Jan 4, 2011

Too Little Time

A couple nights ago I was laying in bed tossing and turning, kept awake by my own frustrations about the new year.  The problem being that when you're coming off of one of the best years you've ever had in your entire life, you're aware that things are going to end up changing whether you want them to or not.

This isn't a pity post, as the reality isn't that things are going to suddenly take a turn for the worse.  In fact, my fear is simply that things will become too comfortable.  That lethargic comfort zone has done more damage than I'd care to admit in my life and generally I have to make a real effort to shake myself of it.  

There's nothing worse than becoming too satisfied with yourself and sinking into a steady routine - not because stability is bad - but because there's no better recipe for allowing your time to slip away.  Despite being busy, I know all too well that a predictable schedule can still leave you feeling like you haven't accomplished any of the things you really wanted to. 

I've become pretty good at finding a balance in this scenario.  I need to be motivated and that comes from action.  I also need to be creative, and that comes from having time to think, reflect, and put things into context.  The two processes require each other and thrive with goals in mind.

I have a rather large amount of work still hanging over from 2010 that's sabotaging my fresh start for 2011 and that's probably stressing me out more than anything.  I guess I'm just in a bit of a daze after focusing so much of my post-university energy on 2010 as the year when things would finally happen.  Now I'm faced with a looming blank canvas and no real idea about what to aim for next.  Something tells me I need to relax.


3 comments :

Angry Charlie said...

You definitely need to relax. But I know the frustrating feeling of wanting to be creative and do something exciting and having absolutely nothing to do. Keeping motivated and constantly being busy is my bread and water, which is maybe why I have two blogs, lol. I would rather feel guilty for not getting what I wanted to done than feeling like I have nothing that I REALLY want to do to keep me busy.

You had quite a year last year so this comes as no surprise to me. Hopefully we'll be able to hang out a bit more this year as well, breaking up that feeling a bit. If anything though, I know that feeling is temporary and if it hasn't already it will pass the second you get that "A-HA!" moment.

If you want something to work on though, perhaps we could start looking at some cross-colaboration for our blogs and maybe doing a project that will take a bit more time. Just an idea. Happy New year!

Alex Chandler said...

I agree, definitely sounds like you need to relax...

But I really like what your saying. Who wants to fall into a "steady routine."
It looks like you spent a lot of time thinking, but either way, I wish you luck on your endeavors!

Editing Luke said...

Ok guys, I'll relax, haha.

Actually after this evening of catching up on one of my edits I'm feeling way more relieved than I did this morning. I think that despite stressing out about what will happen, if I keep an open mind there's the potential for a lot of great things to happen this year. That's what I should focus on.