Organize Your Tools
Are you an organized person? How do you know?
Do you love labeling and alphabetizing things? Is that all there is to it? Is there no clutter around? If you’re a pile maker, can you find what you’re looking for in the pile? That’s getting closer.
If you were out at sea and a situation arose – a change in the wind, the sudden appearance of unwelcome weather, whatever. You would need to change tactics, you might need a tool, a rope, or some certain thing. The questions is: is that certain something at hand at the time that you need it? If it’s there, you were prepared … and organized!
Currents Never Stand Still
There are some things that are different about life at sea than the life that we are so used to experiencing here on the land. The lack of discernible and reliable landmarks can be disconcerting for some out on the seas. The danger of not being able to survive in the water for days on end without the assistance of a vessel underneath you to simulate the land and to give you a buffer from the depths below, can cause anxiety.
What Time is Good For You?
Do you know what time is best for you?
I guess it depends on what I’m talking about. The best time to sleep? The best time to talk with me? The best time for me to focus and work? The best time for me to relax and cut up? Those might all vary to a greater or lesser degree.
Let me start with the main intention. When is your best time to get the most important things in your day done? For me, the early morning is my time of focus and when I feel the most alert and thoughtful. Also for me, my day job isn’t where my passion, focus, and interests are. I am currently working so that I can live and provide. My work is not exactly aligned with my greatest desires. I’m going to hazard a guess that this is true for many of you too.
Moving Forward Despite Fear
Have you ever wondered why you don’t go after the things that you want? Could it be that you’re just afraid?
John Wayne said, “Courage is being scared to death… and saddling up anyway.”
Fear can paralyze, but it doesn’t have to. Action while facing fear is courageous. So how do you do that? How do you act when being frozen?
Procrastination Jujitsu
So I’ve talked a bit about akrasia before. Procrastination is one form of akrasia that I recently noted on Facebook is one of my super powers. Or maybe it’s a weakness, I’m not sure.
But if procrastination is a problem for you, then here’s a little tip you might enjoy. Let’s look at what’s going on when you procrastinate.
Reasons to Not Do
It’s now May and I actually published a first newsletter. I’m not saying this because I’m particularly proud of myself, but I’m just surprised at how high the barrier to action can become.
Originally, I was wanting to publish on April 1st. That way any failure could be seen as a joke. But that didn’t happen and I just committed to myself that I was going to put something out in April. I did publish just before 11pm on April 30th.
Our First Book Together – Getting Started
Let me start by laying this out there. My son is at a place in his life where he is not very sure that there is any value in books and reading. Graphic Novels (we used to call them comic books…) are fun, but all those words with no pictures? A story is better told by a movie. Harrumph! Where did my boy get such a perspective!?
One of my favorite quotes is from a man named Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, which says, “You are the same today as you’ll be in five years except for two things: the books you read and the people you meet. ”
What’s With The Name?
I know I wrote this down somewhere, I’ve just misplaced it. What’s all this about “Set of Sail”? What does it mean, and who wants to hear about it?
Here’s the poem that was the original inspiration. It was written by Ella Wheeler Wilcox in 1916. It’s entitled ‘Tis the Set of the Sail -OR- One Ship Sails East
But to every mind there openeth,
A way, and way, and away,
A high soul climbs the highway,
And the low soul gropes the low,
And in between on the misty flats,
The rest drift to and fro.
The Deck Chairs Need Rearranging
Hmm, things seem a bit dusty around here. Better spruce the place up. I’ve told a few more people about this little Shangri-La of a blog. Don’t you have to clean up before company comes? It seems to make more sense to me to clean up after they leave. But in this crazy world you end up having to do both.
I’m one article shy of posting out my first Set of Sail Newsletter. I already have 5 subscribers! (2 are me (for testing), 2 are family members (do family member have to support your crazy schemes? Sorta?) – and one is Lisa from school, shout out her!).
Let Me Introduce You to Akrasia
I’ve discovered a new word lately. That is not really exceptional, I’m always interested in finding a new word (I wish I was as interested in being able to spell the words I do know..).
However, this word was very insightful for me and I’ve been examining it and rolling it around in my brain for some time now. It has direct application to the way I do things, and I think maybe it could have some application for you too. So what’s the word?
Akrasia
Well I just found out I’ve been pronouncing it wrong. I’ve been saying a-cra-see-a. But evidently that’s how a lisper would pronounce it. The Internet says it’s more like a-cra-zia or a-cra-ja. I think it would end like amnesia, but I can’t remember.
I guess it’s not so important how it sounds as what it means. It means: “lacking command (of oneself)” or, to make that less cryptic … doing something against your own self interest.
So why pick such a weird old word like akrasia, when you could just say stupid? Well hold up there, I resemble that remark…
Akrasia is a topic that is dealt with in the writings of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle – so it must be important, or at least worthy of our consideration. So what was the big deal? Why all the fuss about this weird little word?
Well, the thing is – it’s a part of our shared human experience. We all suffer, at one time or another, with this malady. We all have, do, or will succumb to akrasia. Basically we do something that, if we thought about it we wouldn’t. And this of course includes inaction. So “procrastination” is one form of akrasia. Tax day was yesterday, here are my forms (signed and in the envelops… come on, I’m not completely behind – well, I guess as of today I officially am) on my desk. I know better, I know there could be dire (and financial) consequences to not making the (graciously extended) deadline. But still here they sit – why?? Akrasia my friend, it’s an attack of akrasia.
I did not get in this situation because I’m stupid. If I were to sit down and weigh out my options and think about the consequences and rewards of the different course of action – I would clearly reason myself into a different course. But, see, I didn’t. Why? It really is a fascinating thing to wonder about. What is the cause? And more practically – is there a cure?
Well we’ll pick up more on this next time, but for now your assignment is to become more aware of your akratic behavior. When do you do something and you think D’oh! (<< that is the theme word for the akratic! Homer is riddled with it (yeah, not the Greek author Homer, that other one)). There was a better way, if only I would've thought things through. And right there, that regret, makes me 2nd guess next time and while I dither and consider, the opportunity to act is past and I've done nothing when I should've done something. Oh, another victory for akrasia. Do you see how involved this concept is to everything you do (or don't do)? Think about that for next time.