Roll the Ball Downhill
The point when the switch inside the brain flips
How things begin will help dictate how they end. If you can’t understand the beginning of a book or a film, you will have trouble making your way through.
So if I can share a few ideas to help you begin your week with a sense of ease and possibly courage, that little boost could continue to impact other people in your orbit
.The Wisdom of the Rice Cooker
Small Effort Radiates
I got a rice cooker this year after repeatedly seeing praise for how great an addition they are to every kitchen. This basic Black and Decker model goes for as low as $15 CAD (~$10 USD) if you buy one that was barely used by another customer on Amazon Warehouse Deals.
What I learned from using the rice cooker is that just a small amount of heat is all that’s needed to cook almost any type of food.
Obviously, it excels at just cooking grains or steaming vegetables, but that little heating element is going to create a flywheel of momentum once it hits the metal pot.
That means you don’t need massive amounts of energy to do a big project. You just need a little bit to get started. Think of the little heating element in the rice cooker.
As you continue to dial in your focus, more and more items on the list will get accomplished.
Julia Cameron’s Creative Date
Weekly Outing to Recharge Your Batteries
Many people know The Artist’s Way as a book that helps encourage journaling every day. There is a second component to her method which many of us forget throughout the year.
The Creative Date is an outing that you take yourself on once a week to do something in solitude. She even advises against bringing your dog if it’s a walk on a trail.
In the winter, this can be going to a movie or a museum if you don’t have adequate layers to take outside.
Last week I went out for Mexican food to an authentic spot about 20 minutes walk from my home here in Toronto.
I was hoping to get into a massive bar fight with some banditos and gringos, but they didn’t even serve cervezas.
The Switch that Flips
The Moment Things Make Sense
I believe that when we take on a new activity, hobby or venture in life, there can be a significant length of time before a switch flips inside the brain and everything makes sense.
Before the flip, you are fumbling around, not really sure how to handle this thing. If it’s learning an instrument or a language, you don’t really have a method for practicing and excelling.
At this point, you reach what Seth Godin calls “The Dip”, which is the point where you are free to make the decision to quit. Just continuing on though, doesn’t mean the switch has flipped yet.
Stick with it long enough, and you will go from rolling the ball up a hill to rolling the ball down the hill, which is a much better position to be in.
Quitting is often spoken about in negative terms, but in that book, Godin reminds us that sometimes quitting is the best option as it frees us up for more appropriate pursuits.
Wishing you the finest this week,
Elliott
I loved this article. Happy Sunday. I know, it is cold where you live, but it was 6 farenheight when I woke up this morning, a bit too cold for a morning walk, Our beloved EAGLES won't be playing this year. I am rooting for Seattle.