How familiar is that phrase? For the last two weeks I've had more "I don't feel like it" moments than is normal for me. When it came time to go to yoga or fit club, to write, draw, go to a meeting, etc. I had two choices. One, I could just get up and push myself to do it, or, two, I could give in to whatever excuse was handy at the time and not do it. I'd say my performance was half and half, but I did notice a change in impetus and energy when I pushed myself to go for it.
Leaving the house, hitting the cold air, and engaging with friends quickly changed that "I don't feel like it" mood to "I'm so glad I did this". This morning I found something in today's reading of Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way Everyday that suddenly put this whole "I don't feel like it" thing into perspective:
"The idea that the biggest secret of making art might just be making some art is a conclusion the ego works very hard to avoid. The ego wants us to be "in the mood" to make art at the very least. And yet, as any hard working artist will tell you, waiting for the right "mood" to make art is a huge time waster. We are married to our art and just as the first caress can lead to interest between a long-married couple, the first lick of work can lead to an appetite for work. In other words, mood more often follows action than instigates."
This piece talks about art, which really really applies to me. I have those days when I plan to get a certain piece of my illustrating project done and I think I'm not in the mood. It will probably be terrible so I put it off. Other days when I feel that way, I take a tougher stand with myself and plunge right in. The result? I get caught up in the art and surprise myself. It happens with planning for my Young Authors Workshops, too. I designate a time to do it, the time comes and I'm tired, or don't feel quite well, etc. When I don't give into those feelings and just get out of my chair, set up on the kitchen island, and just get to it, I get caught up in the joy of the process and realize that there was nothing wrong with me at all. It was just a mess of excuses that needed to be pushed aside to get the job done. Writing this blog works much the same way and has taught me this lesson over and over again. This is a daily commitment and it cannot be left undone. What this commitment has shown me over the course of two and a half years is that that lethargic feeling can be quickly overcome by just picking up the pen and starting to write. About halfway through the post I'm so energized I can't stop. When I'm finished, the adrenalin is coursing through my veins and I end up getting up and getting even more work and projects done than I had even planned for.
Remember this: your energy lies in your passion and it's your responsibility to unearth it. Cameron's piece applies to all passions and all aspects of our lives from exercising, to work, to housecleaning, to eating right – to everything we do. The best line is the last one:
"In other words, mood more often follows action, than instigates."
Take that one home with you and the next time you're just not in the mood to do that which you know you need to do, slap that mood to the sidelines, get up and get to it, and you'll see how quickly that mood will change its tune. You'll get energized and feel amazing.
And so, as another day goes by, time to open a bottle of wine and prepare dinner for my husband (don't get excited – it's out of the freezer), relax and enjoy the fact that it's Friday, celebrate all the stuff I got done today because I didn't give in to "I don't feel like it", and….I have written.
Bravo—I’ll keep trying to live this message.