I have used this past week to catch up on a significant project that has been hanging over my head for years. Each year I would task myself with tackling it as a new year resolution and then at the end of each year I would beat myself up for not having done anything about it.
It doesn’t really matter what the project was for the sake of this blog, as it’s not for those of squeamish morals. But suffice to say that it was a very significant activity that I just failed to bring any form of closure to.
After five years of beating myself up about it, I finally tackled it this past week or so and brought it to a level of completion. And the sense of pride in me is only muted by the shame of having done nothing about it for almost five years.
As I was digging through old file folders for specific images, I stumbled into a folder which had some images of Morgan’s creations of a few years ago.
They were a collection of little original creations which she called Dragonians … a race of dragon-like creatures that occupy an alternate universe where humans are not the dominant species.
She had a booth at ComicCon that year and sold a bunch of these little guys to an eager audience and I remembered thinking at the time how we should figure out a way to mass-produce and then market her creations which, as her prideful father, I admittedly swoon over.
Anyway here are some images that I took … hope they bring some happy thoughts your way!
But I remembered that much like my own project, these little guys never got advanced as a project either. I still think they could be a hit concept by the way, but that isn’t the point of my blog today!
The thought that occurred to me was that along our lives we ask many questions of ourselves that we never get around to answering. I think everybody probably has them.
I am not talking about random thoughts or vapor ideas, but I mean things that we really intend to do. Things that are important to us, for whatever reason.
We each carry some of these questions. They sit in the back of our heads, nagging at us for not taking care of them and sadly enough, many of us end up dying without ever having addressed them.
In most cases, I think that the problem is that we become distracted or at the very least, we habitually place other things as a higher priority.
Work/business and social activities are the main culprits that force the continued de-prioritization. We are repeatedly challenged to advance our work agenda (money, promotion, success) and then the social pressures of making time for family and friends (groups, activities, obligations) gobble up so much of the remaining time and energies that they often leave no time other than for relaxation and sleep.
But here’s the point I want to make … right now the world has switched into an abnormal mode. For many of us, the work agenda and the social pressures are either muted or gone altogether.
So, what better time to look at yourself and ask what have you been putting off for that “if only I had the time” moment.
I know some people who have retreated into a shell … they have curtailed their existence into a very subdued life where worry, stress, and despair become the occupying forces of their minds.
They cry out for things to return to normal. They need the soft warmth of their blankie and the comforting voice of a parent to console them.
But they miss out on the opportunity that had now fallen into their laps.
THESE are the “if only I had time” days!
And putting our time to proper use not only allows us to address these unanswered questions on our list, but they can also restore a sense of balance within our lives. They can give a sense of purpose to our days.
And a sense of achievement when we tackle our list.
Here’s what I suggest; get yourself a mental machete and cut your way through the jungle vines that have tied up your mind these past few years. Look into the abandoned corners of your mind and dust off your abandoned plans.
There is no better time to pour your energies into them. See what you can advance and do what it takes to bring them forward to a next level, if not to completion.
Remember that as necessity is the mother of all invention, these are the days when you are most likely to find the answer to your questions.
We have weeks if not months yet, before anything begins to even remotely look like “normal” so the window of opportunity is wide open right now. Therefore, there is plenty of time to put a serious run at something. Particularly if it is a “something” that you really wish you could do.
For my part, I have taken very concrete steps on my own list. Whether they lead me to the promised land or not, is anybody’s guess. But one thing is for sure; if I die before I get there at least I won’t be left with a “wish I had tried” thought screaming out from the back of my inner jungle.
Have a wonderful week and make it one worth living!
