I read this quote by William James years ago, and it has always intrigued me.
Keep the faculty of effort alive in you by a little gratuitous exercise every day. That is, be systematically heroic in little unnecessary points; do every day or two something for no other reason than its difficulty, so that, when the hour of dire need draws nigh, it may find you not unnerved and untrained to stand the test. Asceticism of this sort is like the insurance which a man pays on his house and goods. The tax does him no good at the time, and possibly may never bring him a return. But, if fire does come, his having paid it, it will be his salvation from ruin. So with the man who has daily inured himself to habits of concentrated attention, energetic volition, and self-denial in unnecessary things. He will stand like a tower when everything rocks around him, and his softer fellow-mortals are …. winnowed like chaff in the blast.
I cheerfully admit I’m one of the “softer mortals” who would be “winnowed like chaff in the blast.” Still, I have purposely created some challenges in my life, and when “bad things” happen, I try to use them to develop patience and resilience.
I’m dealing with another red tape matter at the moment. The details don’t matter, the important thing is I’m practicing not getting frustrated and on generating just the right amount of energy — enough to get me to work on the problem but not enough to get upset that it wasn’t settled early this month as promised.
I’m getting better, but I still need all the practice I can get! And focusing on skill development rather than on other people’s lack of understanding is a lot more satisfying.
Do you agree with James at all? Do you ever think in terms of skill development?
February 26, 2015
What is skill development? I have got two left hands and two right legs. I have a sound box that faithfully echoes a frog.
Don’t make me laugh, Ramana. Stop it right now. Two left hands, two right feet? Think about it. If you were left handed (which, admittedly, I don’t believe you are) you’d be laughing. Two for the price of one. Productivity going through the roof.
Feet don’t care whether they are left or right. The poor sausages and their intricate network of fine bones are occupied enough to carry us and our body weight through life without going all philosophical. In fact, I sometimes think feet (and mine don’t even hurt) must be looking forward to finally being put up (to rest).
On this cheerful note,
U
Hmm. I’ve been trying to imagine how we would walk if we had two left feet. I think we would be unbalanced to have both our big toes on the right side. Some of us are already easily toppled. 🙂
Yes, Jean, I do believe in developing skills that life throws at us (as long as no one following my trail is getting hurt). Not, as you know, that I need to seek out challenges since they have a way of finding me even when I am in hiding.
As to the author’s “tower” analogy. I believe anything/anyone rigid to be far more vulnerable to the vagaries of life than wheat bending with the wind (ask a sailor). I do praise flexibility over many other human assets.
However, and to widen the argument, what I do notice more and more as time passes: I do have blind spots. I don’t like it because it goes against my grain and everything I stand for. Yet, it’s the truth. No use denying it. Some of these “blind spots” will, in all likelihood, always be with me. They are part of my character. Only mitigating circumstance that I am (dimly) aware of them. Thus allowing me to, tentatively, chisel round the edges. Now – there is a challenge (how to avoid cutting your fingers too badly in the process).
The author also mentions the need for “self denial”. Difficult concept. One one could expand on forever. Yes, sometimes self denial is order of the day for the higher good of one’s own and others’ survival. Yet, on the whole, I do think that self denial (the denial of self) does more harm than good.
U
I agree with you that life often spares us the problem of looking for challenges. That becomes more and more true as we get older. And I’m with you 100% on valuing flexibility.
Hmm. Self-denial. Andy and I have always been good about waiting to buy things even if we could afford them at the time. But that wasn’t self-denial as much as enhancing the pleasure when we finally got them. We were the kind of kids who would wait and get that second marshmallow. Which, it turns out, means we had a lot of faith.
sad as it may seem… i’m not sure one can ‘ready’ oneself as in … practicing as an insurance policy.
i think the only thing that REALLY readies us is to actually experience the hardship or challenge in the first place. we cope. and that raises the bar. and soon we are able to take the small things in stride and grow and hopefully endure or overcome the large things. but then… as the old wise man said … it’s not the mountain that gets us …
it’s the little pebble in our shoe!
or something like that.
oddly enough… i fly easily enough with the super hard usually… i really do.
it’s that pebble that drives me crazy!!!! like your red tape.
i am constantly working on that type of ordeal. YES. 😀
Yes, you have done extremely well with the super hard!
I think Theodore and Eleanor Roosevelt would have agreed with James, and I know people who have bungee-jumped and done other dangerous things just for the sake of self-mastery. But not me! No way!
If I can I try to answer the question, “How can I get this done and enjoy the process?” I’m not quite there with this latest red tape mess, but I may be by next Monday when I will check again. In the meantime if I start generating emotional energy over it I try to use that energy on something constructive/more fun. It’s the opposite of James — it’s how can I put more enjoyment in my life? I don’t have that much time left, but more than he did, in fact. He was 68 when he shuffled off.
Yesterday my art mentor threw me yet another challenge – this do with the 3D flowers that I’m creating with “materials of a difference” – I didn’t particularly like the overall affect of a certain type – R said – they look 2D, what about “stuffing them” which will give me more a 3D look.
That was not my intention but maybe she is right?
Although I don’t think the current “stems” will hold up a “stuffed one” which probably will mean 2 “stalks”
Anyway this new project suddenly has me either remember old skills or re-creating new skills…
That’s why I love projects too. 🙂
I don’t think of it as skill development – just fun. Brain teasers and the like. I do agree that if you continually tackle things you are less likely to immediately panic when something surprising comes along.
Sorry it took me so long to answer. This was your first comment — it needed to be approved and I didn’t catch that until now.
I agree it should be fun if at all possible. That’s how I choose the projects I want to work on and skill development is a bonus. But when life throws something challenging at us, I figure we might as well get something out, so then I focus on skill development. It gives me some control over what is going on.