Blog Block

Do you ever suffer from blog block? I have. Right now.

Ever since I started using "posterous", I have been having blog block. And the fact that I have given up my E71 (I sold it recently over the net, but what's more amazing was the SPEED in which I sold it - I post the ad at around 9pm, interested party emailed me at 11pm, and by 11.40pm the transaction [actual face-to-face] was completed) just adds to the stoppage.

So, there are many reflections and thoughts about whether it is the platform, where I am more comfortable with blogger compared to posterous?  Or was it because the momentum was lost.

Both are possibilities.  To be honest, when I was publishing my blogs to blogger, I usually did it either before I sleep or while riding the train to go for my appointments.  Now, using posterous, I have to send it via an email.  Which seems kinda odd.  Of course its in the mind, but I suppose the difference in environment do makes a difference.  Another reason could be that, with posterous, I kinda know who's reading (through their subscription) but through blogger (and auto-import to facebook) I wasn't sure who could be reading.  Were these people my friends or could they be anyone who happens to land on my page?

Then of course I thought of using blogger for my usual discussion about issues pertaining to business in general, while using posterous more for discussion of "engaged mastery".

Am still trying to figure that one out.  Partially it was also because of the momentum, as we were on vacation for 14 days and there was little or no access to internet.  So, that 14 days did in fact breaks a habit.  But then again, if 14 days could have caused this habit to change, there is another habit that I kinda very quickly got back on.

Same issue with Obama.  Smoking.  Yes, of course there have been attempts (sincere) to quit.  And I thought, well, if I can do it for 14 days, I figured I got that one straighten out!  Could it again be environment because the people I chill out with smokes too?  Then of course it comes back to the Personal Mastery 101.  Do you shape the environment or do you let the environment shapes you?  Of course if you let the environment shapes you, then you will have little control over what happens.  As it is foolish to think you have 'everything under control'.  And if you have little or no control over what happens, then you'll be faced with lots of uncertainty, which then leads to stress.  And when you get stressed up, of course you are not able to think with a calm mind.

So, ok.  I know all these intellectually, but why did I let the 'environment' shape me?  Didn't I talked about personal mastery and to work from inside-out?  And that if you think the problem is out there, that very thought is the problem?  Well, several explanations.  One is that, hey!, I am human after all!  And like you, and everyone else, we have struggles, we get put to test.  We do all sometime acknowledge that common sense does not equate common practice!  Another explanation could be, well, when it comes to smoking, it is not all that simple as there is that chemical equation when it comes to quitting smoking.  So even when you want to quit, there are chemical reactions that will cause the withdrawal effects to pull you back.  Then of course one could argue that there are individuals like J. Paul Getty (in his autobiography "As I See It") where he related an incident where he got up in the middle of the night while on the road and found he's out of cigarettes.  Instinctively, he put on his jacket and was about to brave the weather to get a pack.  At that point, he laughed and said he could control hundreds or even thousands of people and yet he couldn't control himself (letting cigarettes control him)?!  And from that point onwards, he's never touched another cigarette again!

I suppose, it works differently for different people.  Having said that, in applying my success process - I call it TEAM - (to my NLP course mates, you probably recall hearing me talk about developing my own success process? Well, here it is!) to this situation, here is how it works.  While working from inside-out is indeed a fabulous idea, in real life, we must also acknowledge that we also need to be 'systems thinker' to get this to work.  How so?  The success process goes like this: with a particular MINDSET, we will have certain ATTITUDES.  For instance, if my MINDSET is "I am an educator", then my ATTITUDES towards the child could be "every child learns differently" or "every child WANTS to learn".  Given these set of ATTITUDES, how much EFFORTS we will put in will also differ.  For instance, if those were our ATTITUDES, then we would make the EFFORT to treat every child with respect and find ways to engage the child!  And as a result of our MINDSET, ATTITUDES, and EFFORTS, we will see whether our TARGETS will be met or not.  So, if our TARGETS are not met, then we will have to work backwards, checking on our EFFORTS, ATTITUDES, and MINDSET to see what can we do so that our TARGETS can be met.

Hence, in a way, the process is just like bootstrapping, where we can borrow the term as a metaphor for a series of self-sustaining processes, without external help, that continue until the TARGET is met.  Therefore, what's key here is that our TARGET must be clear, precise, specific.  Else, this process can possibly go on forever!

So, back to blog block again.  It does look like the block has been cleared.  Later today, I will be getting my Blackberry Bold, so perhaps with that tool, I will be blogging away again soon!

Posted via email from Leadership