OT: Help with motivation

[Thomas McGrath III]

Thanks Sarah, Richard, Trevor, Bob, Ro, Stephen, Jacqueline, Dan, Jim, 
Ken, David, Chipp, Paul, David, Andre, Judy, Dave, Graham, Kevin, 
Mikey, and Jonathan.

I am completely overwhelmed by the responses I received to my 
motivation problem. I don't know what to say.......

I realize now that this project, that I am looking at, is more like 
just a means to make some cash BUT that my heart is not really in it. 
It is not a bad project and it will help others BUT when I asked myself 
what I really want to be doing right now I got a BIG surprise.

My answer is that I would rather be creating some of the metal 
sculpture ideas I have been having. Those I have drawn sketches down on 
paper and spent hours researching. When I have time, that is what I am 
thinking about. I think it is like the taxes being due aspect, where I 
can't get to something else until I deal with what is most pressing in 
my mind.

So, due to all of the wonderful help and suggestions from you guys I 
have decided to take a break and go ice fishing here in Pennsylvania 
and then commit to finishing one of my metal kinetic sculpture ideas 
which shouldn't take more than a week or two tops and THEN when I am 
done come back to this project and see how I feel then.

Below I clipped a few of the responses I got so that I can be reminded 
about all of the great responses and to remember that I am not alone, 
at all in feeling this way.

Thanks guys,

Tom McGrath
On Feb 22, 2005, at 6:27 PM, Richard Gaskin wrote:

> Hiking or other blood-stimulating exercise with good vistas generally 
> works helps me, esp. if followed by a good meal with lots of greens, a 
> hot bath, and a brief nap.  The time away clears the mind, and I've 
> lost count of the number of times I wake from a short nap knowing 
> exactly how to solve a previously difficult problem.
>

> Some people mistake prepping for flow with wasting time.  It is all in 
> how you look at it.

> OK what to do is go and have a couple of days off. Eat lots of good 
> food and visit some friends. Then have another couple of days off to 
> recover from friends. :-)

> "If you can get started, turn off the TV. Turn off the radio. Don't 
> read the mail. Don't open a book. You can go for a walk. Sooner or 
> later, you will start writing"
> This has worked well for me - of course, I've updated it to include 
> "Don't turn on the computer"

> I get motivation sometimes just exploring the rich RunRev feature set. 
> This stuff is DEEP and every entry into the Docs (thanks, Heather) 
> leads me to say "wow, I didn't know you could do THAT".

> My brain sometimes doesn't know what I'm up to, and falls for it.

> 1. Nothing is more important than that you feel good. Nothing.
> 2. There's an old saying that was turned into a book title: If you 
> don't know where you're going, you'll probably wind up somewhere. Know 
> where you are going.
> 3.  Play the Alphabet Animals Game.
> 4. write down 20 ideas for ways to solve the problem or answer the 
> question.

> Don't worry about it. It comes when it comes. If it's any consolation, 
> it's
> been three years since I've been motivated!

> You are simply stuck in a do-nothing repeat loop.
> Best advice I could give would be to shut down the computer, get away 
> from the machine for awhile.

> Breathe
> Prioritise
> Exercise
> Communicate
> Take a break
> Do one thing at a time
> Stay positive

> There was this one designer who came in every day at 8AM and 
> imediately took out a pencil and drew a line on a page. Then we went 
> and got coffee. He said it 'broke' the 'white space' problem many 
> designers get when staring at a fresh clean piece of paper.

> This often helps me decide, early on, that I really don't want to do 
> it. And that is a good thing, too. If your inner voice is saying I 
> want no part of this, it might just be giving you good advice.

>  I have the motivation, but nothing to work on.

>  I think we suffer from what I call the "Douglas Adams Disease". The 
> trick is to get away from the work for a while.

> Sometimes, the burden of needing to  do something in one arena was 
> lifted
> by doing something positive or meaningful in another... and being
> successful.

> The key is in finding efficient(ish) techniques of "piddling around".

> The effect of this is that my internal To Do list gets blocked in 
> proportion to the attractiveness of the items on it.

> Remember, with a difficult task, motivation for the task comes *after* 
> you get started, not before.

>  Ultimately, what I discovered is that inside me there is something 
> intuitive that needs panic, disaster, mayhem, and impending doom to 
> focus.  There's something strangely calming about it.

> Ask yourself "What needs to be improved in my life?" -The odds are 
> that if you can create something that improves your life, it will be 
> of benefit to someone else as well.


Thomas J McGrath III
3mcgrath at adelphia.net

412-831-3094
220 Drake Road
Bethel Park, PA 15102

<*)) >=<
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of 
arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to 
skid in sideways - a Cigar in one hand - a large steak in the other - 
your body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming - WOO 
HOO! What a Ride!"