Marinating in Insanity

y2.d40 | worry lines, a photo by B Rosen on Flickr.

I just heard this phrase used in the context of an interview* and was immediately hooked. The context was someone taking the leap from steady employment to entrepreneurship, and he was scared stiff thinking of all the terrible possibilities. What if this fails? What if I'm wrecking my future? What if my parents are right to be skeptical? He basted himself with the juices of fear for years. 

Then he took the leap. In a cold sweat, with the doubt of coworkers ringing in his ears, he turned in his two-week notice and leapt into the world of freelance design. The rest, as they say, is success. He is now doing very well for himself, is incredibly good at what he does, works with clients around the world (some big names, I might add), and spends $0 on marketing--it's all word of mouth from satisfied customers.

This isn't just a business success story, though, it's a wake-up call for all of us who have been marinating in our own insanities: the insanities of worry, doubt, worst-case-scenarios, and second guessing. What does marination do? The acids of a marinade break down the tissues in raw meat, tenderizing it, making it mushy. What will happen if you marinade in the insanity of uninformed, unnecessary fear? You'll break down. You'll eventually get so soft and muddle-headed that you won't be able to make any progress. Your wings will collapse before you even try to take flight.

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.

Dale Carnegie

Note to self: Get out there and stop worrying about what might happen.

*This interview was on an awesome podcast, Coach Radio, with Justin Lukasavige (coachradio.tv) and Charlie Pabst (charfishdesign.com). 

Crazy Life? Evernote to the Rescue!

I join the ranks of many wayward bloggers in apologizing for a long delay in posting. I was doing so well for a little while! Then life caught hold of me. So often it is not the climactic, mind-reeling events that mess up one's schedule, it’s the nit-picky little things that crowd out non-essentials. 

But now I'm back, with a review of a product that is capable of organizing even my hectic life! It's called Evernote, and it's perfect for organizing the untidy proliferation of notes I've recently accumulated (see photographic evidence above). When I clean offices in the evenings, I listen to podcasts, books, and lectures on my iPod, and very often I'm struck with a brilliant, groundbreaking thought in the middle of wiping fingerprints off of a desk. So what do I do? I steal a pink Post-It note and scribble the thought down before it escapes, then stuff it in my pocket. My memory bears an unattractive resemblance to a sieve, so it's important for me to keep these notes around—somewhere—lest I lose all those magical epiphanies, so I pitch them into the rising tide of multi-colored sticky notes I keep on my window seat.

This pile of notes grew to be quite overwhelming, before I discovered the wonder of Evernote (no, they are not paying me to write this post, I'm just giving my personal testimony). Now I can store all of those scattered thoughts in a program that's accessible from my computer or the internet! I can organize them in virtual “notebooks”, add descriptive tags, and (perhaps best of all) easily record information from websites I’ve stumbled upon in my internet travels. In the old days I’d bury a URL in my huge bookmarks folders for future reference, but now I can eliminate dozens of bookmarks by recording the URLs or articles in Evernote!

It’s a fantastic product for remembering bits of information that might otherwise get lost in the mix, and it’s a free program that can be installed on virtually any device. Watch this video and see if you don’t become a fan! Plus, if you get the free Evernote app from this link we'll both receive a complimentary month of Evernote Premium!

My Bucket List In Progress

A couple months ago I wrote a post about bucket lists, where I wrote about lifelong goals, living to the fullest, the magic of thinking big, etc. Well, I have since created a list of my own. 

In case you're not familiar with Heritage Makers, it's an awesome online program that gives you the ability to create gorgeous custom storybooks, calendars, canvas prints, greeting cards, invitations, and even personalized playing cards (watch the video introduction here). I used HM to create a 14x11 poster of my bucket list (see the image above) to frame and hang on the wall above my bed as a reminder of my goals.

I call this my "Bucket List in Progress" because it is by no means a concrete thing. I've listed such goals as "write a textbook" and "own a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel" that I may not want to do someday for a myriad of reasons. But this is an outline, a rough sketch, something to aim for. I intend to alter it every few years to accommodate new goals and cross out the ones I've already accomplished, honing it to a razor-sharp edge of intention. 

So without further ado I present to you my current bucket list, with goals listed in no particular order: 

The old streets of Saltaire Village, a photo by Paul Stevenson on Flickr.

1.       Keep it simple

2.       Stay under 130 lbs.

3.       Deep relationships

4.       Create a self-study program for lifelong learning

5.       Find or create work that I love

6.       Live in England

7.       Make a friend in every European country

8.       Fall in love

9.       Discover my reasons for living

10.   Work for myself

11.   Get good at tennis

12.   Ride a horse “in the rough”

Les Miserables West End, a photo by mart wegman on Flickr.

13.   Learn another language

14.   See a show on Broadway/the West End

15.   Learn to dance

Grayson.., a photo by Bruce Tuten on Flickr.

16.   Scuba dive in a coral reef

17.   Sleep in a British castle

18.   Own a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

19.   Spread the Gospel

20.   Always tithe at least 10%

21.   Become influential in a godly ministry

It is Finished, a photo by abcdz2000 on Flickr.

22.   See the Northern Lights

23.   Visit

•        The British Museum

•        The Uffizi Gallery

•        The Smithsonian

•        The Louvre

24.   Live at least six months in a foreign country

25.   Tour New England

26.   Live in my “dream cottage” (a white cottage on a New England beach)

27.   Create a lovely garden

cutting loose, a photo by SqueakyMarmot on Flickr.

28.   Become a semi-professional photographer

29.   Become a connoisseur

30.   Read the complete works of Shakespeare

31.   Discover my strengths, weaknesses, passions, and gifts

32.   Never take on a lifestyle of debt

33.   Be a major influence in a child’s life

34.   Prison ministry

35.   Become an expert

36.   Win a prestigious blog award

37.   Write a textbook or study guide

Flags!, a photo by Paul Kehrer on Flickr.

38.   Be a New York Times bestselling author

39.   Go to a Green Bay Packer Game

40.   Make mistakes

41.   Learn to not take offense

And what is your personal opinion of these goals? Do you have a bucket list of your own? Are you willing to post it for the world to see?

Fear of Naïveté

Naïveté: the state or quality of being naive; ingenuousness; simplicity

This word comes from the French language, and originally denoted a state of naturalness or innocence. At one time people used it positively, with no stigma attached. How about now? When you describe someone as naive you are usually condemning them for their inexperience, lack of knowledge, or downright ineptitude. It's certainly not a compliment. This change in meanings signals a change in mindset that has sunk so deeply into our brains that it is hardly recognized as an opinion.

I'm not certain whether or not this mindset is isolated in modern-day America or if it is common to most men in all places in all times, but it has certainly permeated many areas in our culture. This is the mindset of sophistication, characterized by a downright fear of  naïveté. We try to sophisticate everything: investing, relationships, education, art, generosity, fashion, careers, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Sure, there are a few lazy slobs who couldn't care less, but the prevailing theme in our culture seems to be that if it isn't complicated, isn't dramatic, isn't mature, then it's not worth having or doing. 

No simple, fun-loving, childish abandonment for us, no sir! No belief in a God we cannot see, no sir! No real joy in living in this wondrous world, no sir! We need to be sophisticated, we need to sexualize preteens, we need to invest in opportunities we can't even understand, we need to have the best and most expensive of everything. 

Innocence is way out of vogue.

What would happen if we weren't afraid to be natural and innocent? What if we weren't afraid to put up blinders and neglect the seedy headlines for once and indulge in a little childish wonder? “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." Our Lord calls us to humble ourselves, a novel and largely unwelcome concept. We are to be as innocent as doves. While not forgetting to also be as shrewd as serpents, we must realize that we are not called to be sophisticated, we are called to be childlike. The sophisticate is proud because he lives in a world he claims not to understand, the naif is humble because he lives in a world he knows he understands completely. Which one are you?

(17) impromptu adventures....the child is still in all of us, a photo by fishgirl7 on Flickr.

Can We Be Original?

Is creativity possible in a world where there is nothing new under the sun? 

Are all our favorite books, movies, and songs just regurgitations of the author/screenwriter/musician's prior experiences? 

Are we all "inspired" by others, or just shameless hacks?

You tell me!

P.S. I apologize for the substandard audio/visual quality. I'm working on it! If you wonder how I had the gall to post this anyway, watch my other video on learning to fail. 


9-20-11
P.S. Here's an insightful quote from Mark Twain that might answer my dilemma:

There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages.

Is This Art?

Sometimes I see a piece of "artwork," hear a "song," or read a "book," and think to myself, That's just not art/music/literature. There's something wrong with it.

art

noun /ärt/  arts, plural The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. Works produced by such skill and imagination

What is your definition of art?

I'll tell you what mine is. 

• Art is not art which is meaningless or merely depicts reality. A can of Campbell's soup is not art. Dead silence is not art. In-congruent words typed on a page is not art. 
• Art is not art which is merely whatever form an artist's whimsy takes. The free-flowing of artistic passion was not what made da Vinci and Mozart and Shakespeare great. 

Art must point to God. This does not mean that its subject matter must be spiritual, but it must point us either to Heaven or to Hell, to the fullness or the absence of God. If it points elsewhere, it points nowhere.

True art lies in self-discipline. Seeing an end and bravely going to meet it.

Art means order and purpose. Without purpose art is a blotched canvas or a discordant jumble of notes or a ruined sheet of paper. If we showcase the world's sores and do not offer to dress them, or call others to dress them, or show them how to dress them, we have failed. Not every story must have a moral, but it must have a point and a hope hidden behind every brush-stroke and note and word.

I am not in the camp that says, "True art and music must conform to a precise mathematical formula or it's rubbish." I chime in with Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, "I know it when I see/hear/read it." As I said at the beginning of this post, I just know. 

So what is your threshold for true art? Have you ever considered it?

New York. MoMA. Andy Warhol, a photo by Tomas Fano on Flickr.

Winning IS Everything

"Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing."

                                                   -Henry Russell "Red" Sanders

I recently heard this quote lambasted. "Then what's the point of life?", people say, "To beat everybody else and make yourself important? How lame and inhuman." In my opinion, though, this quote doesn't have to be translated like that.

Sure, it was spoken in a competitive football context, where you winning means that someone else has to lose. But what's the point of football if it isn't to win? As the great Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers once said, "If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?" Good point, Vince. 

So what is the point of your life? What do you want to win? If your goal is to smash the "competition" into the ground and put yourself on top then certainly that isn't honorable and you've probably got your priorities out of whack. But what if your aim is to be the greatest daughter that you can be? To help as many people as you can? To follow Christ in everything? In that case falling short isn't going to do you any favors. Coming in at second place isn't an option. 

Too often we get hung up on the idea that our win equals another person's loss. That's simply not true! George Bernard Shaw supposedly said, "If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple.  But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas." That's how life works in the real world. 

So don't be afraid to win! You being a success doesn't drag other people down. If you're not winning, who is?

Finish line, a photo by ukanda on Flickr.

Leap of Faith

Leap of Faith, originally uploaded by eatbitter.

Ideas are cheap and easy. Everyone has them, they're practically lying around for the taking. Just today I was thinking that someone should invent a fluorescent light tube with edges--like a rectangular prism--so that they wouldn't roll off of things so easily. Stupid, I know, but it could possibly inspire the right kind of person to go out there and make a lot of money with a similar concept.


But this doesn't just apply to work, inventions, and new year's resolutions--it's actually critical to our faith.  

THE H EFFECT

Who am I? I am 

• Introverted
• Detail-oriented
• Usually the quietest one at a party, talking only to people I know
• Easily drawn into a book, movie, or song
• A leader/dictator (depend on who you ask)
• Melodramatic/passionate
• Easily distracted when studying
• Hugely imaginative
• Earnest and conscientious to the nth degree
• The kind of person who loves doing things for people to make them happy

I started this blog as "The Different Homeschool Girl", not even sure what made me different. All I knew was that homeschooling was a part of me, it helped make me who I am. Homeschooling is still a huge part of me now; I wash it with my hair every other day, pluck it out with my eyebrows, and see the world through its eyes. For better or worse, homeschooling was not just a way to get an "education", it was (and still is, even through college) a way of life. 

If there are any parents reading this who homeschool, or are considering homeschooling, I want to be sure you know that this is a big decision. Homeschooling--with all of its advantages and hang-ups--will impact your child forever. Forever. It will be a huge part, maybe the biggest part, of their childhood (and people only have one of those). It's their history. It'll be in their hair and fingernails.  I'm not trying to scare anyone away--I would never trade my experiences for a public school, or probably even a private school, education. If you think that it's really not as big a deal as everyone thinks--that public, private, or homeschool, your child will somehow turn out the same in the end--think again.

It's the homeschooling effect. It gets everywhere. Take it seriously.

How Far? Too Far?

As most of you know, I am a rabid Britophile. Give me practically anything British and I'll jump sky high. I especially love British books and films. I especially love great British actors. And I especially love Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson.

So imagine my surprise, my thrill, my veritable ecstasy when I learned about a movie starring both of them--and only them. Yes indeed, it's The Song of Lunch: an hour-long drama drawn almost completely from a long poem, dialog and all, and starring only two characters.

The plot is very simple: two ex-lovers reunite after 15 years for lunch at a little Italian restaurant. Their conversation starts out well, but does not go quite as planned. After all is said and done they both realize that they can never erase the past or recapture what is gone. It was a brilliant movie with truly insightful, human writing and two of the greatest actors on the screen today.

But I cannot give this film my wholehearted approbation. It is uncomfortably sensual and I had to fast-forward through some rather revealing parts. But I was enjoying it so much that even after one or two "indiscreet" parts I just had to watch it to the end.

Which brings me to the subject of this post.

Mistakes

This is one of those conversational blog posts that's meant to generate a little discussion in the comment section. Tell me what ya think.

I believe that mistakes are a bad thing. this might seem like a rather normal viewpoint at first, but then you start to listen to other people and hear them saying something else. "There are no mistakes, just learning experiences", "Wisdom is learning from your mistakes", "A man's errors are his portals of discovery", "Only people who try make mistakes". 


So what exactly are these people saying?


Sure, making a mistake isn't the end of the world. Aristotle defined a mistake as "injury in transactions between man and man...done in ignorance...when the person acted on, the act, the instrument, or the end that will be attained is other than the agent supposed." It's a pardonable offense, and usually not too big of a deal. You aren't really responsible for the action.


Learning from your own mistakes is a very smart thing to do. If you burn yourself once on a hot stove it's a good idea to not touch the hot stove again. That is how small children learn to function in the world around them. When people around us fall into error, whether they have a good excuse or not, it is so easy to throw out an insipid platitude and call it good. As Oscar Wilde says, "Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes."


But we are trying to be adults, aren't we? Adults don't just learn from their own mistakes, they learn from the mistakes of others. That is a much better definition of wisdom, to my mind. Sure, making errors has lead to some great discoveries, and maybe it has helped some people to know themselves better or led them to wonderful places. But danger lies in lackadaisically meandering through life not paying attention to your actions, or blundering through at top speed and not concerning yourself with the consequences. 


It is so important that we try to be the best we can be. Don't beat yourself up over the past, but never assume that whatever you do, it's bound to turn up all right in the end. Look around you, see what's going wrong in everyone else's life and try to act in a contrary manner, hopefully avoiding much of the pain of this world. There is little glory in falling flat on your face right after seeing someone in front of you trip over the same stumbling block. Don't think that you have to "learn it for yourself" and "make your own mistakes." It only leads to unnecessary heartbreak.


Your thoughts? 

72/365 - And Your Point Is?, originally uploaded by helgasms!.