From Storms to Shifts: Finding Momentum Again
Small Steps to Overcome Setbacks and Rekindle Motivation
A Storm and an Unavoidable Silence
Hi there!
Welcome back! Storm Éowyn brought record-breaking winds to Ireland two weeks ago today, with almost a million homes and businesses left without electricity on the island of Ireland. We lost our electricity, water, internet, mobile connectivity, light and heat. Writing my Substack wasn’t possible. Last week, other demanding deadlines had to be met. Apologies for my unavoidable silence.
I feel like I’ve been off in the wilderness, doing a 40-day retreat! And I’m finally back to civilization.
The Loneliness of Writing and the Power of Feedback
Writing is a lonely pursuit. So it’s always lovely to receive feedback. To know you are reading. Even when I was a columnist for The Irish Times, once something is published you often don’t know where or how it may land. Or if it has landed.
Shifting Out of the Doldrums
I had a period after Christmas of being in the doldrums.
But something has shifted in the past week. For one, I had drifted into rising at 7am, but this week I’ve risen at 6am, which helps me get a foothold on the day.
Decluttering: Tackling Everest Five Minutes at a Time
Another thing that’s changed is I’ve increased the pace of decluttering. I heard somewhere that, left unchecked, everything turns to chaos. Having lived in our home for 24 years, a lot of stuff accumulates. I think a year and a half ago, we improved the insulation in our attic, so a lot of stuff that we’d been storing in the attic had to come down. Folders and paperwork, financial records, files, diaries…a mountain of stuff.
For the most part, it has formed an Everest in the middle of my office floorspace. Decluttering it is a massive task. But in the last week, I decided to just commit five minutes to it per day. That’s manageable. Once I get myself off the psychological burden of clearing the mountain, only undertaking to do a few minutes, I usually extend it and find it quicker to shift than I’d dreaded.
Breaking Big Tasks into Small Steps
Yes, there’s nothing new there, in that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Deciding to take one simple step is easy, and then another one, and so on; breaking huge tasks into mini-tasks, whether you’re trying to quit smoking, improve fitness or learn the oboe!
A Creative Boost: Writing for the Humanist Association
What else has shifted? I was invited to write something for the Humanist Association’s annual remembrance ceremony this Sunday. That was nice; as I’d been invited to do so for its very first such ceremony in 2014; and at several subsequent events in its early years.
I wrote my contribution yesterday and I’m hoping to work with my friend and songwriting collaborator Zac Ware to turn it into a song in the coming weeks.
Here is a the piece I wrote for the inaugural event of 2014, accompanied on guitar by Paul Hulm. I also read it, unaccompanied, at the funerals of my mother Pauline Armstrong and my brother David Armstrong.
Movement for Mood: The Power of Physical Activity
What else has shifted me from the Slough of Despond? Physical activity is always important. I’m doing Pilates once a week and I’m attending a guided physical exercise class twice weekly for people with chronic health conditions.
I remember someone at a charismatic religious camp, in my misspent youth, say that if you felt depressed, don’t pray — go for a run! What wisdom! Getting even a bit fitter helps shift feelings, thoughts and mood towards a happier frame of mind.
I’ve also bought a device to hold my phone on my handlebars so that I can keep an eye if I’m unduly exceeding my maximum recommended heartbeat while I cycle.
Small Steps to Set Your Own Shift in Motion
If you’re feeling lost at sea or needing wind in your sails, you might consider one of the following:
· Declutter for Five Minutes (if you choose to do longer that’s grand!) Ask yourself: ‘Have I used this in the last two years?’ ‘Do I love it?’ If ‘no’ and ‘no’, out you go!
· Go for a walk, a cycle, take the stairs instead of an escalator, or check out a Pilates or gym class near you
· Set your clock to rise a bit earlier in the mornings. The early bird catches the worm!
· Do what you’re best at to the best of your ability for the benefit of others, whether that’s preparing a meal, writing a Substack or teaching people how to play whist!
Happy days,
Joe
P.S. Next week will be my 100th Substack. I welcome and encourage any suggestions for what to write about.
Joe’s acclaimed first memoir In My Gut, I Don’t Believe is available on Amazon in Kindle, Paperback, Hardback and Audible editions. His second memoir Saved by a Woman is available on Amazon in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback editions.
