Monday, May 25, 2015

Just do it

I remembered the times when I grew up in a world without internet, youtube and (gasp!) google. If I want to find out about things, we have to listen to parents or teachers, whom we presume to know more about the world that we did. Either that, or we have to visit the library to search for the books and encyclopedias that are found there. They still are, just that these days with google, we tend to search online which is a very fast and efficient way instead of combing the entire encyclopedia starting from 'A' to 'Z' and hope to find a small entry with the information you need.


When I was stuck in playing those notoriously difficult old school RPG (like wizardry, wasteland, might and magic etc, NOT league of legends!) because of some insanely concocted puzzles, I'll come back to it later. Sometimes, you have to restart from a certain save points, fight all the equally insane battles to come to that stage again and then you get stuck again! But I'll remember the puzzles and vow to solve them one day. Often times, I feel that I'm still too immature or lack certain bits of knowledge to solve the puzzles, so after a few years and the itch comes back and so I'll re-play the games again and try to solve the puzzles to complete the game. If I still fail, I can go to sim lim to buy those Questbooks that give hints and tips written like this: Go to Lnqcnq to cdrsqnx the nmd qhmf (see if you can crack the code). I mean, no wonder I'm good at alphabets. They give you hints and guides, never directly, and even if so you have to work hard at it, so that the solution is yours to derive and not theirs to give.




That's important. You don't ever want to deprive someone of the joy of working hard at something, fail, and try again until they succeeded. You don't want to deprive someone of being addicted to success and the hard work that comes before it.


And so when I read this wonderful piece of art, with built in gif so that it actually freaking animates, I was mind blown. It talks about how we live in such an amazing age where the traditional way of doing things had been removed. Obstacles that used to stop someone from expressing themselves has been removed, at least partially. There's really absolutely no reason for someone with the will power and the sheer tenacity not to try and do something about the things that they are passionate about.


Perhaps the only obstacle left is yourself. Your nagging self doubts. Your lack of actions despite the lofty dreams that you constantly talk about. You.


We have met the enemy and he is us.

10 comments :

Singapore Man of Leisure said...

LP,

When I catch myself saying I will do this or that only when I've this and that, I know immediately I am engaging in kopitiam say say only...

I'm not that into it.

Hence most people like to move the goal posts to avoid doing what they say say only ;)

Those things we serious about, we're already tinkering with it - where got time to read the manual? Set goals and plans?

LOL!

la papillion said...

Hi SMOL,

Haha, I'm the sort who will read manuals before plunging in :) but these days, less reading, more doing for me. I'll try first and then I'll read and then repeat again. I find that doing first makes u understand better when u read. Otherwise if I read first, I'll have re read after doing.

Oh I get ur point :)

We should aim not to be armchair theorist. Always be the do-er. It's funny in my fb feed that when some guys post question, nobody wants to be the one doing lol! Most are tutors and they prefer to critic on the methods.

I hope I'll never be like that! Engineers don't just talk, they do and refine from there!

Investopenly said...

Follow the slogan of Nike is always RIGHT!

Time wait for no man, hell ya, JUST DO IT!

Sillyinvestor said...

Hi LP,

Recently I really feel like throwing in the towel and "just stop doing it"

The reverse thought of "I am not doing it anymore by October" gave me strength instead to keep going at it.

Leaving at October, why do I care about some things. Leave me to do things more daringly.

That's how I keep myself going.

Funny how the mind works isn't it?

When I am tired of something, I realised my first obstacle is trying to escape...

When I stop escaping, my second obstacle is trying to burn myself out so that I couldn't care less...

A true fighter, fight hard, and rest hard, so that he fights again.

Keep fighting and hoping the enemy land a sword at you is suicide, not fighting

Rolf Suey said...

Hi LP,

Hahaha hit my head for being a nag! Your biggest enemy is "Rolf Suey!". This enemy needs to be uncover before you can be freed!

Before you proceed with "just do it" , first you must have very strong desire.

The problem about most people without strong desire is they may "just do it" but it may only last once or twice or short time before they give up. They give up easily and then blame. Then they proceed to another endeavor that they cannot fix and finally says "it's fated, unlucky and resign to fate!


Derek said...

Hi LP,

I have forgotten how many times I wanted to do something productive after work only to find myself slumped on my sofa or the alarms to wake up early to do some work only to snooze it away, and when I do start to get my butt moving, the same tools that are supposed to help me in my work are also my greatest weakness – I will end up surfing other websites or meddling with my phone.

I guess the trick is to do it consistently until your muscle memory remembers it.

la papillion said...

Hi Richard,

Haha, even though I like 'just do it', 'just did it' is even better ;)

la papillion said...

Hi SI,

Leaving your job? Thought you are doing well there?

If u ever come out to do privately, do let me know.

The 'can't be bothered' kind of fighting is very different from the 'I want to win' kind of fighting. Might look the same, but we all know the motivations are driven differently :)

la papillion said...

Hi rolf,

I don't mind u repeating! The songs that I like to listen, I also put it on repeat mode Haha! Indeed, if you do not know yourself, it's hard to be driven by internal motivations. And we know it's those that lasts, long after rewards of a new phone or money as an external reward has been long gone.

la papillion said...

Hi Derek,

Haha, I know what u mean :) these days I know that if I'm doing serious work, I actually set a timer and do it. The time is not important, but the fact that I'm timing it makes my brains think I'm doing some competition, so I'll be distracted to a much lesser extent. To learn to be focused is easy - remove the distractions ;)