82. Restriction is freedom

The catalyst to thinking differently.

Do you ever wonder why self-help books are the most popular non-fiction books?

Because people want an easy antidote.

Just sit down and indulge in a few minutes of motivational spiel and you’ve done your hard work for the day.

The problem?

It is broad, unfocussed indulgence.

You get used to mentally believing you have done something rather than actually achieving something.

“Ideas without action are useless”- Helen Keller

When you view yourself as a consumer sheer volume of stimulation is the priority.

You don’t discern, you don’t restrict.

The result is a watered-down version of everything.

You are lost in the masses.

Harder tasks seem impossible as they are specialised, they are focused, they are restricted- you are not used to that.

Naturally, you receive these borders to how to function in day to day life- but to truly progress, artificial, optional rules must be put in place.

"The enemy of art is an absence of limitations"- Orson Welles

Realistically this plays out in choosing an area of focus and delving deep.

You can get stuck overthinking what the limitation or area of focus should be but that is missing the whole point.

Like a muscle, you are training your focus, but this needs to be built up over time.

Limiting the distractions long enough so looking around at the alternatives, which will inevitably assume more appeal on some days, you don’t stray.

This isn’t something to cause downfall but rather to enable progression.

You are discovering who you are, so when out of the restriction you can pivot to the next thing. This is why there is little to no pressure on the actual area limitation, rather, the necessity to just have some sort of restriction.

“The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe” – Gustave Flaubert

The fiction writer Donald Ray Pollock had the phrase ‘just sit in the chair’. He made a restriction that no matter what he would sit. This wasn’t to write a thousand words, complete a page, or even read. It was moving the muscles and embracing the resistance of the process.

From areas of limitation, you push beyond the uncomfortable to create the great.

Repetition out of choice makes the hardship you don’t pick less tough.

Make boundaries for yourself, take action, and turn up each day- you won’t regret it.