What I have learned - Part 3

This journal is a further continuation of What Have I Learned Parts 1 and 2

Breaking this content into smaller bits allows for more focus 

So far, we’ve listed:

To serve others is our greatest privilege

Reflection and Self-Analysis Take Intention

You cannot Force your Thoughts

It isn’t always about the engagement

But wait, there’s more!

As I continued to reflect, this list expanded

Let’s get to it!

Be willing to start again

The idea of the sunk cost fallacy is relevant in all areas of our lives

Once we’ve devoted effort to something, we begin to lose impartiality

It takes intention to step outside of our own autobiography, our own attachment

Whether it be a job that isn’t meant for you (you’ve been at for years) 

A relationship that isn’t turning out how you’d hoped (yet you’re afraid to let go) 

The city that you thought you’d love (but really don’t)

An article that you’ve spend days working on (that supposed to be a masterpiece, but has no purpose) 

Be willing to let go of what once seemed right

When it no longer is

In order to make room for great

You must let go of good, okay, and just plain bad

Being honest enough with yourself to acknowledge when something no longer serves a purpose is difficult

But on the other side of that difficulty, hides the next evolution of you

What remains invisible behind “good-enough”?

Be willing to start again

Effort creates Attachment

Time multiplies Attachment

But Attachment does not equal Quality, nor does it guarantee alignment

Time does not equal results

The more effort, time, and energy we put into something, the greater the power of the sunk cost fallacy

This is what makes walking away so difficult, even when we know it is the right thing to do

Instead, we try to convince ourselves that the real fix will come from more effort, more time

More Attachment…

Pushing aside what our hearts tells us, this can become a vicious cycle

Without realizing it, we create the very evidence that rationalizes holding on  

We hide from what we know we need to do

Be mindful of the sunk cost fallacy 

Simply adding awareness to it, you loosen its grip

Effort creates Attachment

Time multiplies Attachment

Sometimes you just need to get reps

It is easy to fall victim to perfectionism

This illusionary paradigm keeps us from stepping outside of our comfort zones

“I need to be great at this or it’s a failure”

Frankly, when I started writing, I expected the product to suck

I still don’t think it’s all that special

But I was (and am) still focused on reps

More practice, intentional practice

Talking with myself throughout the process: 

How can I figure out my own style through experience?

What if I don’t actually enjoy writing?

That’s okay too, but you need reps to validate that thesis

The hardest part is getting started

This isn’t specific to writing

Sometimes, you just need reps to get yourself started

Let the game play out from there

Sometimes you just need to get reps

Don’t get lost in what’s Unimportant

But stay open-minded

Sounds obvious, right?

How often are the obvious things hard to do?

This is something I still struggle with

Foe example, the pictures I use for cover photos

How much time does it take to create, edit, and adjust these?

It really has nothing to do with writing

Around 13 articles into my LinkedIn postings, I started using AI to generate images that I felt matched the themes

I use Dall-E via ChatGPT to generate the images

While there have been very cool designs, what you see is usually somewhere between the 6th and 10th draft

It is both entertaining and frustrating to see what is produced

The program does not yet seem to be able to make progressive edits on each image

(If you know how to do this, please let me know!)

Often times, I get a design I like, but when I try to replicate it with adjustments, the program turns out something completely different

I realized I could easily use Canva to make adjustments on something that turned out “good-enough” rather than fighting with an AI model for hours in search of “perfect”

What’s important can change

As mentioned, I still struggle with the right approach here

Sometimes I fall into “this is such a waste of time and has nothing to do with the writing”

Yet, the reality is, the image can often be what actually attracts your audience

So to completely disregard any effort is not the answer

In the future, as I look to focus on reach, expansion, and eyeballs, maybe this does become important

My current perspective: there is a high-probability that this will be the case

But for now, where does that importance level stack up?

And how can I best use Canva as a tool to get back to what’s important?

Crafting my message

Don’t get lost in what’s Unimportant

But stay open-minded

What’s important can change

The ability to distinguish the Urgent from the Important creates Quality of Life

Balance results from the ability to distinguish the Urgent from the Important

I credit Stephen Covey’s book Putting First Things First a great deal in reshaping my paradigm

Urgency addiction is real, and the majority of us have it, we just don’t realize it

What seems urgent often takes precedence over what we know we should be doing 

“There just isn’t enough time”

“That important task just isn’t urgent”

“There isn’t a smoking fire so it’ll have to wait”

Important is the planning, the strategizing, the preventative maintenance

Important screams “procrastinate me because you can always put me off until tomorrow”

Yet, ignore the important things long enough, and they becoming urgent

What happens if put off your vehicles oil change for too long?

Try, and it may seem like you can get away with just pushing it down the road

Again and again, it still drives, and you keep prioritizing what feels urgent now 

Well, eventually your car will break down

I wonder why?

However you choose to resolve it, my money says it would have taken less time, energy, and money to just get your oil changed 

What could have been preventative, became urgent

Don’t feel like it’s the right time to start exercising and cleaning up your diet?

Why not push it off a few days

A few months

A few years

Until you find yourself with an immediate health concern

One that could have been avoided

If you only started eating cleanly and exercising

Most of what we see as crises are really self-inflicted

Yes, there are some urgent situations that are completely out of our control

Outside events do not make up most of what we consider urgent

It’s our own failure to distinguish urgent from important

Start focusing on the important

The self-inflicted crises will start to disappear

Let’s recap everything together:

To serve others is our greatest privilege

Reflection and Self-Analysis Take Intention

You cannot Force your Thoughts

It isn’t always about the engagement

Be willing to start again

Effort creates Attachment

Time multiplies Attachment

Sometimes you just need to get reps

What’s important can change

Don’t get lost in what’s Unimportant

But stay open-minded

The ability to distinguish the Urgent from the Important creates Quality of Life

What I would like to figure out next:

How to gain more traction

What other platforms may be better suited for my work?

What are my goals moving forward?

How do I create synthesis between my ideas and concepts?

Am I really still writing for myself?

Or is there a greater target audience?

What do you think I should consider?

I’d love to hear your feedback and suggestions

Until the next thought hits, keep stacking bricks!

Thought of the Day: 07–30–2024