Time - Hartenbos, South Africa: 11:07 am
Los Angeles, USA: 02:07 am
Weather - Hartenbos, South Africa: sunny 26C / 79F
Los Angeles, USA: 19C / 66 F
Discouraging things happen. Sometimes a lot of them happen. One right on top of another. It wipes you out. Completely. What do you do? Wouldn't it be better to mount that surfboard on a wall and forget surfing? Maybe you're not cut out for it after all..... you just get wiped out every time you take a wave. I found that taking a little step back at this stage and reconnecting with your original motivation helps you to realize that it is more important than temporary setbacks. This revives your motivation and soon enough you'll be taking that next wave.
You have to realize that discouraging things will happen. I don't know of anybody who's achieved anything worth while and says afterward it was just plain sailing all the way. It doesn't work like that. Sometimes the purpose of setbacks can be just to tweak our approach to what we do, or show us a different way to get to that perfect wave, but not to have us sitting on the beach instead of being out there on our boards.
It looks like summer is really kicking in here in Hartenbos and I am so looking forward to spending a lot of time in the ocean.
Sunday 24 November 2013
Thursday 14 November 2013
Take a wave every day
Something I struggle with every now and again is feeling like I have to make that choice all over again to follow my calling. The truth is you have to recommit yourself every day. You have to make that choice every morning to do what you have to during the day that lies ahead. It is the same as a surfer making the choice every day to paddle out and surf the waves the day brings. This keeps you motivated and moving forward towards your goal.
Thursday 24 October 2013
Looking for that wave every day
Time in Hartenbos, South Africa 10:41pm
Time in Los Angeles, USA 01:41pm
Weather forecast for Hartenbos, South Africa for Monday 21 October 2013: 23C / 74F
Weather forecast for Los Angeles, USA: 23C / 74F
Sometimes it happens that you think about your goal, your calling, where you want to end up - all that you want to accomplish - and the "size" of it hits you like a wave you didn't see (or something discouraging happens). It takes your feet clear out from under you and while you're flat on your back or being mulled around by this wave, your thoughts get out of control. You think that you were crazy for even thinking that what you want to do can be done - it's just too much or to unlikely that you will ever succeed. This line of thought can easily drown your motivation - deadening it by overwhelming you with how unattainable your goal seems. You might even end up so beaten up by this wave that you decide you might as well give up on the whole thing.
What I've learned is that this can not always be prevented, because a lot of times it hits you unexpectedly, but you can deal with it effectively. What helps me is focusing on doing what I can every day. This means you are moving forward every day, progressing every day towards your goal and this helps you to combat those thoughts that tell you you will never reach your big end goal, you're getting no where - now you can tell them to look at the progress you're making every single day. This is not only a great motivator, it actually keeps you moving forward and even if it is little steps, it's progress. You can not call yourself a surfer if you don't paddle out whenever you can and take a wave or two, perfect or not.
For other writers: this is especially effective and I think important for us, because, ideally, you need to stay in contact with your story on a daily basis anyway. I once read a great tip to help with this from Jerry Seinfeld on the internet ( I don't have the specific reference anymore): take one of those laminated calenders that show the whole year and make a mark (tick or cross) for every day you worked on your writing project and challenge yourself to see how many days in a row you can manage.
Finally, on a more personal level, I have also found that staying connected to your motivation for doing what you're doing, keeps things in perspective and keeps you motivated - stay tapped into that.
Surf's up, get out there.
Time in Los Angeles, USA 01:41pm
Weather forecast for Hartenbos, South Africa for Monday 21 October 2013: 23C / 74F
Weather forecast for Los Angeles, USA: 23C / 74F
Sometimes it happens that you think about your goal, your calling, where you want to end up - all that you want to accomplish - and the "size" of it hits you like a wave you didn't see (or something discouraging happens). It takes your feet clear out from under you and while you're flat on your back or being mulled around by this wave, your thoughts get out of control. You think that you were crazy for even thinking that what you want to do can be done - it's just too much or to unlikely that you will ever succeed. This line of thought can easily drown your motivation - deadening it by overwhelming you with how unattainable your goal seems. You might even end up so beaten up by this wave that you decide you might as well give up on the whole thing.
What I've learned is that this can not always be prevented, because a lot of times it hits you unexpectedly, but you can deal with it effectively. What helps me is focusing on doing what I can every day. This means you are moving forward every day, progressing every day towards your goal and this helps you to combat those thoughts that tell you you will never reach your big end goal, you're getting no where - now you can tell them to look at the progress you're making every single day. This is not only a great motivator, it actually keeps you moving forward and even if it is little steps, it's progress. You can not call yourself a surfer if you don't paddle out whenever you can and take a wave or two, perfect or not.
For other writers: this is especially effective and I think important for us, because, ideally, you need to stay in contact with your story on a daily basis anyway. I once read a great tip to help with this from Jerry Seinfeld on the internet ( I don't have the specific reference anymore): take one of those laminated calenders that show the whole year and make a mark (tick or cross) for every day you worked on your writing project and challenge yourself to see how many days in a row you can manage.
Finally, on a more personal level, I have also found that staying connected to your motivation for doing what you're doing, keeps things in perspective and keeps you motivated - stay tapped into that.
Surf's up, get out there.
Friday 18 October 2013
Paddling out
Hartenos, South Africa 11:47 AM / Los Angeles, USA 02:47 AM
Wheather forecast for Thursday 10 October 2013:
Hartenbos, South Africa: 25C/77F
Los Angeles, USA: 21C/70F
I am a novice screenwriter and that alone presents a challenge to reaching my goal, but add to that the fact that I live in South Africa - roughly 17 000 km / 10 000 miles from Los Angeles - and some people might say I will sit on my surfboard, waiting in vain for a set of waves that will never appear on the horizon.
Hang ten with me. Hopefully what I learn can help other people also paddling out to live out their calling, fellow scribes or not.
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