Decision, Commitment, Productivity

It seems that making the Decision, leading to a Commitment, causes Productivity. It should only work like that every day. Here I am fighting and arguing with Mr. Resistance, and once I made the decision to get to work, Wham! it happens. That commitment to get myself to the studio and do some much needed painting really worked.

Next painting

A while ago I read The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron, which helps artists of all types break away from their creative blocks. It was definitely an eye opener and the tasks helped me move forward in my art making. However, now and then I slide right back into that comfortable mode of “I’ll get to it later.” And you know how that is, later never comes, time passes, and we forget everything we learned.

Things happen, plans fall through, the “lights” go out, in more ways than one, and art just doesn’t seem to happen.

Until I read about decisions becoming commitment. The brain knows what it’s doing, trying to distract us from our work. But the commitment I made shook it all up. I guess it works, huh?

Session 3

You see, I was on a roll, painting along so effortlessly, when I was so rudely interrupted by a mess of a hurricane here in New York. This painting was begun in earnest, each stage worked in small segments of time, gradually developing when my lights l

iterally went out. I stopped painting this and anything else. Nothing in the way of creativity.

Knitting took painting’s place for a while, as we regrouped. The holidays came and went, I sold some work at some events, but painting did not resume. Mr. Resistance was getting nice and cozy, until I “Decided” to move on.

Flower Shadows, 18×24 Watercolor, Arches 140lb cold press paper @2013 Dora Sislian Themelis

Decision Equals Commitment

Information sometimes comes at the wrong time. The brain is not ready to accept certain ideas, facts, data and the like. However, the information presented is digested and the time eventually comes when we need to make a decision. The decision, then, becomes our responsibility. Decisions lead to action.

Trail ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis

Recently I had a choice to make on another online program. Take the course, or don’t take the course. The course would have been beneficial in that I would not learn anything business-wise any where else, given the fact that I am not going back to school. Please, not at this stage in the game, and not for business.

The deciding factor was finances. This course was pricey. Okay, I would learn things I didn’t know, but the question hung on me: Would the cost translate into actionable usage? Would it benefit me in ways I would see in concrete form. Or, would it benefit me in time, with more help, needing more learning? I just couldn’t justify the price at this point. With plenty of other ways of getting information at my fingertips right now, I passed on the course. Next time around I’ll rethink it.

Someone would be making money, not necessarily me. For now I’ll just Google whatever I need to know.

But the course presenter sent out a free and informative video workshop with good thoughts on moving ahead and making things happen. A big take away for me was the idea that we need to make a decision first, and that decision, what ever it might be, is a commitment. Once we make a commitment, we take action.

“Once we take action, the Universe bends to support you,” the presenter emphasized. That statement struck me, reminding me of the book I read a while ago The Science of Getting Rich, by Wallace Wattles, from 1908, I think.

I get that. Making decisions is like saying there’s no B.S. now, you’ve got to get things done. Take charge. Act. Be a doer. Push it. Do it.

Making the commitment was the easy part. Kicking out Mr. Resistance is the hard part.