I love Julia Cameron’s book, the Artist Way. One of my best exercises was the no-reading week... An entire book-free week... a whole 7 days without reading not even the newspapers. You can follow the news on twitter or TV. Or just skip it all together. You won’t miss much, believe me. For many of my friends, this exercise posed no challenge whatsoever. But, if you were like me, a book addict, this would be a really tough week. At first, I didn’t get the point… Why would she want us to stop reading? Reading is the best source of knowledge. It broadens your view of the world, increases your knowledge, it is enjoyable, fun, rewarding on many levels. But, Cameron’s point was sharp and strict: “Cut the input so that you could generate some output”.
I read 1000s of books, attended 100s of seminars and workshops, and listened to tens of CDs. The point is not what I got out of all of these sources; it is rather what they got out of me!!!
When I read, thousands of ideas pop into my head. Ideas for new books to write, workshops to teach, problems to solve, plans to implement… and what do I do about these? I buy more books or listen to more lectures in order to give my ideas more ‘shape’ and develop them further. I keep convincing myself that I am just one book away or one step away from writing the new book I have in mind or organizing the new workshop I want to teach. And, guess what? This ‘one step’ is never taken. My ideas stay in my head, they never see the light. Cameron’s exercise was exactly what I needed. The book-fast week started lightly, but soon, I found myself bored to death. Nothing to do. I grabbed my journal and started ‘complaining’ about this ‘stupid’ exercise… soon enough, without even noticing, words came flowing…
Now, without book-fasting, I learnt to catch myself when I tend to postpone or procrastinate. I just stop…
Breathe…
& choose…
Cutting the input does not necessarily refer to books. It refers to any ‘excuse’ you subconsciously come up with to delay actual achievement. It could be shopping, TV, facebook, chatting, cooking…
Doing ‘right things’ does not always mean that these are ‘the right things’ to do right here and now. You always have the choice. Deep inside, you know what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s good and what’s better. You may be underestimating your potentials or prefering to stay in your comfort zone… But, deep inside, you know the right things you need to do RIGHT NOW!!!
So grab your journal. Relax and give yourself at least 30 minutes:
Stop…
Breathe…
& Write…
Keep on writing, pour your heart content onto the paper and do not stop before filling at least 3 full pages… Trust yourself, your deep instinct, your intuition. Follow your heart whispers… Remember, no one knows you better than you know yourself. No one knows what’s best for you better than yourself… No one can dig for your hidden treasures and deeply held potentials except for yourself. So, this week, ‘cut the input’, and allow yourself the right to ‘generate some output’.
Wish you the best.
I read 1000s of books, attended 100s of seminars and workshops, and listened to tens of CDs. The point is not what I got out of all of these sources; it is rather what they got out of me!!!
When I read, thousands of ideas pop into my head. Ideas for new books to write, workshops to teach, problems to solve, plans to implement… and what do I do about these? I buy more books or listen to more lectures in order to give my ideas more ‘shape’ and develop them further. I keep convincing myself that I am just one book away or one step away from writing the new book I have in mind or organizing the new workshop I want to teach. And, guess what? This ‘one step’ is never taken. My ideas stay in my head, they never see the light. Cameron’s exercise was exactly what I needed. The book-fast week started lightly, but soon, I found myself bored to death. Nothing to do. I grabbed my journal and started ‘complaining’ about this ‘stupid’ exercise… soon enough, without even noticing, words came flowing…
Now, without book-fasting, I learnt to catch myself when I tend to postpone or procrastinate. I just stop…
Breathe…
& choose…
Cutting the input does not necessarily refer to books. It refers to any ‘excuse’ you subconsciously come up with to delay actual achievement. It could be shopping, TV, facebook, chatting, cooking…
Doing ‘right things’ does not always mean that these are ‘the right things’ to do right here and now. You always have the choice. Deep inside, you know what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s good and what’s better. You may be underestimating your potentials or prefering to stay in your comfort zone… But, deep inside, you know the right things you need to do RIGHT NOW!!!
So grab your journal. Relax and give yourself at least 30 minutes:
Stop…
Breathe…
& Write…
Keep on writing, pour your heart content onto the paper and do not stop before filling at least 3 full pages… Trust yourself, your deep instinct, your intuition. Follow your heart whispers… Remember, no one knows you better than you know yourself. No one knows what’s best for you better than yourself… No one can dig for your hidden treasures and deeply held potentials except for yourself. So, this week, ‘cut the input’, and allow yourself the right to ‘generate some output’.
Wish you the best.
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