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This. Could. Work!
May. 21st, 2009 04:18 pmSo lately I've been practicing a new mental discipline: embracing ideas as I have them. Instead of ruthlessly critiquing and weeding them out, I've simply gathered them as they pop up, and developed them a little bit to see if they grow into anything useful.
This has greatly increased the number of projects I have ongoing. But the discipline began with having a good set of tools to capture, sort and keep said ideas at my fingertips, so I'm not as frazzled as I thought I would be. The only downside is feeling somewhat diffused and untethered, like being drunk while wearing pants too large that keep threatening to drop to the floor at any moment. The upside is that I don't feel these ideas/projects as commitments (nearly as much), and so I've been having a lot more fun working on them (and doing more with them). Results have not been analyzed yet, as nothing has progressed far enough to judge.
Thing is, opening up the valve has increased the flow of ideas, and made me open to the ideas of others. Such as the intriguing one my partner lobbed at me today:
In other words: invest a year to train in a related profession that would net me valuable experience in the people- and business-related aspects, offers a chance to build a network of contacts and clientele, and is flexible enough to be continued while in grad school.
Thing is, I had previously thought about this, and discarded it. The benefits hadn't occurred to me for several reasons:
I was unfamiliar with the awesome power of incremental progress. This is the biggest change, and I'm still learning the different patterns of thought that come from this very simple idea. Life is much more enjoyable when I practice Aggregate Futzing instead of Fits of Conan.
I thought I wanted to work in a hospital somewhere. As if I've ever been happy in a big corporate environment. I'm already thinking of having my own business, why not start it earlier and let it grow with my skills?
I didn't want to waste time on new age quackery. Firstly, there are schools which deal in evidence-based practice. Secondly, this is a way to develop good clinical skills, respectful touch, and a healing manner both before and concurrent with didactic education. Thirdly, who wants a therapist with a stick up their ass about reiki? Better to know all the tools and have a good foundation of experience for assessing both their effectiveness and their appeal.
It felt like the shadow of what I wanted. Thing is, being in the shadow also means being closer to the thing casting the shadow. And there are benefits to hands-on learning about business, marketing, clientele, and just getting out there and talking to and touching people in a healing way.
This has greatly increased the number of projects I have ongoing. But the discipline began with having a good set of tools to capture, sort and keep said ideas at my fingertips, so I'm not as frazzled as I thought I would be. The only downside is feeling somewhat diffused and untethered, like being drunk while wearing pants too large that keep threatening to drop to the floor at any moment. The upside is that I don't feel these ideas/projects as commitments (nearly as much), and so I've been having a lot more fun working on them (and doing more with them). Results have not been analyzed yet, as nothing has progressed far enough to judge.
Thing is, opening up the valve has increased the flow of ideas, and made me open to the ideas of others. Such as the intriguing one my partner lobbed at me today:
*given that I want to go to grad school for physical therapy
*though money and time are scarce commodities
*perhaps the interim step of massage therapy is worth a shot?
In other words: invest a year to train in a related profession that would net me valuable experience in the people- and business-related aspects, offers a chance to build a network of contacts and clientele, and is flexible enough to be continued while in grad school.
Thing is, I had previously thought about this, and discarded it. The benefits hadn't occurred to me for several reasons:
I was unfamiliar with the awesome power of incremental progress. This is the biggest change, and I'm still learning the different patterns of thought that come from this very simple idea. Life is much more enjoyable when I practice Aggregate Futzing instead of Fits of Conan.
I thought I wanted to work in a hospital somewhere. As if I've ever been happy in a big corporate environment. I'm already thinking of having my own business, why not start it earlier and let it grow with my skills?
I didn't want to waste time on new age quackery. Firstly, there are schools which deal in evidence-based practice. Secondly, this is a way to develop good clinical skills, respectful touch, and a healing manner both before and concurrent with didactic education. Thirdly, who wants a therapist with a stick up their ass about reiki? Better to know all the tools and have a good foundation of experience for assessing both their effectiveness and their appeal.
It felt like the shadow of what I wanted. Thing is, being in the shadow also means being closer to the thing casting the shadow. And there are benefits to hands-on learning about business, marketing, clientele, and just getting out there and talking to and touching people in a healing way.
