Getting Clear
"Deliberate practice cannot exist alongside distraction." --Cal Newport
What I realized in 2019 is that I am far too distracted. The bells and whistles of social media, technology, texting and posting were creating so much noise that my attention span shrank to three minutes.
So many of my creative friends and fellow writers experience the same issues. Absorbing the distractions of the overculture keeps up from creating, plain and simple. I wasn't able to work on my project and used every excuse in the book to tell myself why this was so. Until I realized, lack of focus was the thing.
A commitment. This year, I'm making a commitment to my own deepest work. Not the work that's just a cute idea to post or a clever blog or pretty photograph to share. But the work that requires the deepest dive, the greatest concentration, the most heart. According to Cal Newport, author of Deep Work, our society is slowly losing the ability to create original, intricate, focused material - because of the way we are misusing technology. I must agree that I see this dearth of focus around me, especially in my own life.
Clark College Classes Starting Next Tuesday
In Wildfire Writing class, you step away from distractions and find challenge and inspiration and encouragement and accountability, so that you can stay focused outside of class all week long.
In Yoga, you refresh the body and immerse yourself in experiencing life at the most beautiful and free level.
In Meditation, you learn what clearing the mind really means, a process often misunderstood just as the writing process is often misunderstood. We think the good stuff comes from thinking, from delineating and deciding, from critiquing and editing and fussing and judging. The good stuff of our lives and hearts comes from a much deeper center, and meditation gives us access.
I'm teaching all three modalities this fall. The Clark College offerings are all on Tuesday night, and you can actually spend your evening doing all three, for a tremendous boost of focused power. Or choose one that serves you best.
De-clutter the mind, refresh the body, and free the heart to create what you truly want to create. And do it. You really can do it. Our neuroplastic brains allow for the restoration of attention. That is, if you and I will do our part.
What a relief it is to see concentration flooding back to me. To see my pages filling up with words that do hard work. My hope is that I can pass along this wonderful reward to you.
Whatever your intentions and discoveries, wishing you a glorious New Year and creatively on-fire 2020!
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