Your Reaction To It
Posted on | April 10, 2010 | 7 Comments
In life, and in art, it is not what you are reacting to that matters, it is your reaction to it.
Why do some people breeze through life, seemingly carefree, while others seem to have nothing but bad luck? Is it because only good things happen to them? Is it because they are born to gentler circumstances? I believe it’s because they have either learned to, or innately knew how to from birth, react to their circumstances in a powerful, positive way.
There is a play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, You Can’t Take It With You
It has been said that the quickest way to be unhappy is to deny what is. If you see something that makes you unhappy, accepting it. Being willing to see it positively can be powerful. (This can be difficult when what you see is horrific, but horrific events are not the norm in most people’s lives in Western society. If they are in yours, there is work you must do quite beyond the scope of what I’m talking about in order to remove yourself from these events.)
There are people who live in poverty that see the poverty as their state of being. They generally stay there, or if they are momentarily lifted out, they return. There are people who live in poverty who find or create opportunity in their surroundings despite the poverty, and raise above it. The poverty isn’t different in these two cases, the reaction to it is.
What does this have to do with art? I hear many people say that their circumstance are such that they don’t have the time or they don’t have the freedom or they don’t have the support that is needed to create, to write. Nonsense. What they don’t have is the willingness to see the circumstances for what they are and write anyway, create anyway.
Does this take work? Sometimes. If you have learned the habit of being crushed by your circumstances, you must find a way to break that habit. There are lots of tools out there to assist you in doing this, more and more every day. Some are better than others, some more effective than others, but all it really takes is a discussion to make it work and then any of them will do.
~Geoff Hoff
Co-author of the how-to guide On Writing a Short Story.
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April 10th, 2010 @ 3:50 pm
Hi Geoff,
I really liked your post. Laughed about the scene in the play and smiled at the “quirkily ever after” part. Nice touch!
I heard someone say something, possibly a quote from a book, that I thought was excellent. It was, “Creativity is not a gift. It’s a habit.” Thought that was brilliant and I tweeted it. Several people RT it. And I thought it fit nicely with what you’re saying here so I’m mentioning it.
Anyway, I found your blog on Twitter via #blog30 and wanted to drop by since we’re in the 30-Day Challenge together.
I enjoyed the read here today and just wanted to tell you that.
Happy Blogging,
Deb
@mywebgal
.-= Deb´s last blog ..Netscape Navigator and FutureOne =-.
April 10th, 2010 @ 4:02 pm
Nice work Geoff. Attitude is everything and I always find myself remembering the phrase “It is what it is” which is often easily calming when the urge to be reactive occurs. Cheers! Maggie
.-= Maggie Miller´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at =-.
April 10th, 2010 @ 4:34 pm
Deb – I love that quote. I may just steal it!
Maggie – I also say It is what it is, but I’ve come to change it a little (not a big distinction, but it resonates with me): It’s just what’s so.
Thanks!
.-= Geoff´s last blog ..Powerless =-.
April 10th, 2010 @ 6:33 pm
Congrats Geoff! Great post.
It is true, what you see is what you get. Look for the thorns and you miss the roses. But when you look for the roses, you find ways to skip the thorns. Yet few people notice that.
Live ♥ Laugh ♥ Love
~MJ Schrader
.-= MJ Schrader´s last blog ..How Challenges Help Your Business =-.
April 10th, 2010 @ 9:57 pm
MJ – It’s sometimes hard to remember when you’re “in the thick of things” but when you’re there, it’s the best time to remember.
Thanks for your comment.
April 11th, 2010 @ 4:16 am
Great play. I taught my kids early on that when someone says ‘you’re weird’ to say “Thank you”
oddness abounds in my family (three generations weird and growing)
(Oh, btw, thanks for the RT)
.-= Rob Britt´s last blog ..Starting Weight Training For Women. A Bad Choice? =-.
April 11th, 2010 @ 11:11 am
Rob,
Yes, my older brother used to introduce himself as, “Hi, I’m Randy. I’m weird.” We thought it was funny. When someone else did, they became part of our family!
Geoff