Remembering to Act
Saturday, March 14, 2009 at 2:15PM 
Dear me. I keep forgetting to blog. I spend plenty of time online, mind you. I read dozens of other blogs every week. I get sucked into Facebook on a regular basis. And email? Don't talk to me about email. I'm practically swimming in it. So online communication is not exactly on the backburner for me. But blogging -- actually writing my own blog posts -- keeps slipping my mind.
Here's the irony: My word for 2009 is Action. Over the past year or two, I've noticed waves of envy when I hear about other people's creative projects. This has happened even when the projects were being done by friends. Even when I loved the idea but had no desire to that specific thing myself. So it's not the "sour grapes" or "I wish I'd thought of that" jealousy. Like most unpleasant emotions, this one was merely trying to get my attention and tell me something.
I realized that I have tons of ideas for creative projects, but rarely ever get past the idea phase. As a result, I'd begun to feel like I had no ideas. Finally I realized that the ideas were there. The missing piece was Action.
Since college I've been a big advocate of learning To Be and not getting caught up in the shallow busyness of life. I wish I could say that I'm really good at this by now in some Zen-like way. (Insert the voice of this woman telling me that Zen-like is an oxymoron because Zen isn't like anything.) While I do value my downtime and make sure to get plenty of it, I fill way too much of it with fretting over what I'm not doing. So it's the Year of Action.
Maybe I'm forgetting to blog because I'm too busy doing other things? Okay, that's actually partially true. I've been focusing on making my house more of a nest, cooking nourishing meals for my family, taking care of ailing kitties, and strengthening connections with friends. I've even been working on one big project. So I am doing. I am acting.
But I continually have to remind myself to be a participant, not a spectator. I am in the process of understanding that I can be the one doing cool, creative projects. I can take all those ideas trotting around my head and figure out ways to put them out into the world. I just need to remember to act.
blogging, hope, inspiration, life
Reader Comments (5)
Yes. Doing. "You cannot plow a field by turning it over in your mind" reads the Eric Carle print above my desk. Note to self: Blogging does not equal acting, except when it does.
xo
Thanks for the reminder & commiseration...I too feel perpetually plagued by inaction to realize my ideas & goals while watching those around me being active in there own.
Kelly Rae Roberts had a good post this weekend about pretending...until you suddenly realize you don't have to pretend anymore, you're just doing. And I like jenna strong's inspirational message above as well.
Thanks for all your words of encouragement ladies.
I can relate so much to this post; it's comforting to know I'm not the only one who feels this way. I chose "Create" this year - as in create the life I want - for very similar reasons.
I look forward to hearing more about your creative projects as they unfold. :)
An inspiring post. I, too, am pushing myself beyond the idea stage ... to the actual creative, active stage.
The Count likes the look of your blog. I used it myself.It is a most attractive template and you have done a nice job with it. But, my dear, I give you the Count's motto for you to consider: Life is short. Let's make it first class!
It is not how much we do, it is being present in what we do.
Time doesn't exist for our minds, but it certainly does for our bodies. Count Sneaky