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My posts on this blog are often ripe with internal transition and “big questions.”
That’s why the Essential Prose tagline is “creative, conscious living” — those big questions are the conscious part. I’m a firm believer in the value of always questioning and challenging what we know. Only when we push ourselves to ask and explore these questions can we really begin to make the personal and collective changes that really matter.
Yet reflection and questioning grow a bit stale when they don’t give rise to action. It’s easy to wax philosophical on a blog and then turn around to twiddle my thumbs. The thing is, a by-product of all this reflection is often the urge to over-reflect — to take every idea and question, and challenge it until it crumbles to ash.
I’ve been reminded recently of the magical powers of diving in. Despite having posted about this before and having applied it many times in my own life, I find it easy to ignore when the urge to reflect and question kicks into full gear. Luckily, I have plenty of wise, wonderful readers who are always generous with their wisdom.
A little while back, I wrote a post that was raw and searching — full of those “big questions” I love so much. The post was about pursuing creative endeavors and social change, and whether or not we have to choose in order to make a real difference. While I was dithering and struggling with these questions, I got dozens of heartfelt, powerful answers. I can honestly say that every comment on that post was an inspiring push forward for me.
Today I want to highlight a few of those comments that are relevant to this discussion on reflection vs. doing:
“Once you’re able to stop thinking about what you could do and just start doing your work, it all tends to become much clearer, much faster.” - Maggie
“I say, do what feels right ‘in the moment’, and don’t question if it is the RIGHT thing to do, and sure don’t box yourself into thinking it is the ONLY thing to do.” - Urban Panther
“Over a lifetime, no, I don’t think we have to choose. Do we have to choose at a given moment? I think we do, to the extent that we make sure we are investing enough time, attention and energy to do our current project well.” - Matt Blair
Those are just a few of the insightful comments, but these three are particularly worth repeating today. Since asking that question, the ebb and flow of my energy has felt organic and fulfilling — but only because I started doing.
I started moving forward with a creative project. Chris Guillebeau had faith in me and gave me the opportunity to work on The Unconventional Guide to Art and Money — you can see how excited about it I am in this video. Although I’d never really created an e-book before, I got all the support I needed to dive in and create a valuable resource for artists — it was exhilarating creative momentum. Since finishing the bulk of that project, I’ve been more focused on a couple new endeavors that are more in the realm of social change, but with a hefty dose of creativity! The past few months have been all the proof I need that balancing thought and action is essential.
Think first, move forward, think again.
That’s my plan, and I’m sticking to it (for now, at least!). What’s your plan? When’s the last time moving forward clarified some stuff in your life?
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