I haven’t posted about my Groundhog Day Resolutions Goals in a while. Today, I am trying to reclaim my sense of clarity and purpose. I’m live-streaming the thought process behind this to get “unstuck” as I work through the issues that are clouding my mind.

A Continuing Lack of Daily Progress

I had originally hoped to do something every day for my Groundhog Day Resolutions, the so-called 300 Days of GHDR. It hasn’t gone the way I had hoped, particularly this last couple of weeks. But that’s actually GOOD, because these failures give me more data on how I respond to different stresses. Apparently, I hit a big bump this month, and didn’t get much done. To be fair to myself, I’ve been stressed about the upcoming trip to Taiwan. There have also been a lot of social activities lately, which takes a lot of energy out of me; I’m pretty introverted and need time to recover, which usually isn’t very productive time.

Recovery Strategy!

At the beginning of this slump, I’d theorized that I needed to simplify my goal-seeking criteria. Instead of following the big menu of possible tasks, I wanted to focus on just two ideas:

1. Did I make progress on building assets or developing mastery for (1) my 10 year goals or (2) any new opportunity that caught my attention? If yes, then that’s worth a point!
2. Did I share something interesting I researched, discovered, or made real? If yes, that’s worth a point!

I ended up NOT FOLLOWING EITHER directive, as last week was filled with the aforementioned social activities, including a rush-hour drive into Boston for PAX EAST, the big gaming convention that’s held at the Boston Convention Center every year. Driving in Boston can be really stressful, and the uncertainty of finding parking adds to stress. It ended up not being too bad because we got parking right next to the BCEC and I was still familiar with driving in that area, but I didn’t know it would be OK until afterwards; hindsight is 20-20, right?

Fast-forward to today (Tuesday). I was feeling really negligent in the pursuit of my Groundhog Day Resolutions, but still didn’t feel like doing anything. I was also feeling stressed about the messiness of my house. So, feeling bad and a bit incompetent, I battled these self-defeating thoughts by livestreaming my misery, thinking that it would help me get unstuck while providing soothing background noise for other people who want company while they work. On a side note, I’ve been hearing from people that they check in to the livestream to have background noise; I think that’s awesome, and it tickles my fancy imagining myself as a professional “background noise generator” :D

ANYWAY, the big theoretical take-away from the livestream (here’s a link to the enter 4+ hour session) was this (credit due to Stephanie Chuah for posing the key “bigger picture” question in the livestream chat!)

Rather than expect the work to generate good feeling, I can remember that I can start with the positive attitude…this is the big picture goal after all

It is a positive attitude that acts as the bridge between “passion” (what I find myself compulsively doing) and monetization of that passion (generating income from what I am already doing).

What do I mean by “bridge”? It comes down to how I want to feel about the work I do, and this can not exist in a personal vacuum where it’s just me thinking about what I want. Having a good attitude about what I do is much more attractive to other people who want to feel the same way. I want to connect with these people who share that kind of positive attitude! And such people respond in kind! Sometimes, with money, Especially if said money can be exchanged for something they really value personally and can use in their daily lives. If I’m gonna sell anything, that’s what I want to sell!

In practical “getting things done” terms, I’m going to focus on starting the day with a positive attitude all week; I made a poster that I am going to stick up EVERYWHERE in my house, which you can download a PDF of if you are so inclined:

» Download Dave’s Attitude Reminder Poster

So that’s where I am with my goal-setting and Groundhog Day Resolutions right now. I know that the positive attitude is in me, but I get caught up in the “seriousness” of trying to achieve my goals and earn a living, and I forget for weeks at a time. But you know what? I can’t achieve my goals in the spiritual sense without having the accompanying positive attitude, and I can’t be part of the positive-minded creative community I imagine without living and breathing the attitude that goes with it. I could technically achieve all my goals, and still be unhappy if I don’t work on the attitude aspect. In fact, that’s how I’ve been feeling for the past month! DOH!

So let’s see how this goes this week! I am still super-stressed about preparing for my upcoming month-long trip to Taiwan, where I will be vastly reduced in my ability to move around and communicate due to language barriers. Maybe the attitude exercise will help me overcome that feeling.