Friday, August 05, 2005
life = building
as a twentysomething i often get the feeling that i must be behind the curve, that i really should have it figured out by now, that i should be done creating and should have my life all in place - nice, neat and complete. this impatience with myself, as you might guess, usually yields little in the way of forward movement. recently, however i've developed a little mantra which has been helping to disarm the encroaching feelings of inadequacy: life = building.
that's right, you will spend your entire life building your life. in our culture of quick fixes, ultimate convenience and ever speedier everything, the idea of spending your entire life building something sounds absurd. no one does anything for their entire life. that is except live. and living is all about building. we are constantly building - our selves, our community, our career. life is like one big construction project, always in a state of assembly.
it's a great metaphor actually, life as a building project.
it can help us to keep in mind the following:
- you can't do it alone: you know the term 'construction crew' - we all get to have one in building the life we want.
- new materials are always needed: whether it's the 2x4s or the sheetrock - or in the case of life the wild adventures and new friendships.
-it's messy: i don't know about you but i've never visited a 'clean' construction site - life is much the same rarely tidy and usually thriving amidst the mess
-there are a million parts: constructing a building is a complex process from pouring cement all the way to wiring in light fixtures - life too is a multi-faceted endeavor with each part evolving at its own pace
i could go on, but you get the point. life is all about building. it's not a neat & tidy process with a firm completion date to look forward to - it's a messy, ever evolving project of weaving together what we want and making it work.
what does life = building mean to you?
and what might you do differently if you let yourself just build rather than trying to figure it out?
as always, post a comment i'd love to hear your thoughts.
dream big,
-kirsten
that's right, you will spend your entire life building your life. in our culture of quick fixes, ultimate convenience and ever speedier everything, the idea of spending your entire life building something sounds absurd. no one does anything for their entire life. that is except live. and living is all about building. we are constantly building - our selves, our community, our career. life is like one big construction project, always in a state of assembly.
it's a great metaphor actually, life as a building project.
it can help us to keep in mind the following:
- you can't do it alone: you know the term 'construction crew' - we all get to have one in building the life we want.
- new materials are always needed: whether it's the 2x4s or the sheetrock - or in the case of life the wild adventures and new friendships.
-it's messy: i don't know about you but i've never visited a 'clean' construction site - life is much the same rarely tidy and usually thriving amidst the mess
-there are a million parts: constructing a building is a complex process from pouring cement all the way to wiring in light fixtures - life too is a multi-faceted endeavor with each part evolving at its own pace
i could go on, but you get the point. life is all about building. it's not a neat & tidy process with a firm completion date to look forward to - it's a messy, ever evolving project of weaving together what we want and making it work.
what does life = building mean to you?
and what might you do differently if you let yourself just build rather than trying to figure it out?
as always, post a comment i'd love to hear your thoughts.
dream big,
-kirsten
# posted by kirsten johnson @ 1:10 PM 
Comments:
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Why do you write in all small letters? I wonder if I am the only one who finds it very distracting. You may be turning readers off with this approach. You may reach a broader audience if you use conventional stylistics.
Hey, great blog. I'm loving this theme of life building. Perhaps it's a little bit of Yeppie philosophy?
Nicely written. This got me thinking about my own life, and how easy it is to get stuck in certain patterns of thinking that keep "life building" from happening.
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# posted by 
: 6:09 PM
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