Are You Making the Same Mistakes?
A few days ago I wrote a post about getting unstuck, in which I said that the key to getting unstuck is to show up in front of the computer.
I have also found that life works that way some times, no, all the times. I believe that everything you need to live your life with is provided to you before you need it and it shows up in your life at the right moment. Sometimes, because we don’t see it right in front of us, it presents itself again and again.
We call it repeating patterns or recurring themes. We have been told that repeating patterns are indication that we are not learning, that we are making the same mistakes again and again. But, that is just one way to see it.
Another way to see it showed up in my inbox this morning in the form of Notes from the Universe. It said: “Actually, it’s not that there are recurring themes in a lifetime, Rasheed, but that there are recurring choices.”
Isn’t that totally awesome?!
Recurring choices also means recurring opportunities.
One of the recurring choices that I have been making has become painfully evident to me as of late. I wait too long to react to a situation that I know is going to produce an unpleasant effect. Then it is too late, and the undesired effect shows up. I used to see it as a repeating pattern, or a recurring theme in my life and I used to beat myself up for it. But that just made matters worse.
When you beat yourself up, again and again, you become depressed, and that is the worst place from which to make any choices. When you are depressed, you can’t see the bright side of life, and so, you don’t feel like taking bold actions. Heck, you don’t feel like taking any actions. But, unfortunately, you realize soon that inaction is also a form of action.
Eventually, you get mad, because you know that you are capable of more than what you have, capable of more than what you have accomplished. So, you determine to be more disciplined, to practice more will power and plow your way through life. To do whatever it takes, so to speak. But, again, it becomes a recurring theme.
Eventually, you see it for what it is and you make a small change.
Wow! what a difference that small change makes. Now you have stepped out of the “same old, same old.” And as soon as you step out of the same old same old, you see different things, and you see the same things differently. And as if right on cue, things show up right in front of you. It is amazing how one thing leads to another and you end up with exactly what you need.
Yesterday, I found a blog post by Steve Pavlina that describes his writing process. One of the things he said he does is that when an idea hits him, he goes to work on writing as soon as he can, usually within an hour or two at the most. I have found that whenever I use the same approach, I am able to produce good content for my blog, but when I make a note and decide to go back to it, the motivation to write is not there and I don’t get it written. It becomes an idea that I didn’t act up on, and lord knows, there have been ample number of ideas that I didn’t act upon.
Today’s post is a result of my acting in the moment when the inspiration hit me.
I was reading my email and came across a blog entry from my friend Mitch Mitchell, which prompted me to comment on it, so I went to his blog (I was reading the entry in my email app). Then I noted that he had a page on his blog called Quotes I like. I am a big sucker for quotable quotes – I have done two posts using quotes, that are among the most popular on this blog – so naturally, I clicked on it. He has a shit lode of quotes from Stephen Covey (Mitch writes on management issues).
And there I found the quote that prompted me to hop on over to the editor on my blog and start typing. Here is what it said.
“Most people say their main fault is their lack of discipline. On deeper thought, I believe that is not the case. The basic problem is that their priorities have not become deeply planted in their hearts and minds.” — Stephen Covey
So, what is it for you. Lack of discipline or unplanted priorities? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Thanks for the love, Rasheed. For me, I think it’s mostly the unplanned priorities. I try to plan my time, though things come up often that alter those plans. When something new comes up, you then have to work that decision through your head, proceed with what you were doing or take care of the new thing. It’s kind of like what we’re going through now in my area.
Snow is everywhere and continues to fall in heaps. Do I continue with my original work plans or do I stop and take time to clear my driveway to try to keep the job relatively easy? I could get all my work done, then find I have to clear 4 to 8 inches of snow, which can take more than an hour, or I can tackle 2 inches at a time here and there and have it only take 20 minutes, but it disrupts my work flow. It’s not always an easy decision.
I have been trying to do that as well: writing when I think about it. It makes it easier than trying to write about something I thought about months prior.