Wisdom

11-3-23

Block 22 hours for LEAD. Block 25 hours for ICC. Block 3 for Journaling. Hm. Is this enough?

Seriously, I don't work, but from the outside, I don't think anyone would be able to tell. I'm good at blocking time to ensure what I want to get done gets done. The unanswered question is, why do I want to accomplish these things? 

That is something I've been asking myself a lot lately. 

This entry was followed by another entry asking, "What have I learned in my LEAD classes and how am I applying it?" I'd hate to waste my free time. Geez!

I read an article today in The New York Times about the racehorse Journalism and how he won the Preakness Stakes. It correlated horse racing with the Western work culture, particularly that of Silicon Valley companies. They say, "For too long, our society has been running at Silicon Valley tempo — move quicker, scale faster, break through or get left behind. It’s the rhythm we’ve absorbed: endless acceleration." 

So, what do you do when you try to step away from that culture? For me, it was signing up for multiple classes, volunteering, starting a company, a blog, a podcast, a coaching practice, and a newsletter to showcase all of it. Why? Because I learned how to be productive, and it's now hardwired into my body and brain. To stop feels like giving up, letting others win, and proving I'm exactly what others thought I was all along — not good enough. Urg, that hurts.

The article called his win "a reminder that patience isn’t weakness and that some victories are earned not by charging to the front but by knowing exactly when to move." It is wisdom over doing. That feels like a powerful statement. Why is it so hard for me to embrace this?

For the last two weeks, I haven't blocked out my time or planned exactly what I wanted to accomplish. I added free time to my schedule, creating open space, which gave me the opportunity to decide what I wanted to do next. Although some might see my schedule and think it was normal, I felt like I was flying by the seat of my pants.

What I discovered was that deciding what to do in the moment is freeing; it feels powerful. Now, as I continue this experiment, I wonder if this freedom will allow wisdom to guide my actions instead of just habit. And with wisdom in the driver's seat, then what?