LJ Idol Session 8: "What the New Year Will Bring"
Hi there and welcome! My name is Jacques-Paul Olcien, from the Institute for Human Advancement *. We're here with anamacha, self-styled artist and graphic designer. Mr Anamacha is being considered for inclusion in IHA's 2008 "Getting the Most Out of the Year" award. How are you sir?
anamacha: Just great, Jacques-Paul! How are ...
Jacques-Paul Olcien: I'm doing just wonderfully! I'm sure you won't mind me diving right in; our readers are anxious, as always.
anamacha: Well, of cou...
JPO: You began as a middle-class nobody, son of a college professor and a ... housewife. Now you're making a name for yourself in the graphic design industry. What happened?
anamacha: I finally discovered my passions, and where they lay. It's been tough, unlearning the knee-jerk "that's just the way I've done things" reflex. I think I'm doing pretty well, though.
JPO: Knee-jerk reaction? Say more about that.
anamacha: Inertia has a horrible price: stagnation. Sometimes it's hard to get myself motivated. But like that person said -- I think it was Newton -- "A body at rest tends to stay at rest." Unless acted upon by external forces, of course. Conversely, "a body in motion tends to stay in motion." The problem lies in being both the external force and the body at rest, at the same time.
JPO: So what are you using to motivate yourself?
anamacha: There's no substitute for just getting out and doing a thing. I've tried New Year's Resolutions, I've tried goal-setting, I've tried whiteboards. Nothing seems to work for me. So all that's left is for me to get out there and kick my own ass.
JPO: Kick it into doing what?
anamacha: Doing more with art and graphic design, for one thing. I'm tired of languishing on my laurels; I'm not getting any younger. And I want to listen to my intuition more. It does a fair job of guiding me, when I let it. I just need to let it.
JPO: That sounds like "higher power" stuff. Some call that sort of thing God.
anamacha: That's one name for it, sure. Different people have different conceptions, but it's essentially the same thing.
JPO: What are some other qualities you hope to bring to your life in 2008?
anamacha: Well, broadening of horizons would be nice, better if it be through travel. I'm getting tired of the same four walls all the time. I'd also like to lose a little weight; years of being sedentary have taken their toll, and as I said, I'm not getting any younger. Behavior modification is hard, though! Enlightening my spirit though meditation is good, as well as simply being more mindful. That means taking my time and really experiencing things, instead of just rushing through and missing half.
JPO: And what's the thing you didn't mention? The number one thing you'd like to bring into your life?
anamacha: [laughing] You know me too well! The number one thing I'd like to bring is courage. That being defined as the absence of fear. Or feeling the fear and doing it anyway. That's tough to do, when you've let that run your life for so long.
JPO: And there you have it. Straight from the man himself! Best of luck to you, anamacha.
anamacha: And to you as well, Jacques.
* The Institute for Human Advancement, at least for purposes of this interview, is something I made up.
anamacha: Just great, Jacques-Paul! How are ...
Jacques-Paul Olcien: I'm doing just wonderfully! I'm sure you won't mind me diving right in; our readers are anxious, as always.
anamacha: Well, of cou...
JPO: You began as a middle-class nobody, son of a college professor and a ... housewife. Now you're making a name for yourself in the graphic design industry. What happened?
anamacha: I finally discovered my passions, and where they lay. It's been tough, unlearning the knee-jerk "that's just the way I've done things" reflex. I think I'm doing pretty well, though.
JPO: Knee-jerk reaction? Say more about that.
anamacha: Inertia has a horrible price: stagnation. Sometimes it's hard to get myself motivated. But like that person said -- I think it was Newton -- "A body at rest tends to stay at rest." Unless acted upon by external forces, of course. Conversely, "a body in motion tends to stay in motion." The problem lies in being both the external force and the body at rest, at the same time.
JPO: So what are you using to motivate yourself?
anamacha: There's no substitute for just getting out and doing a thing. I've tried New Year's Resolutions, I've tried goal-setting, I've tried whiteboards. Nothing seems to work for me. So all that's left is for me to get out there and kick my own ass.
JPO: Kick it into doing what?
anamacha: Doing more with art and graphic design, for one thing. I'm tired of languishing on my laurels; I'm not getting any younger. And I want to listen to my intuition more. It does a fair job of guiding me, when I let it. I just need to let it.
JPO: That sounds like "higher power" stuff. Some call that sort of thing God.
anamacha: That's one name for it, sure. Different people have different conceptions, but it's essentially the same thing.
JPO: What are some other qualities you hope to bring to your life in 2008?
anamacha: Well, broadening of horizons would be nice, better if it be through travel. I'm getting tired of the same four walls all the time. I'd also like to lose a little weight; years of being sedentary have taken their toll, and as I said, I'm not getting any younger. Behavior modification is hard, though! Enlightening my spirit though meditation is good, as well as simply being more mindful. That means taking my time and really experiencing things, instead of just rushing through and missing half.
JPO: And what's the thing you didn't mention? The number one thing you'd like to bring into your life?
anamacha: [laughing] You know me too well! The number one thing I'd like to bring is courage. That being defined as the absence of fear. Or feeling the fear and doing it anyway. That's tough to do, when you've let that run your life for so long.
JPO: And there you have it. Straight from the man himself! Best of luck to you, anamacha.
anamacha: And to you as well, Jacques.
* The Institute for Human Advancement, at least for purposes of this interview, is something I made up.