Recently I was listening to a podcast, where the interviewer was asking a singer when they will launch their next project. I found the term “next project” curious. He did not ask when will they release their next song or album.
This got me thinking about the plethora of articles talking about the need to be more creative. More original. Or to “just start”. Then the magic of projects appeared right before me.
Projects are neat little packages. They are always outside of our normal routines. We have to stop doing what we normally do to work on one. Projects have a clear defined goal such as clean my room, put up the Christmas lights, or organize our pictures. They may be more ambitious like learn to sew, become fluent in a different language or go back to school to learn how to weld. Sometimes they have the feel of catching up by committing to read the two books you bought while on vacation but never read.
Clearly you also know when a project is complete. With a sense of accomplishment and feeling good when you did what you set out to do. There is no ambiguity when completing a project. Nor is there any room for story telling as to why you have not finished as of yet.
The magic of projects is that built into them, they have everything we need to be more creative, original and less lazy. They give us the ability to focus, act and finish making our actions more intentional with both purpose and clarity bringing us a sense of control and flow into our lives.
Whether simple or complex, they all contain these same components. What’s exciting about discovering their magic, is that they give us a way to start moving our lives foregoing the uncertainty when thinking about life changes that seem impossible to achieve.
Small bites. Small steps. The magic of projects gives us the opportunity to practice becoming more intentional with clarity and purpose. Over time, this discipline can become part of your everyday life without you ever knowing it. Practice that is well worth the time spent given the length of a lifetime.