Do you have real goals or do you simply have vaporous visions of some distant, ideal self?
Many people wish that they could introduce themselves in a certain way at social gatherings or be seen as a certain kind of person, but when it comes to the actual doing of the work, they’re really not all that interested.
I was in conversation with a friend a few days ago about his aspirations and I asked point blank “do you really want to be a writer, or do you just love the idea of being a writer?” It’s a question that some people don’t really wrestle with and as a result they spend months or years chasing vapor. (Or worse, they get what they thought they wanted and it wasn’t at all what they expected. Hello bitterness.) During my time in the music business I met a lot of newly famous musicians who hated life. Why? Because they loved the idea of being famous more than they loved the idea of being on the road 300 days a year playing the same songs night after night. They didn’t love the music. The music was just a means to an end. And once they arrived at the end, it wasn’t quite what they expected.
Many people love the idea of themselves as self-employed, but don’t want to actually do the hard work of developing a business plan. They just like to fantasize about the lifestyle of a business owner.
Many people love the idea of themselves as a writer, yet they don’t write everyday. They just like to think of how they would be perceived. They want to be known as a writer, but they don’t really want to do the writing.
Many people like the idea of being a good parent, but they don’t have basic disciplines in their life to support the relationships within their family.
If you really want to do things – not just be enamoured with the idea of doing them – you must begin today to do the small things that others don’t. You must choose today to do the work, whatever that is in your case. If you don’t, you may find that what you’re chasing only holds false promises.
Are you working toward concrete goals, or are you chasing vapor?
(Photo Credit: Vincepal)
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I’ve written a stick it note to remind myself…”Do The Work”
I have written, to a point, then stopped, small things got in the way, I didn’t do the work everyday & every day took over in no time flat?! Never eva called myself a writer either, but now am asking myself was I/am I chasing vapor…
Thanks for the kick in the head Todd?! ;o)
Fantastic! Though I hope it didn’t feel quite like a “kick in the head”…:)
Oh boy…. I needed that! Thanks Todd [I think – grin] I do wonder sometimes though whether we can have too many ideas plans and projects… and getting them prioritized is the problem… rather than not actually doing the work. Sometimes when we have competing interests… nailing the work down to the page gets harder. [Okay… that’s my story and I’m sticking to it LOL] But you’ve piqued my interest here and given me serious cause for a not inconsiderable amount of thought. So thanks again Todd. A great topic. And timely as well. :-)
Glad it’s helpful Jean! (and yes…it was me…;) if you haven’t seen it, Scott Belsky has a great book called Making Ideas Happen that’s all about creative execution. I also interviewed him a few months ago for the AC podcast. He has some great observations about how highly functioning creative teams and people execute consistently.
Todd thank you for this post! I have a similar problem as Jean, lots of projects, fewer hard deadlines and defined priorities.
Does the shotgun approach to creating work for some people? (even if I finish one out of three projects I’m still moving forward or sometimes end up using incomplete ideas/projects in new ways in the future)
Or is it crucial to figure out a system to execute on a more “linear” schedule?
I might have to check out “making ideas happen”, any other books you might suggest on the subject?
I love sharp writing that provokes action in the reader as you have done in this piece. In my opinion a lot of people fail to ask this question of themselves and of their loved ones often enough….In fact replacing vapor with ‘paper’ (ie money) could be even more provocative, and the version I wrestle with to make sure I stay focussed on my true goals.
I like that build, Samuel. Chasing paper is certainly one form of chasing vapor.
Wow, this is a really good one! I have to say that I was chasing vapor for quite some time, and it was exactly because I was chasing ideas of something I couldn’t even relate to. I thought that making a huge change would solve the confusion in my life. Turns out, that’s not the way you should do it. :D
Once I focused on simpler things, things I could relate to, but that weren’t necessarily what I was working on lately or during the last few years, did everything start getting more clear for me. And then, ideas are a lot easier to make happen because you want to do them, not only because you know how to. It still takes a lot work and you still have moments when you
feel frustrated, but you are not chasing vapor any more. You are making things happen.
I think that’s an excellent point, Stella. Often just taking the time to clarify what you really want and sequence a few steps for getting there can make a huge difference in your day to day engagement.
Great post! We have a lot of this in-house. I do find if I break my large tasks up into smaller achievable tasks I make progress and then feel better when I can check something off the list.
Yes. Absolutely. I’ve taken to doing the same. I’ve realized that the more specifically I define the task the quicker it gets done. Odd, but effective.
Really hit it with this one. Thanks so much for the kick in the rear.
As long as I fall in love with the daily process rather than the resulting dream, I do OK.
Lori, I. love. this. Thanks for sharing.
Todd, just found your blog yesterday – please don’t ask me how I found it.. ;-)
Meaningful words of wisdom here.
Lori
OK – so now I have to ask. How did you find us?
Todd, I might have found it through a link on Twitter, or perhaps I found it through someone’s link from their blog. I look for content that seems immediately helpful, and yours is truly meaningful. I write for Fine Art Views, so I spend a lot of time looking around the web at content that’s useful to artists. (I’m an artist too).
Thanks for your fine contributions. Perhaps you might consider writing a guest post for Fine Art Views at some point. They’ll link back to your blog if they print your post on their newsletter.
No pressure though… I’ll link to your blog on Facebook and Twitter on occasion.
Keep up the great work!
Lori
Thanks, Lori! I look forward to more interaction.
Totally, 100% spot on. I know quite a lot a people unfortunately that need to be reading this post. Will be passing it on. Thank you!!!
~ S L Donaldson
Todd, great post and it came at the perfect time. I’m wrestling with this very issue. Lori’s reply continued to clarify it for me as well. Have already passed on the link to AC to a fellow artist and am looking forward to reading more.
~ Lisa
Thanks for the articulation Todd. I am heading home after housesitting in Mexico for six weeks. When I was coming here I was going to paint and sculpt and write but instead ended up taking care of someone else’s “stuff|”. Now I am going home with a renewed outlook on my own life and business, eager to take things in a new direction. (which I do enjoy) I was born with a pack of crayons in my back pocket but have somehow managed to keep my artistic talents on the back burner. I am a very good artist/sculptor but at times I do think it is more interesting (less work) to be the personna it than do it. I would love for you to expand on this train of thought.
Thanks for this Todd. I have always enjoyed your input and reminders. For many creatives the imageconsciousness you are addressing is slave to the deeply held belief of the necessity of inspiration – of course, it’s the thing that will give the “idea” of being a creator wings and the wind to lift them into flight and the . . . Yeah, sure!No more damaging myth exists. Showing up for work is the necessity and the one constant I am in control of. Inspiration is its offspring – rarely the other way around.
Todd,
You probably don’t get this too often. I was a truck driver in a creatives’ body. I worked after my 10-12 hours on me (and what I saw for myself). Listening to your podcasts immensely helped me get through the day. It was a carrot loaded with protein! Too often we forget to say,”Thanks, you made a difference”. Well, Todd. Thanks, you made a difference.
P.S. I haven’t ‘arrived’ yet. Reading this post is just further motivation.
Thanks so much, Rob. That really means a lot!
Excellent post
Thanks- glad you enjoyed it!
I love it! Sometimes it’s hard to keep chugging through…have to remember that even the smallest little tasks are seeds that will grow into bigger things!
Very true, Steve.
This encapsulates my law school experience.