If anyone tells you there is a Great Wall in China, they are misinformed. It’s really a great staircase. How do I know? I climbed it. At the top of these great steps is an old Chinese man selling T-shirts.
Out of breath and delirious, I bought one red T-shirt printed with the image of the Great Wall (steps) and the message: “I climbed the Great Wall.” But before I bought it, I made the old man promise me that no one was at the bottom of these great steps selling the same shirts. He nodded with the knowledge that once I discovered the same shirts for sale at the bottom of the steps, I would not attempt to climb them again. He was right.
I wore the shirt with pride. It quietly boasted my strenuous climb. After I completed my two-week quest in China, I came home with a lot of dirty laundry. I separated the lights from the darks and washed my well-worn clothing.
After I completed my laundry, I noticed that some of the light underwear was mixed in with my darks. It happens. Unfortunately, this time my trophy T- shirt bled red dye throughout the entire load, turning the white underwear pink
I decided to keep the underwear as a reminder. I do my own laundry, but, not always in a timely fashion. So, I decided to use the underwear as inspiration to get my laundry done before I reach the pink ones.
It works reasonably well. I still may let my clothing pile up a little longer than some in my home might prefer, but I usually get it done before I start to see pink in the layers below.
I use this concept in other areas of my life, too. If I’m not completing important tasks, I will assign a worst-case scenario to them.
I acknowledge or create a motivation to encourage me to act when I’m not at the top of my game. If I don’t get Task A completed, I will go without something of value. It’s not all about punishment; I also create rewards to keep me motivated. Wearing pink underwear is not one of them.
The bottom line is you need to ask yourself: What would inspire you to complete the tasks necessary for you to be successful? What serves as your pink underwear reminder?
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Tags: Architecture, Arts and Entertainment, Asia, Casual, China, Clothing, Great Wall, Great Wall of China, Laundry, Shopping, T-shirt, Undergarment
Oh, son, if only you’d turn on the lights when you sort clothing and turn them off when you want inspiration.
I guess even “the new media photographer” has a mom with a few opinions.
[...] And that is our biggest challenge. So keep the fire burning or as Rosh Sillars say: find a pink underwear…err…..perhaps a pink bead in this [...]
I agree with your blog, I just don’t agree with your assessment of the Great Wall of China.
It’s like both, a wall and a staircase, but with stairs not made for the average human legs, especially the Mutianyu section…I know Badaling looks more manageable but I didn’t climb that part, I did Mutianyu and I almost fell. Not cool.
I cannot say any task I do will “guarantee” me success unless it is success by my own definition not others. By definition, those things are simply putting in a lot of hard work, taking lessons from those more experienced, providing lessons to those less experienced, studying and practice. It’s making sure that when I do a portfolio review from year to year, both I and my few mentors and colleagues I talk to in a small group can also see improvement as well as clients/friends/family and strangers. I want to be a better artist everyday. Thanks for the good blog.