When I started blogging well over a decade
ago, I had a strange problem. I would have a blog post idea in mind with the
content figured out, but I would not post it. The post was in my thoughts all
day, but I couldn’t get myself to actually write it down and post it. This was a rather strange sort of reluctance,
but after several weeks of it running in my head all day, I figured out the
true reason.
You see.. I had only one blog-post idea in
mind, and if I were to put that post down, then I would have no ideas left. And
the prospect of being left with no ideas for another post, for some bizarre
reason I couldn’t quite fathom, made me insecure.
But once I applied this logic to giving a
speech, I began to make some sense of this weird subconscious concern of mine,
the concern being
“Should
I put out my very best ideas in the coming speech? Because if I did that, I
would have none left over for future ones “
Do you relate?
We shall return to this concern, but after
a small detour.
Humans are known to have thousands of
thoughts each day. The vast majority of these are repetitive. And here is why I
think that might be the case.
The key point – unprocessed thoughts are
repetitive. They often repeat, because you procrastinate taking action on
something that your subconscious mind thinks is important.
Are you avoiding an uncomfortable
conversation that you’ve been meaning to have, but hesitate to initiate because
your mind is worried about a million what-if scenarios? Your mind will keep
reminding you to have that conversation. If you procrastinate for a few weeks,
your mind will keep trying to remind you. After that, it will label you a
coward and leave it at that.
Maybe you have been meaning to go on a
vacation, but keep postponing the plan. Your mind will keep reminding you of the
vacation.. Until you block the dates and book the tickets.
Until we process the thought, our mind
behaves like a ‘broken record’ – reminding us of the same thing over and over
again.
Now, we shouldn’t be surprised if this were
true of creative endeavours too. If I put down the first blog post idea soon
after it comes to mind, my mind is free to think about ideas for the second
one. If I don’t put down the blog post, it goes into my mind’s to-do list, and
takes up precious mental bandwidth that is more productively utilized
elsewhere.
If I give everything I have to the current
speech, my mind is free to come with new ideas for the next speech.
A mind with an unprocessed idea is like a
clogged pipe. You’ve got to execute the idea for more ideas to flow.
Put out every good idea you have. Trust
your mind to come up with new ones. Process your thoughts and take action on
them. That’s the only way you can keep your mind and thinking fresh.
7 comments:
Very well written and highly relatable.
Thanks Viveka !
I absolutely relate to this feeling. Thanks for bringing it into my range of self-awareness. Rohini
Amazing Karthik! Whatever you said is true to a great extent. Along with this There could ba belief that I am not creative/ what if people laugh at me for a silly Post etc.. so it is unprocessed thoughts and other limiting beliefs.
Best is as you suggested put it out on paper/ blog etc and get it out of our system. Then face whatever belief that we have honestly and with courage.
Once again thank you for penning down. Felt really good when I read your blog !!
This is amazing and eye opening. Very well writing Karthik. A very important block many including me face. It’s important to be creative in every aspect of life for problem solving and planning. So this is a very important awareness to bring out. Thanks for your courage to put it out, I got to know something.
Well said. Loved this line “A mind with an unprocessed idea is like a clogged pipe.”
Thank you for the kind comments, Ganesh Sir, Rohini, Amruta, and Anonymous :)
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