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Saturday 20 March 2010

why we don't do what we want to do



some mornings - it used to be all mornings - i start my day by sitting on my sofa with my breakfast, a couple of good books, my diary, maybe a magazine and read or just let my thoughts wander. a little bit of quiet time, before the hustle and bustle starts. i hadn't done this in a long time. and i missed it. so there i sat down on my sofa this morning.

and out of the blue i started thinking: why is it that so often we don't do what we want to do? i think way up in the top ten of excuses are number one - i had no time - and number two - i had no choice. oh, blah-blah.

don't get me wrong here - i'm talking about the things we personally want to do, the things we know we feel deeply about, things that are really close to our heart, things we always wanted to do but never had the courage to. i'm explicitely not talking about the things other people think we should be doing, nor about the things we think we want to do, but really, we don't. we are grown-ups and can figure out which is which, right? no-one should be patronising us when it comes to our priorities.

so, about number one. if we are honest, there are really very few times in life when there really, really is no time to do the things we really care about. maybe we have to get up earlier or have to cancel other things, but in 99% of the cases, there is time.

as to number two, that's bollocks. most of us are not held captive, are not set under drugs or have otherwise been taken our freedom to act. we have far more choice in life than we like to face.

being honest about this, there are probably two very valid reasons for why we are not doing what we want to do: we either are scared of the thing we want to do, or we are scared we might fail trying. and these reasons are not to be dismissed lightly. my father often said: only the stupid have no fears. it's a sign of intelligence to be scared. and he is spot-on. it's ok to be scared. surely, there are loads of risks we sometimes have to take. but no-one's going to be helped if we chicken out all of the time.

so maybe today is the day to stop and give some thought to the things we want to do. and just start doing them.

(dear readers, remember that when i sound so preachy, i'm preaching to myself because i just had some kind of epiphany. you just happen to have the doutbful job of listening to my rant. hope you'll forgive me.)

p.s.: as to number two (no time), i have to make a big exception. people with small children. there, "no time" has a totally different quality. chapeau to all of you who juggle family life, you are amazing!

16 comments:

Mandy said...

I Love your "rants" keep them up !!!!

Shokoofeh said...

Loved this post, Kristina! :)

la ninja said...

hear, hear.
nail on the head. well hit :)

test said...

you are saying what i keep telling myself for a while. i have been scared to do what i want to do for a while now, and decided to take action. it's scary though...

thanks for this post, and the photo is so nice!!

Ida/FarEastLogbook said...

What an excellent post, Kristina! You're so spot-on! You've got me thinking...

Megan said...

This post was very inspiring! Keep it up!

Anonymous said...

thanks for this post - loved it!:)

máni said...

i really really enjoyed reading this post. i mean certainly we all know that, but sometimes someone has to shove it right into your face. thanks for doing it!! :)

kristina said...

thanks for sharing your thoughts - I really enjoy reading them! I'm wondering - what is it you want to do? :-)

nadine paduart said...

yes. we do can make time. yes. even with small children too. time is kind of a mind boggle. rewarding wehn chosen.

Unknown said...

I wonder this myself... and you've nailed them! My excuse is always no time, but the real reason is fear!

lea said...

i really enjoyed reading this post kristina - you are so right! and that photo is gorgeous. so much light. fingers crossed winter will soon be fully over!

alexandria said...

I adore this photo...it's polka dot plants! Your ideas about making time is spot on as well. This morning my guy and I got up early and went on a photo wandering together to a place we hadn't been and it was so fun. Then I went to work after wards, but I felt like I had accomplished so much more than usual just by making the time and sticking with the idea. I love your thoughts on what you enjoy doing in the morning before the hustle and bustle of the day.

Denise | Chez Danisse said...

I agree with you on so many levels. Sometimes, I don't end up doing what I want to do because I'm not truly present. What I'm talking about is that easy-to-fall-off-track mode of operating that some call "auto pilot". It's truly something to watch out for. The more present I am, the more I find myself doing what I want to do. Spring is a perfect time to remind ourselves of such things, a perfect transition period. Here's to beautiful and positive transitions!

ka said...

thanks a lot for remembering me.

ka

jane said...

i so hear ya!... :)

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