LIST UPDATE - No. 13

Guess who has a book report to give?!?!?! (And no, I didn't just read the first and last chapter and then the description on the inside cover.)

Since my list has been up now for nearly a month, I'm sure you've got it memorized. So, I don't need to remind you that number 13 on the list was to read 6 books this year - three for fun and three for professional development.

This book was recommended to me by a fellow creative and it has been on my list for a while. So I figured now was the time to get to readin'. I'm not sure if this book falls on the "for fun" or the "for professional development side" of my list, but I guess at the moment, it doesn't really matter.

Here are my main take-aways.

1 - Find opportunities to steal time. She likened it to two dating high schoolers. Even if it was only for 15 minutes, the two would make it a point to get together and do whatever dating high schoolers do. Priorities were re-arranged. Things were done faster or removed from the list so time could be made to see each other. This is what needs to happen when we pursue our projects. A lot of 15-minute intervals add up to a decent amount of time.

2 - If you want to succeed, you need to be willing to eat the shit sandwich. For example, if you want to be a successful trial lawyer, you need to be willing to work un-godly hours. If you want to be a professional writer, you need to be ready to write and write and write despite receiving rejection letter after rejection letter. Basically, you need to realize that pursuing your dream means you are going to have to put in a lot of grunt work before your it's realized. If you're truly passionate about your project, you'll eat that sandwich and then ask for seconds.

3 - Don't let your perfect get in the way of complete. Gilbert isn't telling people to do their work, or pursue their dream, half-assed. She's just saying, at some point, it's going to be good enough for public consumption. Sometimes having something in the world for people to react to is better than never having it see the light of day because it wasn't perfect.

4 -  If you're in a rut, take a break. Do something else that channels your energy and brings you joy. Often times, and this is especially true for creatives, this allows your conscious to think about the issue or problem from a different angle. This often results in seeing things differently than before and coming up with a solution.

There you have it. My book report. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in hearing real world examples about how others have mastered their craft in a creative space.

As you were.