Meditations for Mortals - week one, day two

Meditations for Mortals (by Oliver Burkeman): A 4 week/28 day series with dailyish posts about the book
Week one - facing the facts of finitude

DAY TWO
Kayaks and superyachts
On actually doing things

On day two, Burkeman shares with us that he will not be offering some kind of step-by-step system for building a more successful or meaningful life. Instead, he says, we can choose — right now — how we spend our finite time by doing something we care about. Just start. Just do something, here and now.

“It really is that simple. Unfortunately, for many of us, it also turns out to be one of the hardest things in the world.”

Why is it so hard? Well if we’re trying something newish — something we feel insecure or uncertain about — it’s uncomfortable. Of course we don’t want to start something where we feel inadequate or unsure of the outcome. Burkeman says it feels as thought we’re in a kayak, at the mercy of the current, steering as best we can, reacting to whatever arises from moment to moment.

But we’d rather be on a superyacht. In superyacht mode, we’re in full control — “programming our desired route into the ship’s computers, and sitting back and watching it all unfold from the plush-leather swivel chair on the serene and silent bridge.”

When we’re in that mode and decide to meditate, for example, we might start by buying a book about meditation. Then we shop for the right cushion, search for a training program, read reviews for meditation apps, maybe even research a retreat — instead of just sitting down to meditate for five minutes right now.

Actually doing one meaningful thing today — just sitting down to meditation, just practicing that new concerto, or just trying out to compose — requires surrending a sense of control. It means not knowing in advance, as Burkeman writes,

“…if you’ll carry it off well (you can be certain that you’ll do it imperfectly), or whether you’ll be end up becoming the kind of person who does that sort of thing all the time. And so it’s an act of faith.”

He invites us to reflect on this question:

”What is one thing you could do right now that you’re willing to do, that you feel is a good use of (y)our finite time?”

Just doing the thing once — with absolutely no guarantee you’ll do it again — can be enough to get something started. You might find that you do come back to it, and then a few days later, a small practice has begun.

He invites us to steer our kayaks into the uncertain rapids right here and right now, because he adds,

“Whatever you’re bringing into reality, right here on the rapids, is worth bringing into reality for itself.”

On a personal note, this chapter really resonated with me. Starting to compose has been an obvious leap into the kayak — navigating all kinds of currents of insecurity and doubt.

As for my playing — as much as I love it more than ever and as meaningful and joyful as my flute practice has become (especially in recent years) — some days, I still find myself in superyacht mode. For me, that often shows up as procrastination. I start organizing my music, answering emails, networking with someone new on social media. These are all related to flute playing — but not really about playing my flute at that moment.

Just writing about this reminds me to stay mindful of all the subtle forms of superyacht-ness that keep me from doing the things I truly want to be doing.

Here’s to choosing the kayak — however uncertain the waters!

Thoughts?
What’s one thing you can do right here, right now?