I’m writing this from a plane. Before I got on the plane, I was entirely excited to do so.
I see an airplane as an opportunity – an uninterrupted opportunity to focus for hours and get something done.
Maybe I want to read a book.
Maybe I want to catch up on a movie.
Maybe I want to create something.
Today, my plan was to outline a book and write a post for you. I had no idea exactly what I would write and where my thoughts would take me – but I have uninterrupted hours, even an aisle seat (my favorite seat on a plane).
Except, I was wrong.
I’ve been seated next to parents with a toddler.
Your Options
Any of you who have been on a flight with small children before know there’s an extremely high probability that the child will get frustrated and will scream its head off. Children have regular energy and need to move – they don’t often do well in extremely confined spaces for hours at a time. Even worse, they don’t understand why they’re being confined to such a small space. So they want to be active, are confused as to why they can’t, and they’re frustrated. So, tears and screams until they get tired and pass out.
If you’re a parent who knows how to magically avoid these – please email me (or reply to this) – I’d love to learn before I’m there.
Now, before you get any further ideas, I’m not upset about this. Certainly, it’d be extremely nice to have a quiet aisle seat (or even better, nobody next to me). But, let’s be real with ourselves a minute – it’s the holidays – there’s no such thing as a plane that isn’t packed in America until January.
The way I see it – I’ve got two options.
- I make this my excuse not to write and create, and complain about it to people plater
- I use the situation to my advantage and learn to focus as much as I can with a frustrated child in my ear – I am interested in becoming a parent myself one day, after all
What do you think I chose?
Timing
Every day, you’re faced with the two options that I’m currently faced with. You’re faced with these two options multiple times a day. More generic, they look like this –
- Use your shitty context as an excuse not to act
- Act anyway and use your shitty context to learn and grow
This applies to literally everything.
Can’t get a job? Is it the job market, the economy, your potential employers, you’re overqualified, you’re underqualified?
Can’t get a date? Are there not enough good options in the world, is it too hard to go out and meet people, are you too awkward, do you not know how to talk to people?
Want to make an album? Is it too hard, do you not have the right equipment, do the rest of your bandmates suck, do you have no money, do you have no fans?
Maybe it’s simple – maybe you just want to write a book but you’ve got a child screaming in your ear.
Really, who knows what’s wrong. Maybe it’s everything I mentioned. The actual question is this:
What are you going to learn from the situation and what are you going to do?
In my experience, this is the crossroads between the professionals and the amateurs. This is the line that also divides the extremely successful from the mildly successful. This is the line that separates those who dream about achieving and those who actually achieve.
Will you act? Will you act even when the timing is wrong and the context isn’t perfect for creativity?
Choose
I outlined my next guide book today on the plane. You’re going to start seeing some of the chapters publicly very, very soon. I’m going to publish parts of it as I write, and those of you who want all of the content and as a compiled book can pay for it.
And, I outlined it with a toddler screaming in my ear.
That doesn’t mean that I’m better than you or I have some super human capacity or something. Honestly, I didn’t even want to do it. I wanted to complain.
But, I just opened my laptop and started writing.
There’s no other magic to it.
I’m sure that plenty of you have grand aspirations for 2019. Despite what I said last time, you’re prepping all your resolutions and plans to make 2019 your best year ever.
Do you know what’s the most important part of that?
Starting.
Put down the first note.
Write the first word.
Send out another resume.
Whatever you need to do.
Don’t wait for the “right time” to get it done. Don’t wait to be fully prepared. Don’t wait until it’s perfect. Just get moving.
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