I’m so glad you’re writing as your essays are always so interesting. I appreciate your remarks about writing helps you improve your thinking and organize your thoughts. I use a type of narrative therapy for helping my clients with depression and anxiety which includes writing down their thoughts about a particular vexing situation. Once they’ve done that step they write down their emotions based on their thoughts. The next step is to go back to their thoughts list and identify the cognitive distortions and replace with what they know to be true. Finally write down the new emotions. The majority of the time this narrative therapy has dramatically improved my clients’ sense of wellbeing.
I read your essays because I know how inspired you've been by the words of others - and how deeply they've touched and helped you. Experiencing that level of inspiration, passion and appreciation for something is one of the greatest motivators to pursue that thing in my opinion - and I think it's often a direct indicator of how far someone will go in that field, hobby, career, etc. It's what makes you work hard, despite all the challenges, and keep progressing and mastering your trade. You're already an inspiring writer, and I know you're only going to get better and better and I'm excited to continue to read your essays each week.
This also reminds me of my own job - sometimes I vent about a tricky day at work or a tough client to family or friends, and they ask me why I'm still at the job if I'm not enjoying it. They tell me I should quit, I've been there a long time anyways. But the thing is, I'm not enjoying it right in that moment (or maybe for a few weeks or particularly tough months) but that doesn't mean that it's no longer worth pursuing. It's the deep inspiration and passion that I've felt, and meaning that I get, from my work that in the long run keeps me going. Because I've been there so long, I understand that there are peaks and troughs, and sometimes you gotta trudge through the valley for a while - but you always learn a lot in the process, and it actually makes you appreciate the work more in the long-run. You've gained skills from that experience that many others don't have because they didn't have the perseverance or patience and they quit when the going got tough (probably because they felt less inspiration and passion in the first place). It's what leads you to become an expert in something, and its why everyone isn't an expert in everything. Reminds me of a prior essay you wrote about playing the guitar and having to put in the practice - you won't do it unless you truly feel inspired and passionate about it.
I think our generation is very quick to move on from jobs, careers, hobbies, people and relationships when the slightest challenge arises - often thinking that experiencing struggle or conflict is a sign that 'it's not right for me after all'. And sometimes, it isn't right. But a lot of the time, I think we quit too early before really seeing what we're capable of and what greatness could lie on the other side of the initial and inevitable struggles. Things can be hard at the start as you say, but will also be hard at times throughout - but it's not always a sign to quit. I ask myself - does this still resonate with my core? with my values? feel right in my gut? does it still feel meaningful to me? Am I still learning from it? Am I experiencing gratitude despite the frustrations? If the answer is yes, then onwards I go.
Thank you so much for your comment. I've been thinking about it for the past 2 days now haha.
Thank you for your encouragement. It's feedback like this that helps me keep going.
But I'm also very convicted by your criticism of our generation. I definitely fall into the category of "quitter," as I wrote about in "In Praise of Laziness." But perhaps that was because I was misguided in all my initial attempts-- that I didn't have the passion or the right motivation to begin in the first place. That's definitely true of my career in accounting. But I'm working lately on sticking through things even when they are hard and/or not what I expected.
Lastly, you write beautifully! Your comment could be a mini essay in itself. I love all the questions at the end, and your conclusion.
I’m so glad you’re writing as your essays are always so interesting. I appreciate your remarks about writing helps you improve your thinking and organize your thoughts. I use a type of narrative therapy for helping my clients with depression and anxiety which includes writing down their thoughts about a particular vexing situation. Once they’ve done that step they write down their emotions based on their thoughts. The next step is to go back to their thoughts list and identify the cognitive distortions and replace with what they know to be true. Finally write down the new emotions. The majority of the time this narrative therapy has dramatically improved my clients’ sense of wellbeing.
Hmm, I've never heard of that. I want to try that
It's WILD how badly I needed to read this right now. THANK YOU.
Thank you so much!
What are some of your motivations for writing?
I read your essays because I know how inspired you've been by the words of others - and how deeply they've touched and helped you. Experiencing that level of inspiration, passion and appreciation for something is one of the greatest motivators to pursue that thing in my opinion - and I think it's often a direct indicator of how far someone will go in that field, hobby, career, etc. It's what makes you work hard, despite all the challenges, and keep progressing and mastering your trade. You're already an inspiring writer, and I know you're only going to get better and better and I'm excited to continue to read your essays each week.
This also reminds me of my own job - sometimes I vent about a tricky day at work or a tough client to family or friends, and they ask me why I'm still at the job if I'm not enjoying it. They tell me I should quit, I've been there a long time anyways. But the thing is, I'm not enjoying it right in that moment (or maybe for a few weeks or particularly tough months) but that doesn't mean that it's no longer worth pursuing. It's the deep inspiration and passion that I've felt, and meaning that I get, from my work that in the long run keeps me going. Because I've been there so long, I understand that there are peaks and troughs, and sometimes you gotta trudge through the valley for a while - but you always learn a lot in the process, and it actually makes you appreciate the work more in the long-run. You've gained skills from that experience that many others don't have because they didn't have the perseverance or patience and they quit when the going got tough (probably because they felt less inspiration and passion in the first place). It's what leads you to become an expert in something, and its why everyone isn't an expert in everything. Reminds me of a prior essay you wrote about playing the guitar and having to put in the practice - you won't do it unless you truly feel inspired and passionate about it.
I think our generation is very quick to move on from jobs, careers, hobbies, people and relationships when the slightest challenge arises - often thinking that experiencing struggle or conflict is a sign that 'it's not right for me after all'. And sometimes, it isn't right. But a lot of the time, I think we quit too early before really seeing what we're capable of and what greatness could lie on the other side of the initial and inevitable struggles. Things can be hard at the start as you say, but will also be hard at times throughout - but it's not always a sign to quit. I ask myself - does this still resonate with my core? with my values? feel right in my gut? does it still feel meaningful to me? Am I still learning from it? Am I experiencing gratitude despite the frustrations? If the answer is yes, then onwards I go.
Thank you so much for your comment. I've been thinking about it for the past 2 days now haha.
Thank you for your encouragement. It's feedback like this that helps me keep going.
But I'm also very convicted by your criticism of our generation. I definitely fall into the category of "quitter," as I wrote about in "In Praise of Laziness." But perhaps that was because I was misguided in all my initial attempts-- that I didn't have the passion or the right motivation to begin in the first place. That's definitely true of my career in accounting. But I'm working lately on sticking through things even when they are hard and/or not what I expected.
Lastly, you write beautifully! Your comment could be a mini essay in itself. I love all the questions at the end, and your conclusion.