Intent is part of the pattern—of the practice.
Note: Links in this post may be affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission, at no extra charge to you, if you make a purchase through such a link. Learn more here.
Notes
What we’re “here to do”:
- to do work we’re proud of
- to put ourselves on the hook
- find what we can contribute
We may not succeed, but the intent to be of service is “an essential part of the pattern.”
“Most of us, most of the time, act without intent.”
Thoughts
Sometimes what I write in these posts only scratch the surface of my thinking. Part of this is because I record here my first thoughts, and those are often brief. But part of it is because this is public, and I’m always conscious of that—that is, I’m self-conscious.
I am spending time outside of the blog thinking through some of the issues Seth raises, though. And this chapter’s ideas tap into some of those thoughts.
Specifically, I’m still contemplating that “endless dance of selflessness and ego,” a tension that I’m not sure I know how to navigate yet. The problem is that I’m not clear what part of my desire to develop a practice is selfless. When I consider my situation, the things I want to accomplish, whatever, I don’t see much beyond just ego.
Specifically, the outcome I’m looking towards, the activity around which I’m trying to develop a practice, is an album—a collection of songs, almost entirely my own, many of them new. And I’ve struggled to see what is selfless about that. I mean, I’m not creating it for money; I’m not trying to build a music career, or anything like that. And I want it to be like Seth describes: approached as if it were a profession, not a hobby. But as I consider these questions, I find myself questioning the value in the work.
A chapter like this one forces me to look at this again. And I’ve been struck by a couple things, which I’ve been examining in my journal (here I’m trying to go below the surface that most of these posts stay on):
First, I can see that much of what I’m thinking along these lines is a “story” that I’m telling myself. I do want to do work I’m proud of (as this chapter suggests), but I’ve been interpreting this pride as self-indulgent (ego)—and that lets me off the hook, in a sense. If it’s “just for me”—just something I want to do because I want to do it… well, then I can sit comfortably in these limits. I don’t have to be a musician; I’m just a dude who noodles around a bit.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this, necessarily. But the fact that I am thinking in these terms—indeed, the fact that I’m searching for a practice—suggests that, perhaps, I actually want more than just to record stuff “for fun,” or for “personal development,” or “to learn,” or whatever else makes up this “story.” In a sense, I feel like Seth’s work is inviting me to move beyond these self-imposed limits.
Second, as I’ve been looking at the questions I have—about my abilities, motivations, goals (or lack thereof)—I’ve realized that I would never talk to anyone else the way I talk to myself. I would never dismiss another person’s work, no matter how personal or private, as ungenerous or selfish, as I do for myself. I would never tell a person who wanted to improve at something creative that they should just let it go because it wouldn’t really make a difference. I would never tell someone to abandon their work—and I especially would never tell them to do so because it would only be important to themselves.
More important, I recognize the benefit that creative work (and, yes, Art) has had for me—the benefits not only of creation, but of enjoying others’ creations. I am grateful when I encounter other people’s work—and I don’t just mean the work of known or accomplished artists. I am moved by work from family, friends, former students—even those who aren’t pursuing an actual career.
“Most of us, most of the time, act without intent”: I am coming to the realization that I’ve avoided thinking about my intent because that avoidance lets me off the hook, and because I hold myself to a standard of “importance” that I would never hold anyone else to.
This series is meant to capture my thoughts as I work through Seth Godin’s The Practice. It’s a book with over 200 (very short) chapters, which I hope to work through and, I further hope, to implement over time.
If you’re interested in more of Godin’s ideas, or my thoughts about them, you can check out this collection of posts. Note that if you’re more interested in the former, you should probably get Godin’s book and read it yourself; my notes will be both incomplete and idiosyncratic, and my thoughts will relate to my own experience.
But if my thoughts resonate with you, or if you think I’m just silly, I welcome your comments.