State of Mind

The hardest thing so far about publishing work from the archives has been dealing with the inner critic. The noisy neighbour, the eternal skeptic.

Everyday when I show up to put a new story together and publish it all those thoughts rushes in trying to convince me why I shouldn’t share it. Trying to convince me how what I am doing is the wrong way to go about it and a complete waste of time. How I am not that good.

The funny thing is, more regularly I do the work and share. More regularly I ignore the noise and do the work anyway, easier it gets. But I need to keep the practice going. It is totally a muscle. More you train it, stronger it gets. And if you stop using it, it would loos its fitness.

That is why I am writing about it over and over, because it is always present. I believe it would get better, but so far, listing to a lot of others who make things on a regular basis, I know that it never goes away. So I am very comfortable with it being there now. Like all the dear family and friends who I love but are source of negativity and resistance. The beloved nay sayers.

Learning about how are mind works is so critical. I believe it should be taught to children from early stages of education. Specifically in regards to the learning process and acquiring skills. The science of mind, emotions, patience and expectations. What are the causes and effects of each and how they interact and influence each other.

The technical aspects of learning a craft or skill is much simpler. You keep repeating something, you would get better at it over time, regardless of how long it takes, if you stick with it, you would eventually get there. Having a mental attitude that is needed to be patient through that process of practice is critical. Letting go of the expectation of the guaranteed results, the best results, as quickly as possible is necessary.

The state of mind is the soil that we plant the seed of ideas. Letting go of the expectations is the light and oxygen that allows the seed to grow and go in different directions. Patience is the water, nourishment and care that we give to it, over a sustained period of time, which would hopefully lead to it becoming a healthy plant.