Weekly Challenge: Trailblazing

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

This week's challenge: trailblazing

This week, the InspiroQuote challenge is more professional than personal, although the two are strongly intertwined.

The whole point of writing a dissertation is the production of original thought that contributes to the field (or so they tell me).  Of course, the foundation for much of a dissertation is the work that has come before.  But there has to be considerable new material in order for a dissertation to really be successful.  New research, new data, new applications - a good finished product has to have a distinct emphasis on the new in order to make the contribution to which we all aspire.  The way to achieve that is to trailblaze.

This week, I am making it a priority to trailblaze: to work on all new material.  Specifically, this is material that no one has worked on before.  Ever.  All the research and writing on my daily Astounding Lists for this week will be on two paintings that no one has ever dealt with before.

I am lucky enough to be working on paintings that have received very little scholarship to begin with, but there are two from the bowels of the Forbidden City storage bunkers that no one has touched at all.  One hasn't even been published - when I stumbled across it in the museum's internal catalog, the IT staff at the Forbidden City had to patch it together digitally for me because no one had thought about it before.  The woman in charge, who has been there for decades, hadn't even seen it before, which is really saying something.  (I'd post photos, but then we get into copyright issues, among other things.)  On the one hand, that means is that everything has to come from my own initiative, legwork, blood, sweat, and tears. But on the other hand that the result might just be something completely innovative and possibly even groundbreaking.

Breaking new ground and blazing a new trail - that's what I'm doing this week.

*This post would have come out on Monday, but I was trailblazing.
**Just got word that two of my own senior colleagues have landed good jobs.  The Asian art miracles just keep piling up!

TGIF: Bike-Balancing Edition

To celebrate Friday, here's a little bit of bike-balancing fun from Covent Garden last week.

Have a great weekend - TGIF! 

*Thanks to Katie for the photo!

                                                                                      

Weekly Challenge Update

Earlier in the week I posted the first InspiroQuote Challenge, based on a quote by Thomas Edison:

If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.
Thomas A. Edison

The challenge was to actually do everything on your list for that day, without cruising or checking out, and then to do it again for a second day. 

Here's what I completed off my list for Monday:  

√Blog and Twitter the InspiroQuote Challenge
√Read and take notes on a book I've been putting off
√Spend at least two hours writing the current chapter of my dissertation (good writing, too)
√E-mail my AWOL advisor (success!  He wrote back!)
√Start brainstorming a conference paper
√Clear out the important personal e-mail from my inbox
√Give my room a full tidy
√Cook a fresh, modest, satisfying dinner
√Have my bag packed and clothes laid out for tomorrow (dramatically improved getting out the door)
√Spend three minutes just quietly breathing and releasing the day before bed

And what I did not complete:  

Finish updating my CV
This was ambitious.  I spent a good chunk of time just beginning the update on Monday morning before work, so saying that I would finish it was really biting off rather more than I could chew.  It's going to take probably a full week. 

Either Hash or go to the gym, depending on weather

Darcy and I were beginning to feel the effects of actually staring the issue of the job search in the face, so instead of working out, we went and talked at a cafe for a good long while.  This was much more important. 


How it felt
Very, very good, I have to say.  I felt like I really Achieved With A Capital A, and so it was easy to do it again on Tuesday.  Having an actual honest-to-goodness list both days rather than a vague idea of things made a big difference, even if it did include things like "breathe and release the day before bed" and "brainstorm a conference paper."  On Tuesday, I cleared up some literary sources, wrote, took notes, did more writing, treated myself to a cup of tea in the museum (where I continued writing), tried on many waterproof outdoor shoes (with no success), had a kickass weightlifting workout, and still had more energy than usual at the end of the day. 

Possibility for the long-term
It's good, but it has to be a daily choice.  There must be a list.  It seems a little anal-retentive, but it really does help keep things on track.  Plus, there is the added satisfaction of crossing something off and moving on to the next one.  And it keeps me accountable.  I didn't make a list today, and although I was distracted in general and my schedule off, I think even a gentle list that took emotions and fatigue into consideration would have helped.  It would have given permission to back off a little, somehow.

Tomorrow, however, we're back on the list.  And for the sake of accountability, here it is:

Finish visual analysis of a particular painting
E-mail advisor back about translation and conference paper idea
Finish translating imperial archive documents for 1754 (doesn't that sound exciting)
Write the Latest Chapter Draft for at least an hour
Update CV for ten minutes
Spend five minutes journaling in the morning
Blog and twitter
Work out
Make a delicious, healthy-ish dinner
Spend three minutes just quietly breathing and releasing the day before bed

What's on your list?  Have you been astounded by the results? 

Light at the end of a tunnel

(Another post in the series "Humanities Guide to Surviving Academic Recession)

I'm having a intense time right now, after the news of my ex's job windfall.

Should this be defined as a major freak-out?  A minor existential crisis?  Hard to say.  But I lay awake for more than three hours in the middle of last night brooding over things.  Darcy joined me for the final hour between 3-4 a.m., trooper that he is.  Obviously my stress about this impacts him, especially since we are starting to deal with things like where I will (have to) be next year, and which country/countries in which to do job searches.  Dealing with personal and professional simultaneously is no fun for anyone.

But, in a ray of light at the end of this particularly dark tunnel, an e-mail from my advisor just arrived apologizing for his absence, promising to get right to looking at something I asked for his help with six weeks ago, and carrying the best news I've heard in weeks:

"the job market for Chinese art is fabulous, which is really against the trend when every other field is drying up in demand."

Perhaps this is the miracle I've been waiting for.  

Managing emotions when someone lands a job: Humanities Guide to Surviving Academic Recession

I learned this week that one of my exes landed an ultra-fantastic academic humanities job. I mean, a real plum. Ivy. Tenure-track. The whole deal. In this economy.

This provoked a variety of responses.

First response: sheer joy.
"WOW! That's incredible! He is perfect for that gig, and it is exactly the sort of thing he has always wanted! He has worked so hard, and this validates all of that work! And they took him while still ABD! That is fantastic! Way to go!"

Second response: toxic comparison.
"We started out at the same time, from the same place, and he's already there, but I'm not. He won more prestigious grants than I did. He is a better teacher than I am. He is smarter than I am. He works harder than I do. He's just better than I am. But I went out and did things. I lived on my own. I traveled around Asia. I speak Chinese. I've designed and taught my own courses as well, and I did it in Beijing. I learned how to rock-climb. I'm better than he is. No, he's better than I am. No, I'm better than he is. AARRGGHH! Which is it?"

Third response: panicked self-denigration.
"There are no jobs in my field, and even if there were, I couldn't get one. My CV sucks. I'm not giving enough papers, I don't have anything published, other people are doing 'better' at this than I am. What do I really have to offer that a decent institution would want? Let's go check the job postings right now. And update my CV. Immediately. Eek!"

Fourth response: unbridled envy masquerading as angry blame of self and others.
"If my advisor wasn't AWOL, I might actually have gotten some career advice. If both of my advisors hadn't advocated against a museum internship last summer, I would have curatorial experience. If I worked harder, I could have presented more papers. If I was smarter, I would have known about XXX and saved myself time and energy. If I practiced less yoga/listened to fewer podcasts/worked weekends/didn't blog/didn't run/didn't travel/etc., I might have been able to get an article published. If I had focused more on the Ph.D., I might be done by now."

Fifth response: release what does not serve you.
Niggling at the back of my head the entire time I was having the above freak-out is the fact that in these situations, comparisons are futile. He works in a different field, in a different region halfway around the world from mine. The situation is completely unrelated. No matter what else I thought, the fact that the comparison served no purpose whatsoever was there. And if yoga teaches you anything, it is to release what does not serve you.

How to manage emotions when someone you know lands a really great job

1. Accept that you will have strong responses.
Those may be very strong responses, perhaps of the green monster variety. Frustration, fury, despair, maybe even a little bit of depression might strike. Hopefully some joy and awe will be in there too, though.

2. Sit with those responses for a while.
Don't verbalize them out loud: maybe in a journal, but not out loud. And definitely not to your colleagues. Sniping and badmouthing are not classy. But let yourself feel those responses, because they might be big and unwieldy.

3. Stop comparing yourself with them. Just stop. Cold turkey.
It serves no purpose whatsoever, and frankly there are just too many factors for you to analyze, most of which you'll never even know. There is no other way to do it than to just abruptly stop comparing yourself. No three-step process, just the will to stop.

4.Think about whether your work is your identity, and use your response as a springboard.
If it is your identity, and this work is your life's passion, then use this news of someone landing a great gig as a reminder that there are academic jobs in the humanities available. You know someone with a great job! You could do that, too! Go sit down and do something in that direction - write a bit more, brainstorm a conference paper, update your CV, get in touch with a colleague at another institution to network.

If it is not your identity, think about why. How do you define yourself? Is your work your passion, or does it pay the bills? What else is there in your life that you really feel is "your thing"? Take that knowledge, and move in that direction instead. If you're a runner, go for a run and do it faster than before. If you're a blogger, write a post that is better than your last one. If you're a baker, bake a better cake than your family and friends have enjoyed before. If you're a parent, go teach your kids something new that you know.

Whatever you decide, let the news of a job light a fire under your own backside to propel you forward in the direction you want to go. Not the direction you think you should go, or the direction "society" wants you to take, but your direction that demonstrates what your passion is. Go out and do something right now.

5. Let the person know how thrilled you are for them.
Because you are, honestly, thrilled. Not only did they prove it was possible, but they provided you with inspiration to move further along your own passion. Send them an e-mail or give them a call, maybe take them out for a drink. Be genuinely happy for them, because this makes them happy. And we can all be thrilled when someone's hard work pays off.

6. Release what does not serve you.
Let it go. Take what is useful from this, and move on in that direction. The lessons are useful; the comparisons are not.

**Have you encountered situations like this? Leave a note in the comments with your experiences and how you managed your emotions when someone landed a job.

New Feature: InspiroQuote Challenge

Every week, I try to pick a quote to help me stay focused on what I want to accomplish.  I write it at the top of the week's page in my planner as a galvanizing, energizing reminder of just how much good can be accomplished with just a little motivation.  These quotes set the tone for my week, because whatever you can do on Monday, you can definitely do again on a Tuesday, and a Wednesday, and so on.   

This Monday begins a new feature here at The Prosecco Life - InspiroQuote Challenge.  Every Monday, I'll be posting a quote to challenge and inspire for the upcoming week.  The challenge will be derived from the quote, to link the idea to daily life and to try to push just a little bit farther in everything.

This Week's InspiroQuote  
If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.
Thomas A. Edison
 

This Week's Challenge

Today, actually do everything that you are capable of on the list of major things you want to accomplish, both personally and professionally.  Don't cruise by with "just enough.  For today, do EVERYTHING that you want to have accomplished.  Tomorrow morning, see how you feel about all that you accomplished, and then try it again.  

Here's my list for today: 

Blog and Twitter the InspiroQuote Challenge
Read and take notes on a book I've been putting off
Spend at least two hours writing the current chapter of my dissertation
Finish updating my CV
E-mail my AWOL advisor
Start brainstorming a conference paper 
Either Hash or go to the gym, depending on weather
Clear out the important personal e-mail from my inbox 
Give my room a full tidy
Cook a fresh, modest, satisfying dinner
Have my bag packed and clothes laid out for tomorrow
Spend three minutes just quietly breathing and releasing the day before bed

We'll check back in with this on Wednesday.  Please leave a note in the comments with the list of everything you plan to do today!

Paris in Photos, Part 2

Paris, in pictures

Apologies for the absence - right after Paris (ultra-fantastic!), a gal pal came into town and I developed a nasty sore-throat-consumptive-cough-like-thing. Not pretty. Expect a longer post at the end of this week after my welcome and completely unwelcome guests have headed off, but in the meantime, here are some Paris shots to whet your appetite...

Paris forecast: light fog with plenty of excitement

Tomorrow at this time, Darcy and I will be walking off a late Parisian lunch by wandering towards the Louvre to enjoy its late Friday hours and knock '#9. See the Mona Lisa in the Louvre' off my 1001/101 list.  Also to be completed: '#2: visiting the top of the Eiffel Tower' and '#62: Have a conversation in French.' 

And let's not forget the mass consumption du fromage, des croissants, du vin, and other miscellaneous tasties.  Plus grotesque amounts of faisant la lèche-vitrine.

Incredibly excited!!! 

Expect photos and updates next week!  Bon week-end!

How to: 'Be Present' in Ten Minutes with Your Favorite Songs

From today's Sinfest comes a reminder that your favorite music can help you 'be present' in a highly personalized way that best suits you.  The sounds produced by singing bowls, chimes, sitars, harmoniums, and gongs are lovely.  But your favorite songs to sing along to will not only boost your mood and your energy, but also bring you right back into the present moment.  Sadie Nardini's use of Bon Jovi is a great example of this in action, but no mudras or "om"s are even necessary.

How to use your favorite music to 'be present' in ten minutes

1. Pick three songs that make you happy, and to which know just about all of the lyrics.
2. Put on your headphones or turn on the stereo.
3. Press play.
4. Sing along with all you've got, either out loud or silently in your head.

The length of three songs (about ten minutes or so) is just the right length of time to help bring you back into the present moment.  The trick here is to really put your whole being into the singing.  Really sing from your heart, whether or not there is sound to go with it.  It doesn't matter if you can't carry a tune; as long as you know the lyrics, you can do it.  It doesn't matter that it's 3 a.m. and the stereo will wake your partner/kids/neighbors; just use your headphones and your mp3 player.  This is particularly useful if you're having a rough time and just need to clear things out of your mind - then the silent singalong becomes a singing heart meditation. 

Just try it - you'll find that if you're really singing along hard, silently or out loud, then it's impossible to focus on anything else.  Then suddenly, you'll discover that you're living in the moment, being present, not focused on either the future or the past. 
     
No sitar or headstand required.