Winged Victory of Samothrace / Nike of Samothrace - 190 B.C. @ Louvre Museum, Paris
Nike preaches "just do it". There's no need to overthink here as there is no question but a simple motivational command and ultimatum in 3 very simple words. Sometimes simplicity speaks for itself- sticks like that gum on your shoe. It's easy to reference. If not a no-brainer. Then our philosopher sensei sage Yoda opens up the question- weighing the value of our efforts: "Do or do not. There is no try." Insinuating a yes no question- and no room for half-assed-ness or the in-between. As currently written up on the wipe board at our office...and hoping to channel its way into my head by way of osmosis...
I've been in this 2020 mantra of reviewing how I spend my time- the activities I engage in, and in winter hibernation contemplating how to squeeze every last minute of pseudo "free time" to make it "me time". Bee it to play soccer, take some online classes, and hone up on my rustiness and outdatedness with some Adobe programs and get reacquainted with sitting my hind down in one place for hours at a time to get myself closer to my target. Frankly there isn't quite enough time to DO so. The to-do list and I've even at one point signed up for Todoist-and we pile up. But the doing keeps me going and in check.
When something is important to you, you make the time. Be it for a loved one, yourself, or those grandiose dreams.
Learned it from my father- the capacity to juggle several jobs / initiatives- and in retrospect, not sure how he managed to always find or make the time. While I've never been the best student at school- and never excelled in regurgitating information nor having the consistency to pursue some lengthy hard-earned technical degree for something I would want to devote my entire life to. It's less a lesson in memorization, but more to be thought through, understood, processed, and translated into other plans.
I long ago subscribed to that School of Life, of many schools- learning while trying, on the job, by default, or out of necessity- and I suppose there's the A.D.D or strange formula of being equally curious and impatient which have led me down a road of detouring thru life and a lot of inevitable tinkering around. Assuming practicality, and applying common sense to the quotidienne, over the years it has been easier to figure out the things I didn't like doing in a very long-winded process of elimination.
Some may think I'm a bit of an odd cat and rolling stone. I say that somebody sneezed, and I'm that dream-ridden childhood meatball that rolled off the table, onto the floor - out the door- thru the garden- past grandmother's house, and still rolling along...chipping away at the bigger picture... the perpetual work in progress.
My cousin I-li used to have this phrase: "When life gets in the way of itself". It's a proverbial excuse-giving cushion to why things don't pan out the way they should despite our greatest intentions and ambition. IT always made sense, but it also made me flinch noting we DO make excuses for ourselves. If we want something bad enough, we make it happen. That's how some of the greatest missions and victories were achieved. And there's much to be said about determination, sweat equity, persistence, blood, and even tears.
AND I-li used to tell me I really needed to FOCUS. No doubt, it bothered me- but in retrospect, I've always been overwhelmed by the possibilities and having many interests. Yes I jump around, my head is always bouncing back and forth- switching gears and juggling I call it- as am I between ideas and worlds. While my mother always said that I was a dreamer, and she's probably right, I do think that there's no traditional manual or way of "DOING" life. Just DIY- DO it yourself.
From a Student of Life's perspective, life is too short to just do one thing. Too the roadmap is what's ahead and there's still a lifetime of discovery. You send out your feelers, give what you can a whirl. Over the years I've learned to do many a things, in perpetual tinkertoy rhythm. There have been episodes, and then the ebbs and flows of having access to the piano, sewing equipment, space to paint, and ultimately assuming that one's time affords it. That focus is hard to pinpoint- as my camera simply prefers a larger aperture. While I might know how to do many things and speak multiple languages, I feed off being multi-functional. I've also learned more in life by simply reading, researching and DOING- with a goal to be a master of none...
I like to do- and am compelled to do so- when the wind and inspiration move me. But in life there's also the have to do's and the want to do's- of which I've had to do more of the first and found less time for the latter.
Time and again I've told myself I'll paint again - I'll have space and bandwidth to do so again...lately really trying to set the scene and MAKE TIME. AND work on the resources & funds to retrieve a gajillion lost digital files stuck on broken external hard drives and an archaic laptop. Noting... the lag... otherwise perceived as excuses... but it's hard to live in perfect internal harmony - hello self- when the world around you is a Dolby Surround Sound played 50 decibels too loud! How do you process that echo? When you've uprooted yourself a handful of times- changing coasts, jobs, "career", homes and interests, it's hard to aspire and sit pretty when shit hits the fan or maybe you're too busy spreading pixie dust or collecting pollen.
Graphic by Jamison Bethea of those crazy futuristic Fear of God sneakers (love how the shoelaces almost look like a font - & as if the Fear of God forces some sort of reflection if not pending action)...
Walt Disney probably best sums up the roadmap for some of us... "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
It's less the goal and more about the journey and process. While the perfect school and sabbatical would be to go live on an island away from the gazillions of distractions so that you can hear yourself think, there's also the reality of us being soundboards- digesting what's around us- and becoming a product of our environments and circumstances. The reality is that we are always our own experiment in the making.
So what IF your greatest joy is simply doing? DOING is that magical living experience. A function of productivity, a mindset, a sensation of going places despite sometimes standing still. Growing, moving, searching, finding...yourself whistling away and just doing as you do.
Carl Jung said " You are what you do and not what you say you'll do."
Setting in motion the mantra to spend that time wisely... To tune out those commercials, the haters, the critics, and JUST DO YOU. And PLEASE don't worry your pretty little heart about overdoing it. JUST DO IT.
DIDJAKNOW:
In Greek Mythology, Nike was the Goddess of speed, strength and victory. Also known as Winged Goddess, Nike is most often pictured as having wings. She was the child of Pallas (Titan) and Styx In most beliefs, Styx is the name of the river that separates Planet Earth from the Gates of Hell (Hades)
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