Re-ignition

byArielC1

185 followers

7 months ago

Finding the drive yet again.

After six years of failure, dormancy, neglect, and self-reflection, I'm going to try again and this time with a much clearer perspective on things and getting back to the things I started years ago. It was never an easy task finding the the desire to get back and rebuild things for myself after going through the motions and finding no progress and fulfillment.

I guess I could say I was one of the many people who start out with their golas lay strewn in front of them and mindlessly going after it and and after months upon months of zero progress they eventually burn out. Frustrated and tired, they now lie to themsleves into thinking that a certain pursuit isn't for them. Thier brain tells them to avoid the pain of loss and quit altogether.

Why most people quit on themselves

• Self-doubt. Uncertainty about their abilities, fear of failure, and negative self talk can lead them to give up.
• Lack of support. Insufficient encouragement, resources or accountability can make it difficult for people to stay commited to their pursuits.
• Lack of motivation. Insufficient reason for pursuing a goal, lack of direction, or conflicting priorities can cause people to lose sight of their objectives and quit.
• The deisre to always be perfect. Setting unrelistically high standards can cause people frustration disappointment, causing people to abandon their pursuits.
• Fear of succes. "What if things don't work out'? "What if they do and I don't know if I'll ever be able to handle it'? For some people, the prospect of success can lead them to self-sabotage and quit their chosen pursuit altogether.

The things mentioned above are few of the reasons why most people quit on themselves thinking whatever they're pursuing isn't for them. We all get tired sometimes we are humans after all but, staying down with all the negative self-talk but eventually, we reach a point where we look ourselves in the mirror and say "enough is is enough'. it is only a matter of time and people get there at different rates. Some take longer while others realize it fast enough.

With all these being said, there is a way to break the cycle of mediocrity and certain belief systems that chain individuals down and stop them from reaching their fullest potential.

Breaking the cycle

We as individuals have all been led to believe by the current education system that there is only one way to go about doing things and that is the way of the mainstream culture. They were ;ed to believe success is for the talented and special kind of people only. Questioning such things will render people incapable of wanting to improve on themsleves due to fear of being labeled as ingrates by the very education system that they put under.

Below are the list of steps one can take to little by little.

• Realistice goal setting. Break down large objectives into smaller, more achievables tasks.
• Developing a growth mindset. Viewing failures an opportunity for growth and learning is an ability and skil in and of itself.
• Create or find a support network. Surround yourself with people who encourage you to believe in yourself.
• Do celebrate small wins. Acknowledging an celebrating progress alonmg the way no matter how small it may appear will help by a long shot.
• Practicing self- compassion. Being kind to yourself and treating yourself with understanding when dealing with setbacks are great ways to help you become grounded and focused.

Philippe Petit

There was acertain article about Philippe Petit a long time ago. Petit was a French artist or should I say daredevil who strapped a wire between two world Trade center buildings snd then walked across it a couple of times.

What is striking about this is the preparation.

It took Philippe up to seven years of physical and mental training to accomplish such a feat. Would you even think that he just set off and hoped for the best? No he didn't. In fact, his trainig height is modest at best compared to the altitudes he would eventually reach and conquer.

Philippe Petit is for sure a fascinating character; he is someone who has had to deal with fear far beyond the levels which most of us have. In some ways, it did help me identify my own shortcomings by studying his approach.

Visualisation

"Before my high-wire walk across the Seine to the second story of the Eiffel Tower, the seven-hundred-yard-long inclined cable looked so steep, the shadow of fear so real, I worried. Had there been an error in rigging calculaions?"

How doe Petit overcome these doubts?

With a simple visulisation excercise.

"On the spot I vanquished my anxiety by imagining the best outcome: my victorius last step above a cheering crowd of 250,000."

Added to this, Petit exaggerates his fears. Rather than try to fight it and muscle through fear, he suggest taming it by building it up so that when you are finaly faed with your fear, you will be disappointed by how mundane the theat really is.

A clever tool in the arsenal to destroy fear: if for example a nightmaretaps you on the shoulder, do not turn around immediately expectin to be scared. Puase and expect more, exaggerate.

be ready to be so afraid, to scream in terror. The more delirious your expectations, the better and safer you'll be by the time that you see reality is much less horrifying than what you had envisioned. Now turn around and see that it wsn't all that bad.

He goes on to say that he has fears like everybody else. In fact, he does talk about his dislike of spiders.

On the ground I profess to know no fear, but I lie. I will confess, with self mockery, to arachnophobia and cynophobia [fear of dogs]. because i see fear as absence of knowledge, it would be silly for me to conquer such silly errors

"I'm too busy these days, I'll say, "but when I decide it's time to get rid of my aversion to animals with too many legs (or not enough legs snakes are not my friends either), I know exactly how to proceed."

I will read science reports, watch documentaries, visit the zoo. I will interview spider wranglers (is there such a profession?) to discover how these ceatures evolved, how they hunt, sleep, mate, and, most importantly, what frightens the hairy scary beast. Then, just like James Bond, I won't have any problem having a tarantula dance in my forearm.

Petit's walk remains to be one the most illustrious - and stunning - acts of public art ever. He says there is no why behind the act and to quote his own words:

To me, it's really simple. Life should be lived on the edge of life. You have to excercise rebellion, to refuse to tape yourself to the rules, to refuse your own success, to refuse to reapeat yourself, to see every day, every year, every idea as a true challenge, and then you're going to live your life on a tightrope.

Starting anew

It does seem that I have digressed a little bit far off but having said wha i said, I decided to get back on his journey with a fresh approach, a new mindframe, a new perspective.

This time, I decided to become a process oriented person, to fully commit myself to the whole procedure of building something worthwhile, to keep on learning and picking up things along the way and the results will take care of themselves.