Courtesy of Dot Connector Blog
I remembered how my Dad used to tell me that I should “make hay while the Sun shines” – a saying that seems to ring immortally true, especially in this day and age of multiple digital distractions.
We are in an age of endless streams of consumption. Steve Rubel himself has said it as much.
Blogs, Forum posts, Youtube videos, Flickr photos, Facebook games, Twitter updates, HDTV, iPhones, MMORPGs, 3D Movies, and of course the latest iPad.
And let’s not forget the more traditional forms of entertainment like books, newspapers, magazines, television and radio.
What does this mean for us? Well, it simply means that we can be so busy consuming that we forget to create.
I love this post by Robert Pagliarini (author of The Other 8 Hours) which spoke about an iPad Killer which is far cheaper and better for creating. It is called the legal pad and only costs about US$0.58 each.
This is far cheaper than an iPad, and better for ideating (source)
What Robert proposes in his book (which I hope to read soon) is similar to what Gary Vaynerchuk suggests in his video and book Crush. Their main message is that we shouldn’t waste our time just drifting along or going with the flow. We should make every single hour count and be creators, producers, crafters, artists, authors, and builders.
The best way to ensure that you do not waste your day away in meaningless drivel is to set a goal of continuous creation. Make every waking moment apart from work and sleep an enriching and constructive one. Stretch yourself with a project that you can be passionate and energetic about.
What sort of projects you may ask? Well, anything that requires you to mold, build and develop.
It can be as simple as writing a blog post, taking and uploading a series of photographs, making a scrapbook, authoring a book, or designing a new website.
It can be as personal as organising a family gathering for 100 relatives around the world, celebrating a loved ones’ birthday party, or documenting your child’s growing up years.
It can also be as complex as starting a new business, movement, or religion.
What is important though is to try to finish what you start. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither was Boing Boing.net, the world’s most followed blog.
Finally, more words from the wise, this time from Robert Herrick (an old English poet) which was popularised in the movie Dead Poet’s Society:
Gather ye rose-buds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today,
Tomorrow will be dying.
Speaking of Dead Poet’s Society, let me leave you with this beautiful scene from the movie:
What are you waiting for? Go ahead and Seize The Day!
Great post, Walter! Totally agree with you. Creating and publishing, or as Seth Godin calls it ‘shipping’ are very important. The feeling you get from finishing that blog post, closing the deal, sending that invitation is so gratifying, that all the hard work put into the creating process is so worth it.