Issue #39: Breaking Out of Loops
Oh, the things we tell ourselves. Over and over and over again.
- It's all been for nothing.
- Things are going downhill again just as they always have before.
- Why did I think this time things would be different?
- LOL, nobody cares. Shocker.
- This will never get better.
- Everyone else has this all figured out. Everyone but me.
- Welp, I failed. And I'll fail again. I always fail…
These loops we fall into—particularly when we're tired, stressed, or lonely—are just that. Loops. Patterns. Ruts in our synapses. Familiar, certainly. But ultimately meaningless.
Because, you see, the problem with loops is they never offer any real solutions, any off-ramps. They are simply brick walls. Even if one might appear to be a route to somewhere, it's like in the old Looney Tunes cartoons: as soon as you try to drive into that tunnel, KERSPLAT! You're a pancake slowly sliding down the paint.
I am getting better (aka quicker) at snapping out of my woe-is-me loops. Sometimes I'll literally snap my fingers loudly on either side of my head and audibly tell myself Snap out of it! On occasion, I've even been known to slap my cheeks!
(Take that, Captain Kirk!)
The truth I've come to learn over the years is that self-pity is truly an indulgence. And it's a luxury I simply cannot afford. I've come too far to turn back now just because it's easier to play the sad trombone than it is to get up and go get some real shit done.
Put another way, every second I waste feeling sorry for myself is a second I could have spent improving myself instead…perhaps focused on genuine rest & mediation so I'm better prepared for the "fight" ahead.
I well understand that, in the moment when you've fallen into that depressive state, it feels like you can never again gain your mojo. But that too is an illusion, and I've learned I can tell myself that. I can say to myself "you may feel like shit today—perhaps even for logical reasons—but you'll feel awesome in a day or two. Just you wait!"
And guess what? 98.375% of the time, that's absolutely true! (It's a totally scientific statistic, dontchaknow.)
So here's to turning away from that "stinkin' thinkin'" and breaking out of our loops. It doesn't mean falling prey to hustle culture or going all woo-hoo with affirmations or whatever. I'm simply telling you that getting back into your flow state is often easier than you realize. When you cultivate a daily habit of believing that your mindful intention will jumpstart your capacity to rise to creative excellence, genuine change will materialize into existence. ✌️
News About Newsletters
So if you're reading this email and wondering why things look a bit different, it's because I've switched from ConvertKit (now just Kit) to Buttondown. I've been talking about this for a while now in other contexts, but the TL;DR is that all of my newsletters are now running off of Buttondown, which is truly a fantastic platform for writers.
As a side effect of these changes, I am now pleased to inform you that all of my newsletters are now part of Intuitive+. This newsletter (Creator Class of course), as well as Cycles Hyped No More, Fullstack Ruby, and That HTML Blog, all have joined my subscription platform. This means I'll be sending out bonus issues every month to Intuitive+ members! And frankly I'll be a lot more motivated to stay consistent even with the "free" issues since it'll all be adding value to the platform.
I hope you choose to support me as an independent writer and educator! 😊 It's been a *long time* coming, and I couldn't be more excited to really, really, really give this career a go.
✉️ Please let me know what you'd like to see in future installments of Creator Class! I want to make this the very best source of motivation, raw grit, and actionable insights to help you stay true to your creative journey.
Cheers,
Jared
“There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven't yet met.”
–W.B. Yeats