Semi-Writer’s Block

My college has taken over my life. It is literally running my life these days. I can’t believe that I have so much stuff to deal with and that too within such a short time span. Two big lessons that I am learning from this episode are:

• Procrastination is bad.
• Time Management is awesome.

Otherwise too, I sometimes suffer from not being able to think about anything to write about, so here are some things that might help someone else, if he is unable to think about stuff to write about. The difference between an amateur and a professional is that a professional will deliver even when he doesn’t feel like it. (note: I am not claiming to be a professional writer.) Or he’s good at making himself feel like it. Someday I’m going to figure out how to be a professional writer. Till then, use some of the following techniques and see if you come up with something creative:

Here are the five things I’m going to try to break this writer’s block:

1. Write for five minutes about anything. Sometimes it’s just a matter of getting the words flowing from my mind to the computer.
2. Mindmap to see if the problem is that I don’t know what I’m talking about. If so, then this calls for some more research and playing around with text editors.
3. Tell myself that I only need to write for about five minutes. Just like in conversation, I tend to get carried away—but I have to start somewhere.
4. Take care of my other tasks so that I’m not thinking about them.
5. Deliberately not write until it drives me mad and I just _have_ to write.

See, that doesn’t seem too hard…

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The Right Angle

My favorite movie of all time is Dead Poets Society. If you’ve watched it, and if you really listen to the message, it is a message of change and progression, for if not we stagnate and die. Really, some of the quotes are so powerful, and the example of leadership played by the main teacher “Mr. Keating” (as portrayed by actor Robin Williams) is truly unique and absolutely remarkable. I’ll take this post into two parts, again, not to dilute the lesson it’s trying to convey.

Today I want to write about what I learned again from watching the movie AGAIN (probably for the nth time). Really, Mr. Keating’s message is one of hope and aspiration. His work is centered around reaching the young minds of his students and implanting them with a desire to succeed, but to be unique in being themselves. One of my favorite quotes is right in the beginning when he says, “You’re in a battle, gentleman, for your hearts and souls!”

That perfectly describes our journey through this life! It’s a battle to keep true to who we are…so very deep inside. A battle that if lost, we will lose our beings to the traps of mediocrity and non-achievement. Very powerful if you think about how we’ve been doing in “our” battle up until this point in time.

One of the most famous scenes in the first half of the movie is when Mr. Keating stands up on his desk, and then encourages his students to all take a turn doing the same. His point is to help them see the world from a different angle, give them a different perspective. He encourages this as a way of gaining new insight and revolutionary ideas in solving life’s challenges and discovering grand opportunities. I asked myself yesterday, “how often do I look at things from new angles?” Surprisingly we stay stuck in the same mental rut as we always have been, yet expect things to change! (That is the definition of insanity, by the way) Albert Einstein said, “You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created.” Now if that’s not one of the most brilliant things ever spoken, I don’t know what is.

That quote is exactly what Mr. Keating was doing on his desk. By standing up there, you can view the world in a different scene and be on a different level. When we are faced with challenges, whether they be personal, family, or business related, the best way out of them is to look for new angles. Look for a new opening. Look for the opportunity.

Basically, stop focusing on the damn problem! The more we talk about the sorrows we have, the more we speak of the insurmountable obstacles we face, well, then, the more we have those situations come into our life. So let’s implore together to stand on a desk today (figuratively speaking, but if you’re inclined to actually do so, be my guest.

Let’s look at the way life is going FROM A TOTALLY NEW PERSPECTIVE. What are the possibilities ahead? What are the goals we want to achieve? What is the ideal target? Then let us put our undivided focus upon that end result. Minute by minute, until we have come to our planted destination. Worth a shot? Right?

MAY YOU SORE TO NEW HEIGHTS TODAY!