A while back Mary turned me on to an author name Daniel Pink. Now, some would call him a self-help guru of sorts, but I think he is stronger thinker than the stereotype you have in mind when I use that label. I was pretty obsessed for a while with his book a Whole New Mind as I felt like a lot of the attributes I had identified in myself were validated through his writing. They also seemed to give me some hope about my future as a creative person.
I also happened to do a quick read through his edition of "The Adventures of Johnny Bunko." A seeming comic book but also career guide. Silly, right? I still liked it. I thought it was totally useful and gave me good insights into how to consider what I do with my future. Career or not, we are all decision making beings who hold great influence over what we fill out time with... much of this is work, so what kind of work?
One of Mr. Pink's points in Johnny Bunko is "There is no plan." He asks the reader to consider each time in their lives when they have made a plan. Then consider what happened to that plan. Inevitably, if you are like me, the results looked very little like the plan itself. So, why do we spend so much time planning? Why do we worry so much if the results don't look like we anticipated. Isn't that the beauty and the magic. In the Christian household I grew up in, I often heard the now trite catch phrase "Let go and Let God." However silly it may be, it still comes to mind when I'm in a state like I am right now. Feeling disappointed by faulty planning.
So, I ask myself why? What is it that I have lost in the results of my planning? What expectations? Why did I bring those to the table and am I hindered by the results not being as I had imagined? This is a fact of life and one we must come to terms with if we do not wish to live in disappointment... we just have to let go.
That is my commitment for today because there is no plan. There are many ideas that point me in different directions, but undoubtedly, the surprises that are around the corner will trump my many ideas with something much more influential and powerful for my future.
I also happened to do a quick read through his edition of "The Adventures of Johnny Bunko." A seeming comic book but also career guide. Silly, right? I still liked it. I thought it was totally useful and gave me good insights into how to consider what I do with my future. Career or not, we are all decision making beings who hold great influence over what we fill out time with... much of this is work, so what kind of work?
One of Mr. Pink's points in Johnny Bunko is "There is no plan." He asks the reader to consider each time in their lives when they have made a plan. Then consider what happened to that plan. Inevitably, if you are like me, the results looked very little like the plan itself. So, why do we spend so much time planning? Why do we worry so much if the results don't look like we anticipated. Isn't that the beauty and the magic. In the Christian household I grew up in, I often heard the now trite catch phrase "Let go and Let God." However silly it may be, it still comes to mind when I'm in a state like I am right now. Feeling disappointed by faulty planning.
So, I ask myself why? What is it that I have lost in the results of my planning? What expectations? Why did I bring those to the table and am I hindered by the results not being as I had imagined? This is a fact of life and one we must come to terms with if we do not wish to live in disappointment... we just have to let go.
That is my commitment for today because there is no plan. There are many ideas that point me in different directions, but undoubtedly, the surprises that are around the corner will trump my many ideas with something much more influential and powerful for my future.
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