It's the one thing
that hasn't wavered even when my enthusiasm for my
career did: hard work. I focus and achieve
ridiculously ambitious projects, by myself ,all the
time. 18 hours a day-can barely move yet keep going
type of things. The preperation for the Labor Day
party was one of those moments, but it's exactly like
every Egos episode or hell: this site. People always
marvel at how I can and even why I do? So
I made this video...
It really is all
those things and first and foremost is:
I can. I don't only mean that I'm capable of the
skills, I mean I'm afforded the opportunity. You
know? George Harrison used to work in his backyard all
the time doing things that he could easily have hired
others to do... but he understood the mind/body
connection in those projects and he was afforded
the opportunity to do them because his success in
other areas gave him the time. I've made some
good financial choices with my money, have lived long
enough below my means and also now have family support
that allows me to take 5 months and redo my entire
house. As well, save a FORTUNE doing it. I feel
priviledged. Priviledged to do 18 hours of manual
labor a day improving my environment. Preparing for my
coming child. It's the greatest year of my life,
bar-none. This is what it's all about. Soooooo
lucky...
...but it is also
all the other things I say in the video.
I do like that it's hard and I don't know
anyone who would attempt as much. I love showing other
people that you simply have to believe you can do it
and voila. Of course that's not true for everyone and
everything but man, so many of you fail because you
don't even ATTEMPT shit. Wouldn't you rather attempt
it and fail as opposed to not even trying and failing?
You're in the same place at the end aren't you? At
least when you attempt it you're learning. You're
moving forward. You're falling up the stairs instead
of standing on one step. And (gasp!) what if you
succeed? So it is my hope that I can inspire
people to try ridiculously difficult things even when
they have no idea what they're doing. I'm the
poster-child for that.
More than anything
though, at the heart of it all is direction. I am a
direction junkie. If I understand the goal and
see the direction? I will knock the SHIT out of
anything. When I can't see it or find it? I spin. I
certainly don't sit and do nothing, but I produce
in circles. Knowing I had to finish the two
hardest holes for GolfKon by Monday afternoon turned
me into a machine. Solving problems, dealing with
layouts, bags and bags of concrete, painting, cutting,
hammering, screwing - it's the greatest feeling in the
world to me. Direction! Plan of Action! If the only
variable is what my body can withstand? Oh shit, look
out. I will win. It's why I know I'll do a
marathon one day with barely any training.
I honestly believe that right now and run 26.2
miles. Without barely a stretch. I would probably
fuck up my body permanently in many ways, but
I wouldn't stop. If my mind or body is the only
variable, it doesn't usually let me down.
In all this, I do
have to make one embarrassing caveat: I'm not a fair
comparison. This isn't highly relatable to most
because it is kinda remarkable that I do have the
skills to do so many things. Which is also totally out
of my control. A lot of people that would attempt to
take down a wall between their kitchen and dining room
would have the roof cave in, and most people that
would attempt to make a mini-golf course in their
backyard would make an eyesore of epic proportions.
Just like the Vienna mural... I've never painted
except in 1st grade. <throws hands up>. I'm that
asshole for sure, but I do think people see "hard
work" as a bad thing and try to avoid it at all costs.
Especially hard work on your home. It's a "zen" like
nothing else. Whereas I hate gardening, the concept is
the same: you're changing your environment for the
better. In my case, there is more useable living space
now than there was a year ago to such an outrageous
degree, that it has changed my life. The hard work
that went into it also changed my life. I'm more fit,
more active and more peaceful because of it. Not a
moment goes by where I'm not thinking of my children
during the process and that has prepared me for
fatherhood in a beautiful fashion that I didn't even
realize could happen.
Creative work (and
I'll argue dish-washing can be creative) is also a way
to bond with, well, you. It is masturbation for sure.
All work/art is either masturbation or prostitution so
stop thinking you're all high and mighty with what
you're doing. That's how human's process. If you take
yourself more seriously than that you need to come
down a few pegs. All of this work connects you to who
and what you are. It is very Zen-like and very crucial
to maintaining your health. Be it making videos,
songs, jokes, decks... it's communicating who you are
not only to others... but to yourself. That
inner-communication is vital to
well-being.
And I have
been priviledged the past few months to work, work,
work, work until I literally can't feel my
hands.
