Author: Dianne

Iggy

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I shared about how I discovered the Instant Gratification Monkey here. Well, the guys who created him over at Wait But Why now have a plush version of him. One which I happily received on Christmas morning.

iggy smallInstant Gratification Monkey is kind of a mouthful. So I called him IG Monkey. Then Iggy.

My hope is that his presence will remind me of those times that I’m not doing what I should be and that acknowledgement will put me back on the path of what I really want to be doing. If nothing else, he’s terribly cute and soft. He also makes a great model.

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Move More Eat Well Jumpstart

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Big Picture Classes

That’s a mouth full – Move More Eat Well Jumpstart. Or MMEW, as I shall call it henceforth. Forthwith.

I’m quite hesitant to join anything new these days. It seems my commitment and discipline muscles have atrophied significantly in recent years. With this knowledge, I predetermine that I will quit or fail, so it’s really not worth the effort of signing up, joining, trying, or whatever, as it will be yet one more guilt-inducing project, plan, club, group, or whatever.

But if I continue to live my life that way, I will go nowhere. Except down a slippery slope of self-loathing. Which I really don’t need.

The other thing I’ve learned about myself is that when I DO join something, I keep it to myself. I no longer share, I don’t have any accountability, so that when I quit/fail/etc., no one else will know. In fact, maybe it never really happened in the first place, right? Yeah, not so much. Somewhere in my teflon-coated colander brain, I know. And try as I might to ignore that, it’s still there, gnawing at me and leading to the slipper slope of self-loathing. What a vicious, ugly cycle it all is.

So here is my “throw my hat into the ring, admit that I’ve signed up for something to help myself, and that I really want to make changes in my life” post. Now I just have to let people know that this blog exists. Bwahahahaha!!! (It’s another one of those “keep it to myself” deals. Clearly, I have issues.)

Time to choose better and stop letting my life slide away while following the path of least resistance.

What I Want To Do

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On the heels of my last post, this question popped into my head:

What Do I Want To Do?

If I don’t want to spend so much time on Facebook and random links and other miscellaneous bunny trails, where exactly would I like to spend that time? It’s all fine and good to feel the need to step away from something, but if that space isn’t at least somewhat filled with something else, the default will be to return to the first thing. Nature abhors a vacuum. Or so they say.

So for clarity’s sake, I want to:

      Blog

 

      Make photographs

 

      Learn my new camera better and make better photographs

 

      Catch up with Project Life and work on other scrapbooks

 

      Read more

 

      Continue to declutter

 

    Get outside more

That seems like a good place to start.

At least now, when I tell myself to step away from the internet, I have a direction in which to turn. Seven, actually.

Creatively Dry

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Just finished reading this article – We’re All Failures.

Wow. She totally nailed so much of what I struggle with. Not all the struggles are identical. But this line in particular…

I’LL SIT AT MY DESK FOR HOURS
ACCOMPLISHING NOTHING OF ANY SIGNIFICANCE, JUST BEATING MYSELF UP FOR BEING SO TERRIBLE AT EVERYTHING.


Kind of how I feel on those days

Yeah. I hate living there. And I do it far too often. The thing is that the internet and its little minions (like Facebook, in particular) mostly suck the creativity out of me. But it’s like a moth to a flame – me being absorbed into not only Facebook, but all the linkage and bunny trails. I go read something which links somewhere else and then I love that person’s writing/ideas/photography/art/whatever so I then spend an hour (or more) trolling the archives since I’ve only just discovered them. I think how cool/creative/artistic this person is and I wish I were equally so.

And then, because I have a tab open to Facebook, the siren call of 6 notifications lures me away. Oh. I’d better go check those. Maybe someone commented on my sunset picture. Or something. Or maybe there’s a private message I *need* to read. Hey, I wonder if this new cool/creative/artistic person is on Facebook? Maybe I should follow. Or troll around their Facebook page.

Wait. Where was I? Why did I sit down here an hour and a half ago?

Sadly, I probably have no idea.

Nor have I likely accomplished much of anything of value.

I hate being creatively dry. But what do I expect when I fill my head with mostly pointless fluff? When I don’t take at least invest some of my online time in something with greater substance and depth? When I don’t give myself time to create. Whatever that may be.

I know what the obstacles look like. I know their names. I know I need to just step away. How do I make that happen? How do I remain engaged yet make the time to pull away and be refreshed and recharged, creatively? Especially when the other problem with the internet gremlins is that they exist in a time warp. It may feel like 15 minutes, but it strangely morphs into 75 minutes. Or half a day. They’re very tricksy like that.

Life will get busier during the holidays, which will automatically keep me away a little more than normal. But I need to create some habits which will better serve me in the future. Habits that include far less time consumed with Facebook, random links, and the like. Habits that will free up some time for creating. Getting outside. Just being.

The Potter and the Clay

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I am always in awe as I watch a talented potter with clay on a wheel. These particular potters are master craftsmen and their skills are amazing.

It will take awhile to both watch the video and read my post. The video is definitely worth the almost seven minutes of time. Hopefully my words are worth the time, too.

God has some beautiful parallels in the story of the potter and the clay. Having seen the presentation by Potter’s Field Ministries numerous times during the past 20 years, I’m always blown away by what He teaches me through it. While there are many lessons, these are the things that stood out to me as I watched the above video.

  • Great repetitive pressure is required to form the clay into the desired vessel. The clay spins on the wheel and the potter continues to press and mold and shape it into a piece of pottery for a specific purpose.
  • In order to be a useful vessel, that which weighs it down must be removed (the gunk inside) or stretched out to make it able to contain something. A pitcher is only functional when it has the ability to hold something which can be poured out for others. But if the inside were solid, there would be little purpose besides perhaps in being a door stop. One pot had a hole cut into it in order to attach a spout, making it lovelier in form and practical in purpose.
  • When it comes time to create a beautiful design, this is neither quick, easy, or comfortable. It takes a very fine, focused cutting away. Or perhaps a beating. No, I’m not saying that God beats and cuts us. But life does. Sometimes the cuts are just on the surface, other times, they cut clear through. Is there anything more beautiful than a person who stays focused upon the Lord while weathering the storms of life? When they’re on the other side of the struggle, still in love with Jesus, radiating joy, it is very lovely to behold. Some vessels were covered by paint after being cut into, but when the excess is wiped away, beauty remains in the contrast of colors.

What analogies have you seen in the relationship between the potter and the clay and God and His children?

Instant Gratification Monkey

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I’ve finally learned why I have such issues with procrastination. It’s all the fault of the Instant Gratification Monkey.

What? You say you’ve never heard of the Instant Gratification Monkey? If you have procrastination tendencies, you’ll want to find a comfy spot, grab your favorite beverage, and prepare yourself for some extensive reading. The guys over at Wait But Why have identified him as the problem behind procrastination. Enjoy their two-part article on How to Beat Procrastination. I’ll wait. On the Dark Playground, maybe. Hopefully not. Hopefully somewhere a little more productive, like the Dark Woods. Or maybe I’ll even cruise along in the Flow. That would be the best.

If you complete that task and make it back over here…without looking at Facebook, checking email again, or getting lost in the Dark Playground, let me know what you think. igm nope

{I hope I’m not in trouble for swiping, er, borrowing this little bit o’monkey graphic here. I’m referring people to their site and their post and giving them all the credit. Given my huge readership, they may add one more reader to their site. I hope. This monkey drawing belongs to the guys at Wait But Why. I’m just sharing the love.}