Trying to Reason with a Terrorist

Shipping When You Don't Feel Like It

I don’t feel like typing this right now. I’m writing this early Friday morning, after staying up late last night scheduling a post for 8am. This post won’t go live for three days. I could have rationalized my way into an extra hour of sleep.

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Photo © Nathan Landis

But you can’t reason with a terrorist.

Which is basically what the lazy, complacent side of me is. It tries to shame me into giving up on important goals. (“Just face it — you’ll never write a book.”) It wants me to throw in the towel. (“It’s not worth all the effort.”) Or it deflates the potential impact of an opportunity. (“No one will care even if you do what you are passionate about.”)

But there’s something about shipping which scares away the demons of self-doubt and worry and lethargy.

How Story Changes Things

Looking at tough experiences through a powerful lens

After studying much of Donald Miller’s work, wife and I are beginning to see life through the lens of story. He has an excellent resource available called How to Tell a Story.

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We went through an exercise in the PDF to help make sense of the past by viewing it as a story. The life experience I chose was when I was overwhelmed in college.

Donald Miller’s exercise helped me realize my experience was actually a good story in the making.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

My first experience with a counselor

It was sophomore year of college and my life was a mess. I wasn’t sleeping, studying, making friends, or enjoying classes much. Instead, I spent most of my time playing games, fixing my ever-broken car, hacking, and rebelling. Despite attending classes and even taking notes, my grades were awful and so was my attitude.

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I was not having a wonderful time.

Everything was sliding downhill and it wasn’t going to get better on its own. I thought of quitting dozens of times. I longed to abandon my education and learn my grandfather’s vocation back in Maryland. Something had to change.

Dad suggested I talk to a counselor. But wait — I thought counseling was admitting defeat! It’s supposed to be a last ditch effort, right?

How Team Ralon Can Help

Because you have better things to do than deal with hassle

I can’t stand hassle. I hate it when vehicles, smartphones, gadgets, programs, and tools don’t do what they were designed to do.

And most of all, I hate to see others blocked by the very things which are meant to enhance their efforts — not slow them down.

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You have much better things to do than figure out solutions to tedious problems. Imagine if you could minimize your hassle, freeing you to do your best.

Let Team Ralon enhance your efforts and empower you to do what only you can do.

The Concept of Ownership Taken Too Far

And how awesome it feels to be misunderstood

Here at LV we talk often about owning up to your faults and taking the blame. But what about the times when you are blamed unfairly? When you are shamed for things you could not control?

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Whatever went wrong, you are suddenly staring up at a blinding spotlight and everyone is looking at you for an apology and an explanation of why you messed up so badly.

You’re okay with taking the blame when it is due. You are proactive and take ownership and are open about your flaws. But this is blown waaay out of proportion.