Just yesterday I was writing in my journal about how I have been feeling like there is something that I want, and I keep searching for it, but I don’t even know what I’m even looking for.
I watch Youtube videos about productivity and finance, I listen to podcasts and audiobooks, I read blog posts and magazines. I do this every day, on top of work and study.
I feel like I always need to be doing something or learning something, or else I’m wasting time and I feel guilty.
I know that this is an unhealthy feeling.
That I’m suffering from information overload. I know that there is no secret hidden in a podcast episode that will instantly make me rich or successful.
I love learning new things, it makes me happy, so I will never stop doing that. However, I do recognize that I need balance in my life.
By “coincidence” I came across a quote from the writer Ann Lamott,
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
Today.com article on 14 value life lessons Ann Lamott wrote on a Facebook Post.
I can’t argue with that! When my internet is not working, I unplug my modem and router for a minute, and like magic, my internet works again.
Everything finally clicked. To unplug! I need a reset!
“But how do I do that?”, I asked myself.
Joseph Campbell had my answer:
“You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don’t know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don’t know who your friends are, you don’t know what you owe anybody, you don’t know what anybody owes to you. This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. This is the place of creative incubation. At first you may find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen.”
The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
This quote made it very clear to me that I need to not be afraid to be with my own thoughts, and at the same time try to clear my mind.
I have many times tries meditating and writing on a journal. However, I never stick with it. I do it for a few days, and then I stop.
However, Joseph Campbell’s quote made me realize what I was doing wrong which led me to quit meditating or writing time after time.
- I need to set aside a specific time to meditate and journal, and set a time reminder on my phone. I can’t continue with the “I’ll get to it sometime during the day” ideology, because I never end getting to iy.
- I need to assign a specific spot where I can perform meditation and writing. A place I feel comfortable in, and that I like. This way the process will be more enjoyable. My car or my bed ( where I usually would try to meditate) has so far not worked out.
Personally, I know that the best time for me to do this is early in the morning (I set a reminder on my phone for 6:30 am.). My partner and my dogs are still asleep. There is complete silence at home.
For the place, I picked my favorite chair around my home (see my quick doodle above). I’m the only one that sits there, it’s comfortable, and I remember it being love at first sight when I saw it in the store.
Update: It’s been a week since I wrote this blog post. I only missed 1 day of meditating and journaling (Saturday). I’ve been feeling great so far, even if I’m just unplugging for a few minutes. I’m excited to keep it up. I believe in the power of habit.
I would like to leave you with one last quote from one of my favorite authors.
“We have to find time in the day to disconnect with the world, so that we can connect with ourselves”
Austin Kleon on a YouTube Video
Unplug. Reset.