Sunday 9 March 2014
The training regimine
Today I want to share a quick tip to help you keep focused and catching waves every day: look for new ways to keep you connected to your calling and to block out the distractions you have to battle. Look for new motivations, look for new ways to keep your collective attention on your work and the distractions will affect you less. This might sound a little like I'm telling you tales about this great wave I once surfed, but you have to customize it to your own situation and be looking constantly.
Monday 17 February 2014
The mansion versus the surf shack
Hartenbos, South-Africa 22:20 with max temp for tomorrow 23C
Los Angeles, USA 12:20 with max temp today 23C
This blog is there to share the lessons from my journey to live out my calling in order to help and encourage others on their own journey. I have examined my motivations over the past few weeks and one thing I learned is that we forget how important our calling is. We forget that our positive contribution to the world is urgently needed (I think we can all agree every positive change this world can get would be an improvement). We tend to get caught up in the small stuff and loose sight of the important stuff. That led me to ponder how important I think my calling is, say I measure that against what I would be willing to sacrifice for it. Would I give up the mansion to live in the surf shack if that was needed? Then it hit me like an unexpected wave: there is nothing to debate - your calling is what you and you alone are compelled to do - whatever it takes, because the sooner you get to it, the sooner the results will be evident.
Saturday 18 January 2014
Time on the beach at sunset (with a drink)
Hartenbos, South Africa 8:35 with predicted maximum for sunday 21C / 70F
Los Angeles, USA 22:35 with predicted maximum for sunday 24C / 76F
(Who's having summer and who's having winter??)
I've been taking a break, sort of involuntarily, but will hopefully contribute at least once a week from now on. Since I last wrote, I've fought a continuous battle to get some writing time. My miserable failure in this regard have led to huge frustration, not only with the elements taking up my precious time, but to a large extent myself for not just getting it done. You see the days fly by and everyday you haven't accomplished anything becomes an accusation which leads to the aforementioned frustration.
The answer to this is to take a step back and to take the time to examine your commitment to your calling. Are you fully invested in and comitted to your calling? Or is there something pulling your attention away? I'm not talking about the actual things keeping you busy, I'm talking about a deeper lying emotion you might not have confronted as yet. Something preventing you from 100% comitment.
I will be spending some time on the beach strengtening my commitment. Take the time to sort this out and hopefully you will gain motivation and momentum in your quest.
Sunday 24 November 2013
When the wipeouts just keep 'a coming
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.
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.
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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