Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Inspiration
"Just as appetite comes by eating, so work brings inspiration"
--Igor Stravinsky
I have this on a little piece of paper, taped to my desk. When I feel like waiting for the planets to align and the heavenly chorus to sing before I start something, I re-read it and get to work. It's true that action begets motivation, that if you start on a project, you will generate the energy you need. Sure, this doesn't work 100% of the time; you may be too tired, or you might not have identified small first steps you can accomplish, but even if it *doesn't* work, you've usually stuck it out for at least a few minutes (sometimes much longer), and made a bit of a dent in the task.
--Igor Stravinsky
I have this on a little piece of paper, taped to my desk. When I feel like waiting for the planets to align and the heavenly chorus to sing before I start something, I re-read it and get to work. It's true that action begets motivation, that if you start on a project, you will generate the energy you need. Sure, this doesn't work 100% of the time; you may be too tired, or you might not have identified small first steps you can accomplish, but even if it *doesn't* work, you've usually stuck it out for at least a few minutes (sometimes much longer), and made a bit of a dent in the task.