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There’s a Time for Building Ships and a Time for Sailing Them

Building a model sailboat may be fun, but chasing down a duck with it is funner!

I’m a Creative Person

I love to think of new ways of doing old things. I love to dream. And I love to find ways to bring my dreams into reality.

In other words, I’ve got a busy mind. And a busy life. Always creating.

I Like the Way my Mind Works

There’s always something interesting going on.

But the same creative process which I love, can also be a source of stress for me. Because I tend to focus more on the creative process than on actually using what I create.

For example, I created Inquiry Circle five years ago as a place for doing The Work online every day. But recently, I’ve gotten so involved in renovating it and improving it that I’ve been too tired to participate much.

Same with The Work 101. I’ve enjoyed creating and improving this little course over the past year, but at times it has been all consuming.

But Times Have Changed

Now I see that both Inquiry Circle and The Work 101 are in great shape. They are both seaworthy vessels, and I can pull them out of dry dock and start sailing.

At first, this feels like sacrilege to me. To my mind, a ship is never finished. There’s always room for improvement. And so my mind stays focused on building even when it’s not so necessary anymore. Or worse yet, I try to do both: sail and build simultaneously.

It may feel a bit like sacrilege to stop building, but it also feels like pure joy, vacation, easy sailing. I realize that I’m the one who gets to say when I’ve arrived. And so I’m saying it.

The reality is I’ve done the hard work. My direction now is to sail the ships that I’ve been building. It’s a very different role. And it takes some getting used to. But I’m already starting to love it.

First of All I’m Taking a Week off Next Month

Just a simple stay-cation. But I haven’t done that in a few years.

And secondly, I’ve updated my calendar. Did you realized that a good 1/3 of my time has been spent building ships? Not doing that now opens up a lot of time for me.

So after April 18, there’s a lot more space in my calendar for doing what I love to do: facilitating The Work in private sessions, and in The Work 101, and in Inquiry Circle.

Funny, it almost feels like cheating to not be focused on improvement, but rather to be focused on using what I’ve already created. It’s a great turnaround for me.

Have a great weekend,
Todd

“Stay in the flow that’s effortless and unending.” Byron Katie, Loving What Is

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Todd Smith has been doing The Work of Byron Katie on an almost daily basis since 2007. He is just as excited about this simple process of self-inquiry today as he was when he first came across it. He also enjoys writing about The Work, and training others in the subtleties of this meditative process. Join Todd for The Work 101 online course, private sessions, virtual retreats, and his ongoing Inquiry Circle group.