Intentions often won’t withstand challenges. The practice can.
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Notes
Our imperfect world—
- Poor conditions
- Weak economy
- Health emergency
- Shaken confidence
- Nasty comments
- Rejection
—can overwhelm our intentions, creating in us a desire to:
- hide
- seek the muse
- sell out
- settle
- quit
That’s the “poverty of our intentions” that a practice saves us from.
Thoughts
“Poverty of our intentions” is an evocative phrase. In this chapter, I think, Seth is interpreting “poverty” as “weakness.” Our intentions can’t be trusted to carry us through challenges, perhaps because intentions aren’t about now, but are about the future. “In this moment,” Seth says, “[the practice is] simply the best next step.”
There are other ways to think about it, too. I have noted that I am struggling a bit with the important (though, as argued here, insufficient) issue of intentionality. What do I intend? I know I want to “do music,” but do I want to “be a musician”? A writer? A “creator”? (Is there a difference between doing and being?)
My intentions are poor because they are unclear. But a practice is the “next best step” in that murkiness, as well.
Whatever a practice is, of course. Still working that out.
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.