“Take care not to casually discuss matters that are of great importance to you with people who are not important to you. Your affairs will become drained of preciousness. You undercut your own purposes when you do this. This is especially dangerous when you are in the early stages of an undertaking.
Other people feast like vultures on our ideas. They take it upon themselves to blithely interpret, judge, and twist what matters most to you, and your heart sinks. Let your ideas and plans incubate before you parade them in front of the naysayers and trivializers.
Most people only know how to respond to an idea by pouncing on its shortfalls rather than identifying its potential merits. Practice self-containment so that your enthusiasm won’t be frittered away.”
-Epictetus
The first of (hopefully) 52 portraits/photos. I want to capture a representation of where I’m at each week in 2013. I’ll probably often include a quote or song or lyrics or other smattering of current thoughts or feelings.
This week, it’s the first of a new year so I have been thinking a lot about resolutions/goals/intentions. It’s even manifested into something of a list. For someone who is not big on resolutions and terribly disorganized when it comes to goals, I’m surprised. (Notice how I put “hopefully” up there in the previous paragraph.) Actually, I am tempted to share said list here. Well, some of it. I came across the above quote many years ago and it’s helped me sit on some thoughts until they are ready to hatch, so to speak.
Have you ever held close to an idea or dream because you were afraid it would get squashed if you didn’t protect it? Or have you ever lost the enthusiasm for an idea after the “naysayers” got their chance to say some nay?
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January 8, 2013 at 8:58 PM
I’ve been thinking about this very subject quite a bit lately. My boyfriend and I have aspirations to open up a shop together, and have just begun the early stages of business planning. Sometimes it seems far-fetched or overwhelming, but I know we can do it and I know it’s what we want for our future. I’m so excited I want to shout it from the rooftops, but I’m afraid of the people in my life pinpointing the problems and discouraging our fragile little seedling of a dream.
With love,
Melody
January 8, 2013 at 9:08 PM
Really good quote! Thanks for including it.
That is a beautiful portrait! I’m excited about this series!
Genevieve
January 9, 2013 at 4:57 AM
I love this; just beautiful.
January 9, 2013 at 10:20 AM
I completely agree! It’s been something that I’ve slowly learned over the years. I’ve always been a dreamer and I think the nay-sayers are one of the reasons it’s taken me so long to start selling knitted items. Luckily the grip it’s had on me was stronger than the nay-sayers, and it won out in the end. :)
January 10, 2013 at 8:11 PM
Beautiful photo! I can’t wait to see more :)
I keep a lot of things to myself, there are a lot of naysayers in my life!
January 10, 2013 at 11:32 PM
Lovely photo. Looking forward to whatever (and however many) you do!
Three cheers for nay sayers! When I started my business it was as a direct result of someone telling me I couldn’t do it. If you want to read the details I have it posted here: http://www.harmonyart.com/about/history.html [WARNING LONG and this part of the story is about 1/2 way through.]
Last month I had dejavu. I asked someone if they would help me with an idea I have been percolating (for years!) and instead of helping they basically told me to, “Forget it. You’ll never be able to do it. You’re wasting your time.” I mean it was HARSH those three sentences were more like a 10 minute negativity lecture! Yes, it hurt. Yes, it was embarrassing. However, instead of closing me down I felt this huge rush of energy. No one could match her negativity. What do I have to lose now? My goal for 2013 is to pitch the idea (she didn’t even let me get that far!) to someone who can really make things happen. I hear Walt Disney was turned down 28 times before he got his first book deal. I am not writing a book but bring on the nay sayers. If you believe in something with your full heart it’s just a matter of finding the open hearts that match. I can be patient and persistent. I wish that for YOU too.
January 11, 2013 at 11:54 AM
“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”
- Winston Churchill
January 14, 2013 at 7:22 PM
I’ve been supporting my two-person family almost solely for the past three years while Stephen writes his book and teaches part-time. While I am unbelievably thankful for the job I have, it’s in a line of work that is sort of horrible for my sensitive personality. I’m not motivated by money, but it doesn’t really make sense to leave–especially with his health issues and insurance needs.
So sometimes I daydream about when the book is finished (end of summer, most likely) and published and we move on in the next chapter. I think the biggest naysayer I have is myself. I think maybe I’ll do something with web design, and then I harshly remind myself I have zero training in that. And then I think I might work with the poor and just give my time to helping people. I even manage to talk myself out of that.
I feel like I’ve lost a lot of my softness, and maybe too many hard knocks have knocked the dreamer out of me. But I keep moving forward, looking for beauty and finding little pockets of silence. Your portrait is very fitting (to me anyhow) this week, and lovely as well. Dream big.
January 17, 2013 at 6:07 AM
What a lovely quote, thank you for sharing. And good luck with your project – it sounds like a great way of staying reflective and grounded. kx