Posts Tagged with The Future

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The Art of War and the War of Art

The universe has been guiding me to books I should read so I’ve been paying attention and picking them up. 

Last year, a friend recommended that I read the The War of Art in light of my creative interests and pursuits and my challenges with prioritizing them.

Months went by and the only action I took was putting the book in my Amazon cart as a reminder. Then one night this year, I was placing an order for headphones and decided to look up The War of Art again.  It was on sale so that was a win! As I read the book’s description, this line caught my eye:

A succinct, engaging, and practical guide for succeeding in any creative sphere, The War of Art is nothing less than Sun-Tzu for the soul.

I felt like I needed to dig into Sun-Tzu’s The Art of War first to appreciate this comparison. It was another book that came to my attention frequently.  And I had purchased a copy of it a while back so it was time to finally read it. It was a quick and timeless read.  The book has been attributed to a military general from the late 6th century BC known as “Master Sun” (Sunzi or Sun Tzu). It remains one of the most influential strategy text in East Asian warfare and has influenced Western thinking with lessons applicable to war, business, law and life. 

Once I finished, I jumped into The War of Art.  The timing of the book felt right with everything going on in my life. The book’s description reads as follows:

A succinct, engaging, and practical guide for succeeding in any creative sphere, The War of Art is nothing less than Sun-Tzu for the soul.

What keeps so many of us from doing what we long to do?

Why is there a naysayer within? How can we avoid the roadblocks of any creative endeavor-be it starting up a dream business venture, writing a novel, or painting a masterpiece?

Bestselling novelist Steven Pressfield identifies the enemy that every one of us must face, outlines a battle plan to conquer this internal foe, then pinpoints just how to achieve the greatest success.

The War of Art emphasizes the resolve needed to recognize and overcome the obstacles of ambition and then effectively shows how to reach the highest level of creative discipline.

Think of it as tough love . . . for yourself.

Whether an artist, writer or business person, this simple, personal, and no-nonsense book will inspire you to seize the potential of your life.

The book didn’t disappoint.  As a creative, I’ve felt the resistance described in the book. However, I hadn’t defined it or given it much thought on my own. I didn’t realize I needed the author’s help in defining that resistance, understanding it and finding a way to move past it. One key message was the need to do one’s work. Nothing substitutes for doing the work. The takeaway for me clear; for everything I want achieve, I have to prioritize doing the work. We all have to do the work if want to realize a goal.

Another description of The War of Art notes:

Dubbing itself a cross between Sun-Tzu’s Art of War and Julie Cameron’s The Artist’s Way…

Interestingly, The Artist’s Way was recommended to me.  It was also mentioned in the book One Person / Multiple Careers by Marci Alboher which I read previously. So I got the hint! The universe was at work, yet again. I plan to read this one sometime soon!

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How about you? Have you had any books pop up repeatedly to the point that you felt compelled to read them? Have any books resonated with you about pursuing creative endeavors? If so, how did they inspire you?  I’d love to hear your perspective below!

 

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Never Fail In Silence

Society teaches us how to succeed. We hear countless success stories with “how to” insights to replicate these results. We know those who “made it” by name.  Success is associated with pride, respect and power.  Meanwhile, society provides less guidance on failure which is associated with shame, rejection and not being good enough.  As a result, when we fail, we remove ourselves from the spotlight, go into hiding and take our stories with us. We fail silently.

We don’t speak about or acknowledge our failure during the process. We feel oppressed by shame, judgement and our circumstance.  By not facing failure directly, we give it the power to hold us hostage.

I’ve experienced this and was confined by my feeling of failure.  I couldn’t find it in me to share what was going on.

I remember friends and family encouraging me to share, pointing out that we all go through situations and I didn’t have to figure everything out alone.  The invitation was extended but I didn’t have it in me to share at the time.

It wasn’t until after I got through and over everything that I gained clarity.

I noticed the opportunity you have while dealing with failure.  When you can rise above what is going on and decide to not be confined by your situation, you become empowered. You gain strength and confidence to take actions that influence your outcome.  You no longer have to stay where you are or in your current circumstance. Failure no longer has to define you or immobilize you.

There needs to be more attention to what I call “failing presently and actively.” By this, I mean being present to a failure while it is happening and actively addressing it to gain control of your perspective and influence the outcome.  This means not being paralyzed by shame or fear and welcoming the opportunity to be vulnerable and authentic.  Here are some specific ways you can do this:

There needs to be more attention to what I call “failing presently and actively.” By this, I mean being present to a failure while it is happening and actively addressing it to gain control of your perspective and influence the outcome.

Get introspective. It is OK to look within and understand what is going on. Self-awareness is important and slowing things down to put the pieces together can help you get there. However, don’t let this be your only way of handling your failure.  Overthinking can lead to doubt, blame and halt your progress toward a solution. Challenge old mindsets such as the need for perfection and don’t be a victim of paralysis by analysis.

Forgive yourself. This will give you your power back. It is easy to look at yourself when something goes wrong, but having someone to blame doesn’t change the situation.  It is especially paralyzing if you begin to see yourself and your situation as one.  You are not your mistakes or failures. Let yourself be free to identify the lessons and prepare to apply them forward.

Voice it. Speaking about a failure is one of the hardest things to do in the moment. You get embarrassed about your circumstance and reality, associate the failure with your worth, feel less than and worry about how others will perceive you. You walk around with a secret that you’re afraid others will find out about. However, expressing what is going on is helpful. It lifts the weight you carry around.  And it gives you the opportunity to speak about the situation as opposed to the meaning you associate with the situation.

Share your story. By sharing what is going on with you, you inspire others. You never know who may be going through the same thing, in silence. When you break your silence, you encourage others and provide hope. You show that you don’t have to remain ashamed or be defined by what happens to you. You can continue to live freely and authentically.

Connect with others. Going through the ups and downs in life are fundamentally human.  We all have these stories. When you highlight times that were challenging for you, you create opportunities to connect with others. Life isn’t only about the shiny highlights. You can gain strength and support from the lessons and perspectives of others. This has benefited me personally when I’ve shared experiences with friends, colleagues, strangers, and mentors who then shared their similar story. It automatically created a bond and deepened our relationship!

Embrace the opportunity to grow. Don’t be afraid to grow. If you are a high achiever, getting anything short of an A+ is difficult. But life is full of changes so the best thing you can do is get comfortable with imperfection and pivots. Use failure as a learning opportunity and a chance to grow. If failure is expected, you’ll benefit if you can learn and course-correct quickly to catapult to better results.

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How about you? How do you handle failure? Is it something you find challenging?  Do you address it head on? I’d love to hear your perspective below!

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16 Ways To Be Proactive And Make Any Year Your Best

In the spirit of professional and personal development, we aspire to add more to the foundation we’ve created.  How can we be better? How can we do more?  How can we have a greater impact? How can we make more time for ourselves?

I believe that taking the time upfront to create a plan and enact systems makes a huge difference.  If you’re looking for a new year of positive changes and you’re ready to take action, here are 16 steps that will help you get there:

1. Reflect. Set aside some quiet time to think. Remove yourself from all distractions and enjoy the stillness. Focus on yourself and your journey; in your mind, revisit how far you’ve come and imagine where you’re headed.

2. Set goals.  Whether they relate to travel plans, saving or professional development, goals give you something to look forward to and they ignite your spirit.  They require work and effort but they’re enjoyable as well.  At the end of the day, they’re yours and give you a sense of accomplishment because you picked them, committed to them, and followed through with earning them.  As humans, we aspire to have purpose and meaning in life; and goals are a manageable and tactile way to do this, one at a time.

3. Create a plan.  Forward-thinking businesses take a considerable amount of time to plan. This includes both long-term and short-term. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t do the same.

4. Create a vision board.  They say that seeing is believing.  This is particularly relevant as you take your ideas and visions from abstract things in your head and give them form and shape that you can see.  If you can place them visually, then you’re more likely to create space for them in your future. Vision boards are helpful for this.

5. Create an advisory board.  Yes, this is for you! You’re important enough to have one!  We never have all the answers ourselves, and you need to know who to go to when you have questions.  Enlist a group of people who have been there, are vested in your success and who you can learn from.

6. Find an accountability partner.  You’re not alone on this road called life.  I know it feels that way sometimes but there’s a traffic jam of people trying to get somewhere too. You and your friends may be getting off at different exits, but there’s no reason why you can’t be there for each other when you need a jump start.  Your eyes are on the road ahead but check up on others who are dear to you periodically to see how they’re coming along in their lane and help ensure they’ll make their anticipated arrival time.

7. Create a budget.  A lot of people run from numbers. I like them because they always bring a story full circle.  They apply in your personal life based on the same principles that businesses use.  Do you need to increase your income? Or can you decrease your expenses? How is your net worth coming along?  Numbers help create flexibility in the non-financial aspects of your life.  If flexibility is important to you, start by creating a budget you will commit to.

8. Prioritize friends and family.  Our journey isn’t as much fun without people to share it with.  We are happy when we see our loved ones smiling and happy. Make time for them, travel to see them, call them, swap joyful and painful stories with them and make memories with them.  We create some of our most meaningful experiences and memories with friends and family.

9. Initiate conversations.  Make it a point to find out about the people at the bus stop, in the beloved middle seat on an airplane or at a networking event.  It is easy to forget a simple “How are you doing?” when you’re in a rush to get somewhere or with something pressing on your radar.  But some of my biggest life takeaways came from unexpected conversations with strangers.  When I was 16 and a volunteer at the library, I spoke with a woman and told her how I wished I had siblings. She told me all I needed to do was make good friends.  This advice holds true to this day as some of my best friends are like siblings; and in fact, I call them that.  I mention networking event because after business cards are exchanged and elevator speeches are given, it is the ability to relate to others on a fundamentally human level that sustains relationships.  This comes before the best business deals are made.

10. Keep learning.  Do you remember how caught up you were with each new toy you received as a child?  We like things that are new, exciting, shiny and challenge us.  I don’t remember the last time I read a reference manual.  I prefer the hand-on, experiential approach of learning-by-doing.  We live in an age where learning is fun because of all the information and tools available to us.  You can customize your delivery by form, time, method, origin, etc. with minimal effort.  This is exciting and facilitates continuous learning.

11. Find your niche.  It is highly rewarding and empowering when you can find a space in this world where you thrive.  A place where you have no fear of competition or anyone upstaging you because you’re at your peak performance there.  This is where your strengths, knowledge and passion align.  You’re leading the edge, and even if there are challenges and continuous effort involved, you’re motivated to go the extra distance.  When you find that space that you can call your own, you’re more likely to provide value, have an impact, and create a legacy.

12. Give back.  It is never too early to do this and there’s always some resource you can share with others.  What you give doesn’t have to be financial; it can be time, knowledge or a helping hand.  I’m sure someone went out of their way to help you at some point.  I know many did for me; and years after, I remember and acknowledge their selflessness.  Be the timely guiding light that someone else may be seeking.

13. Pursue your interests.  You may have something that you’ve always loved doing or maybe you’re open to trying something completely new.  Either way, participating in activities outside of your typical day help you bring new approaches and perspectives to your day-to-day activities.  It will it be personally rewarding and lead to you being more well-rounded.

14. Go places and see things.  Have you visited your local museums lately?  When will you take that trip you’ve been thinking about?  Our world is so eclectic that we can live completely different lives from someone ten minutes away but it is still small enough that we can experience the lives of those who are 2,000 miles away.  You learn a lot about yourself and appreciate how you fit in the big picture when you acquire additional perspectives to anchor your own.

15. Take risks.  When I’m in an art studio, I channel my inspiration in order to bring form to a blank canvas.  So with that same approach, I’m a big proponent of stretching yourself for development which means stepping out of your comfort zone.  If you’re risk averse, calculated risks may work best for you. Get a sense of what you’ll do, how you’ll do it and then do it.

16. Pivot and change.  When you take any “first step,” you never know how things will turn out.  Even when you’re headed in the “right” direction, circumstances change beyond your control.  What you can control is how you respond and what additional steps you take.  When necessary, make lateral moves, and even take steps backwards, to get further ahead.  Be open to making necessary changes along your journey.

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What about you? Have you tried a similar approach to achieve your goals or get certain results? How do you create an environment that facilitates your success? I’d love to hear from you below!

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A Reminder To Dare Mighty Things

We all need people around us who are genuinely interested in our growth and progress.  They give you props when you’re on the right track, let you know when you’re slacking and freely share the resources they have in their toolbox. At the end of the day, the relationship is mutually beneficial as you support and push each other to overcome obstacles and do bigger things.

One of my good friends since college serves as one of those people in my life. He has seen the whole journey since then – the good, the bad and the ugly. A month or two ago, he passed along a quote he thought I would like.  He was right – it resonated with me as I read it.  Although I appreciated it, I didn’t do anything else with it at the time. It remained where it was as a long text.

I try to pay attention when the universe seems to be telling me something.  A couple weeks ago, I met someone who had a favorite quote listed on Facebook that looked familiar.

A great statement…this ones for me….does it speak to you? #TheodoreRooseveltQuotes #textgram

A post shared by Leterrion D Smith (@leterrion_a_blessed_gentleman) on

I liked the quote a lot and tried to remember where I saw it before.  This led me to dig up the quote my friend had shared with me.  I realized what I saw on Facebook was an excerpt of the full quote.

I’m never certain about the universe’s messages but this one aligned with my recent thoughts.  At the beginning of the year, the speaker at an event I attended talked about being in the stands vs. being on the court and in the game of life.  Whatever you want to pursue, you get a different experience if you approach it by being in the crowd as a bystander versus rolling up your sleeves and running plays on the court. Being in the stands is safer – you don’t have to worry about failing, losing or falling on your face in front of others.  Being on the court is more risky –  there’s a chance you will be defeated and you’ll have to decide if you want to continue or not. Despite the downside, there is also the possibility that you’ll win and achieve your pursuits.

The possibility of that favorable outcome makes it all worth it. No risk, no reward right? I prefer to be on the court – in any of my pursuits and in life. Even if I fail, there will be lessons that I can apply forward so that next time, I fail better and faster. I’ll put all the lessons in play until I win the game.

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What about you? How are you going through life and approaching your pursuits? Are you in the stands? Or are you getting on the court?

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