Groundhog Year
By: Xavi Martínez
Tags: Resilience, Decision Making, Moving On, Year End Review, Growth Mindset

Ready to Jump 2020 by Xavi Martínez

We often say that the hardest part is to get started. This year has proven us that the hardest part is to keep on going. Here we are again facing another lockdown. With travel and movement restrictions keeping us away from our loved ones during the festivities. Hoping the vaccines being distributed will make things better. Trying to stay compassionate and at the same time being over it.

James Clear popularized the concept of Atomic Habits. I decided to set myself a simple one: writing and publishing one article per month accompanied with my own artwork. I managed to go through the waves and kept on target throughout 2020. And then, December hit. I was not able to write or draw for weeks. A full creative blockage I couldn’t get rid off.

Sometimes we get to a dead end. We have committed to do something with ourselves or others and we feel utterly stuck. We are going through the motions of an activity to move the dial and we can’t. Find here my personal reflections as I manage to get out of my own creative lockdown.

It’s common to only see the tip of the iceberg. For weeks, I blamed my lack of inspiration on the fact that I was very busy and I did not have the time. Shading away from deep research and staying at the surface is easier. It was not until I dug deeper that I found the real reason for my lack of inspiration. It was the amount of energy dedicated to reflect on 2020 and having to deal with another wave of restrictions that exhausted my mind. Once I looked beyond the tip of the iceberg, I could start working towards a solution.

Focus on the process and not the outcome. Getting to a compromise to keep on moving can help us remove blockers and lighten the weight of decisions. This article might not be as good as I would have wanted it. It doesn’t come with a beautiful drawing like I would have liked. And that’s ok because I’m writing and getting something out. That’s how the decision to post this month’s article came about.

We need to account for luck as a factor! I woke up this morning and whilst having a coffee outside on my patio, I had the urge to put some words down. I had already given up about writing this month and came to terms with it. And it suddenly happened.

Perception improves when you have something to compare with. Finding an alternative provides us with perspective. I could hold, review more, wait for my drawing inspiration to come back and then publish in January; missing my monthly target for December. Or I could just go ahead with what I had, without a drawing, getting it out and start enjoying the festivities with my wife with the feeling that I fully accomplished what I set myself for. That makes it easier, right?

Use the archer’s mindset. The archer gets points for hitting the target at all. We might miss the bull-eye but like the archer, might score some points for landing in the vicinity. So what if that’s not the most popular of pieces or the timing might not be the best? It might still hit some chords for some readers and that definitely counts.

There’s always a way to keep on moving and a brighter day to come by. Restrictions and blockages will eventually lift and our resilience and maturity will grow as a result.