An Important Lesson Learned

Enthusiasm must come from you. Enthusiasm that is inspired by some outside factor, some stimulus like a girlfriend, boyfriend, place, parent, manager, or special thing is conditional.

Conditional enthusiasm will block you from doing what you dream.

For the past two weeks, I’ve been locked up inside my head. My enthusiasm has dried up, I said to myself. I need “this”, I need “that”, I need “it” as a reason for doing my work, my writing, my preparation. Without out these things, I refuse to work. I can’t work. I’m helpless. …or so I thought.

I was wrong!

Waiting for something to inspire me, to give me a reason is a form of hyper-dependency.

Actually, it’s a form of slavery.

If no one comes, if nothing happens, I do nothing. I’m like a puppet waiting for instruction. I’m like a fool waiting for the wind to blow me somewhere.

Waiting for someone or something is a waste of your god-given talent. Refusing to work without the inspiration is a form of immaturity of the highest calibre.

Work is a choice. It is an act of love. Love is a choice. It must be motivated by you! Generated by you!

Love and work feel easier when the inspiration seems inspired by someone or something. The look of a pretty girl’s eye, the promise of her hand; the hope of a promotion, of getting a job…these are inspirational.

They are the things that may make you get out of bed in the morning. But what happens when they lose their meaning? What happens when they disappear? What then?

Death?

Oh you big baby!

Instead, you must realize that the meaning is within you. You must do your work! You must not wait for inspiration, for enthusiasm before putting pen to paper, before loving, before doing what you know you want to do and must do. You must stop being a slave to emotion.

You must work, create, give, love, dig and do EVEN WHEN IT MAKES NO SENSE! Why?

Because choosing to do nothing, choosing to wait, is a waste of your time. Even if what you produce isn’t worth much, it does not matter. Do! Do! Do! Do, and then enthusiasm may come.

Act first, feel later.

This is a lesson I learned. And in honor of our shared humanity, I choose to share it with you…whether it means much or not.