Sometimes I don’t want to do it. There are occasions when I don’t feel “inspired”. There are other times when I’m depleted. What does one do when they suck at any given moment?
They have to work. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t ready. You need to dig your heels in, and push. This is what separates a doer from a slacker. We got to do. We do, and then the sluggish times become less frequent. Recently, I’ve been a little less inspired. I don’t know what I want to talk about. I don’t know what I want to draw. The only thing that feels like it’s on track is my Jiu-Jitsu. So, that’s good news.
I left art school about 9 years ago. I see a lot of my peers slowing down or stopping all together. It’s interesting to see how life chips away at you like a seasoned boxer. Life seems to pick its shots at the right moments. You get a rejection letter just as you break up with someone. You don’t get the job you were dying for as your dog dies. You feel like you’ve fucked up for so long you can’t go any lower, and then you find new lows.
I’ve learned to laugh in the face of bad times. You don’t have many options. The beating is coming so might as well take it as a warrior. You may not be winning, but you can laugh.
Renzo Gracie had a fight where an opponent broke his arm. The fight was essentially finished at that point. Renzo tried to persevere, but he still lost. He was in immense pain, but hid it. He put on a big smile, and congratulated his opponent. Renzo knew that he may have lost the fight, but there would be more fights to come.
He chose to handle this loss with glee. Renzo Gracie has the warrior spirit. There’s no need to step into a cage or ring to get this spirit. One simply needs to endure in times of shit. There are many opportunities to lose. These abundant times are the moments to make a choice. We can be out for the count or we can smile with a broken arm.
There will be chances to win along the way. They are few and far between. It only makes them sweeter. If I live long enough I’ll stack some solid wins. I already know the losses will be more. So, let’s dig in. Let’s get some. I’m not giving up. I may not feel so inspired, but I’ll keep working.
Sigmund Freud once said, “When inspiration does not come to me I go half way to meet it.”
I meet the task at hand in the middle of the proverbial ring. I may not conquer my tasks at hand. I will not win at everything, but I will not be defeated. I will find a way, and I will laugh in the face of shitty times.