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a hopeful message... I didn't have a positive hopeful message for you this year because I couldn't f
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a hopeful message... [View in browser]( I didn't have a positive hopeful message for you this year because I couldn't find one. Instead, I felt comfort in the nihilistic memes - at least we were all burnt out and disillusioned together. But then I did see one thing that caught my interest, and I took it as a challenge, and now I'm sharing it with you. "What would it take to make this year my best year ever?" It's an exercise in creative thinking, and it's important.
Because you can't afford to wait and see how things turn out. You can't let everyone else decide for you. Attitude is the difference between a setback and an adventure. I wrote an article with a [4-step goal setting prompt.]( I thought it was really great; and compared the current crisis to the Melville's Bartleby the Scrivener, who responds to every work-related request with an apathetic "I'd prefer not to." But then it didn't save and I had to rewrite some, and now who knows. There are a few insights in there, and if you're like me, you're desperate for some motivation. Achieving goals isn't even the point. The point is to recognize that hope is as necessary for survival as water. For a darker reflection, ask yourself this: "why am I paying for a life I don't want?" What are you going to do about it? Real change takes a lot of energy. It's easy to keep a match lit in the stillness, when the kindling is dry. It's much harder in a windy storm - but that's when a fire is more than just comfort; it's essential. Sometimes, the perfect words for the right moment were bestowed long before they were needed, bouncing around searching for purpose to fully unleash their power. These words, this moment, I wanted to share with you: John Galt's speech in the Fountainhead. I added a longer excerpt in the blog post, but here's the condensed version: "I am speaking to those who desire to live and to recapture the honor of their soul. Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, itâs yours." There's a good chance that your priorities have changed; the landscape has shifted. The goals you set years ago may feel trivial and pointless. They may not inspire you with enthusiasm. It's OK to let them go. You may not have discovered new ones to replace them with yet.
Check your road and your battle.
What are you willing to fight for?
What really matters to you? Make sure you're doing them for the right reasons (and for me, the *only* right reason right now, is to spoil your inner child with attention and love). Because you can't do good work without great joy, and you need something you're truly excited about and looking forward to. This is an invitation to [find your purpose.]( Derek Murphy [facebook]( [instagram]( [twitter]( [youtube]( PS I heard a fun story the other night about some guys who went camping, but couldn't get their fire started; one of them was a professional bassoonist - he's spent *years* training himself to blow sharply down. He was blowing on the fire in vain, without adding the necessary oxygen for combustion. Even though he was trying really really hard. His expertise got in the way, and was limiting an otherwise very simple task. There's probably a metaphor in there, but you can dig it out for yourself. Fine I'll help: if something isn't working, you don't necessarily need to do more, or learn more, or try harder. Do less, but pay attention. [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Forward email]( Do not want to see it again?
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[Creativindie.com](Â | Portland, OR Location Independent - Usually in a castle or cabin.
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