidable. Doing taxes or looking after a dependent is unavoidable. There are some responsibilities that can’t be deterred. But, there are other things that we feel we ought to do or should do, that we can let go and it will feel like opening a clenched hand in running water.
Those are the things that we oughta, shoulda, coulda, and life is too short to accomodate things we don’t whole-heartedly want to do.
Step out of the way of yourself and savour the forward momentum.
🎨 Creative exercise:
Creative exercises used to be in the Run Wild Creative editions and they’re making a come back, like mullets, but with less regret.
This creative exercise is an easy one. The next time you’re on a call, grab a pen and paper and draw, squiggle, write down key words. This seemingly dualistic action draws you into the present moment with the person you’re talking to and helps you recall what was said later on.
In other news
An article I wrote for UX Collective on Why we love to hate Clippy is getting some major love. This was one of those rare instances where I surfed the wave of inspiration and didn’t stack it. It was such a delight to have an editor give feedback. Thanks Fabricio Teixeira.
I somehow ended up crying at Jony Ive talking about Steve Jobs and designing for humans.
If you’re a writer, thinker, creator that appreciates system-thinking, you’d inhale and benefit from How to take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens. I’m putting it into practice and seeing huge boons.