This is not a political post. I repeat, this is not a political post. Please step away from the hope that Mitch is about to throw down a political rant because, well, I really have no idea what’s going on out there.
I’m busy trying to figure out what’s worth being busy about.
Which brings me to the several questions (and a bit of cursing) that prompted the answer that is the title of this post:
How does anyone decide what to do about anything when we are all surrounded by, and filled with, the desire to have, be and accomplish everything? How do we rid our heads of wanting and rid our hearts of despair and empty our lives of those who drain us with their wanting and despair so that we can Get Some Serious Shit Done?
What do we, then, use to fill the space left by our clean sweep before it swells, again, with Meaningless Mental Scrawl?
I mean, let’s get real. Once browsing on Amazon.com, catching up on all the Oscar-nominated films, creating (or cremating) To-Do lists, reminiscing, and repairing dented bumpers or busted baseboards no longer fill our fifty shades of gray matter, longing morphs into loneliness. And Loneliness Seriously Sucks.
Oof. I did not mean to go that deep. Well, hell, since we’re here:
Time − Meaningless Time Fillers = Loneliness ÷ Ideas × Time + Space = The Amygdala Freaking Out And Forcing You To Find Creative Means to Calm That Sucker Down.
This won’t help:
“Increased output necessitates decreased input.” –Tim Ferris
“What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence, a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention … “ –Herbert Simon.
“Ugh. I’ll never get a boyfriend if I don’t go to all these Facebook events, but Property Brothers is such a good show—I can’t believe I just discovered it! I should wash my car today and get my bangs trimmed and Tweet. I think it’s time to get going on that PhD or travel to Denmark. I’ve always wanted to learn the cello. I can do a three-day fast, easy-peasy. Did my phone just beep? Is it 7 o’clock already? WTF?!” –Mitch Jacobson
Deliberately choosing what to ignore is as important to maintaining focus as choosing a focus. I’m not just talking about killing your television or chucking the cheesecake. (It’s never that easy.) Don’t gossip or shop for the best deal on crap you don’t need or hang out with lame-o’s. Don’t date duds. Don’t organize your Evernote folders or your Google Drive (again). Don’t devote precious brain space to getting one over on your younger, less attractive, less popular self. Don’t let your mind mangle what is meaningful.
And for the love of Getting Some Serious Shit Done, don’t read the paper or watch the news. If you think what’s going on in the world is really that much more interesting/important than what’s going on in your head, just ask a friend to sum up the week’s events for you. If you’re as lucky as I am, you have a brilliant copywriter friend somewhere in your midst who can sum up worldly goings-ons in easily digestible (and probably entertaining) chunks that upon swallowing don’t stuff you with an information overload of hopelessness.
“So, what happened in the world this week?” –Mitch
“Syria still sucks, Putin is an asshole, and Greece tryin’ to be a playa.” –Brilliant Copywriter Friend
If you can’t do shit about it, you might as well get some shit done.
(In case you’re wondering, the answer is yes. There is still a three-year-old eye-sore-of-a-dent in my car’s bumper. And, in case you're still wondering, my car’s name is “Hulk Smash,” courtesy of another Brilliant Friend.)