I’ve been stifled by the unknown lately. That shouldn’t matter but it does. Somehow not knowing has turned off the faucet of ideas. This is an overstatement of course. I still get plenty of them. I am just not quick to act on them and they whimper and fade away before anything happens.
I have one hour before I walk out the door so I’m forcing my own hand. What can I speak into existence that I can’t turn back from? That if I say it, the world will hold me to it?
The world isn’t the power to hold accountable though. In the end, it ends with me, which I know. Deep down, so do you. We all know what we should do. We just don’t. So one hour. What’s the thought?
Without much concrete in the world at the moment, it’s hard to set goals much further out than a week. Seems bizarre, right? As an athlete I’ve spent the last 20 years looking out 1, 3, 6 months, then knocking off the work, step by step to the finish. I’m throwing some of that out the window these days. What I will do tomorrow and maybe plan something for next week is about as far as I get. Yesterday I pulled the paddle board out and instead of going home and watching TV, I took the kids out to paddle while the other rode her bike and we walked the dogs.
I’m throwing away the limitations of what I think I’m capable of and just seeing what happens. Swim false river? Sure. 100 mile bike ride without much riding. Why not? What’s the worst that can happen? A couple hours of discomfort?
But those things fade in a moment. How can I push things further? Maybe not physically, but maybe branch out. Or expand sideways.
Yesterday I started the process of turning the dining room of my restaurant into an online music venue. Today I’ll take microphones and a mixer up, add a little lighting and maybe tonight play a 20-30 min show. The goal is to deepen the role of music in the FRESHJUNKIE brand. I’ll set up time slots a couple nights a week and let musicians use it to promote what they do. Maybe they make some ends meet.
My other idea was prompted by another brand that had a musician tied to their brand do a cover of a guilty pleasure song. I Truly think any song that gives you pleasure can’t be too guilty so today I’ll reach out to 10 musicians to see if they’ll send me a video of them performing their pleasure song. I’m calling it #thepleasureproject.
Now you. Take one hour. What can you commit to while you have some of this weird time? Can you do that thing you’re scared of? Can you go back to something you did in high school or before that you loved? Remember when you loved photography, or writing? Remember when creating moved you? Remember when you said you were going to train for a 5k or a triathlon or start that walking plan?
What’s something you don’t think you can do but want to?
Today I challenge you to take an hour and plan for tomorrow or if tomorrow is too far, then for after lunch. Take out the old pencil and paper and challenge yourself. Write out anything for an hour. See where it takes you.
I mean you have the time.
#hugsandhi5s