Drawing a line

Do you ever feel like you don't know where to start? There are too many choices and ideas, and you don't know which one is the right one, on and on. Instead of seeing all those possibilities as precisely that word: possibilities, they become a hindrance. We fear choosing or doing the wrong thing and then regretting it. Or we are worried about how much this decision will impact all the hundred possibilities in the future.

Tired of thinking, we decided that it is safer not to do anything; in other words, nothing is being done. So now having all the possibilities becomes problematic.

Of course, I’ve been here too (and so often!), that’s why I can talk about it. I knew it back then when I felt a bit scattered. I felt excited that I could tell you, with different things in hand, but I felt scattered. That was not a good sign. What would happen then? Either the two, I felt overwhelmed and went to analysis paralysis or a series of dramas. The last thing you need when you want to move forward happily ;)

So, the excitement was a short-term feeling, while what I needed was a long-term satisfaction. Not that excitement is a bad thing, but it won’t be the only reason I jump on something. The cues I use now are when I feel intrigued by the topic, curious about how it would turn out, or simply want to create something out of it or, even bigger, the feeling of reinventing something within me, a new identity. I knew I had to stay focused on just a few things (and I am not saying to focus on only one! but also not five different things with the same level of priorities).

Imagine a white paper or canvas you want to draw or paint on. But this paper or canvas is so huge that you have all the possibilities to draw or paint whatever you want to do with it. You feel excited initially, but will you start doing your work immediately? And continuously?

Or will you start planning too much, since it is a big white paper, and keep readjusting your plan, waiting for the right time or when you have the time to do it? Or maybe, like this, you do it with a burst of excitement that’s short-lived. Are these familiar? Then you know the rest of the story.

Draw a line on that paper. A rectangular, a straight line to divide two sides, whatever shape of a line and size. But draw a line, create a limit or a restriction. It doesn’t matter which ideas you choose. List all of them and evaluate them. Then, make a strong decision and work only within the line. From what I learned from the creative masters, restriction and limitation are key to creativity. That also means other things not within your line will not have the same level of attention.

We are lucky when we can decide our own restrictions and limitations because many people have their restrictions and limitations imposed by others and circumstances. But even if you were in this situation, you still could create. These were the very points of what the creative masters did in the past. The challenge the modern world has nowadays is the opposite.

I have to remind myself of my priorities continuously, and with that, I might miss other possibilities out there. But I have made a strong decision and drawn a line, and I intend to focus on what is within the line. I would review it after a good time (not just some months), then I might need to readjust, but the focus stays the same. You will feel more empowered. All of a sudden, you see, this is possible to do, a skill you get better with, and a proud feeling of how committed you are to your creation.

In time, you will see something slowly merge on your canvas, and without realizing it, you are in your flow. The state of being anyone building their own and all creatives dream of. This flow creates inspiration from within you (not from others). This will impact your other ideas; that’s why I said it doesn’t matter which ideas you choose. It will all intertwine beautifully. In my experience, I would never been able to create or implement something I am proud of if I had not drawn a line to stay focused.