Beginning to Finish

I am an expert on beginning a project and not finishing it. I think the list is very long. This blog is one of many in that list because I think of writing often but frequently fail. A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a young girl who is an art student about this issue and she told me "you have the Da Vinci Syndrome because he used to start many projects that would never be completed". I was impressed and this comment really resonated in me. I didn't know that about Dan Vinci but for sure I know that I have that same problem. I have been working with many issues for the last couple of years and I am in a place where I can see more clearly and I noticed I am able to overcome a few of the problems I had regarding what I wanted to do with my life and my relationship with family and friends, especially with my twelve siblings.

I have been concerned about my "Da Vinci Syndrome" for a while and I told my therapist I was needing some kind of accountability. I told her that my idea was to start with one project at a time and not working in any other until that one is finished. She set a timetable of 21 days to finish the most important part of the first project and I did it! Yay!!! Then I set another date with her to finish the project and I am almost failing BUT I am working giving it my all to get it done.

Today I really wanted do something with those projects in the list that are not so big. I googled some information about the Dan Vinci Syndrome and it was a revelation. First of all and a big surprise for me, he was an engineer and so am I. What is important here is that he was a creative soul who had many ideas and was not able to finish them or many of them took more time than expected, just like me. I am not a genius and of course not as talented as him but I do love to create. I used to consider my self a "creatively insecure soul" and a "procrastination expert". I wrote "used to" because that is in the past. I still procrastinate and leave projects unfinished but the important thing is that I am working on them with the humble acceptance that I need help and support to get things done. I struggle each and every day to overcome this "da Vinci Syndrome" but I learned to use a tool we all have for free, the mind. I learned that what I think and believe has a profound impact on my life and more importantly, the whole wide world. Learning this has change the way I start each and every day. I received a precious gift (and an assignment) from my therapist, a daily card with a task. I love this task because now I keep adding things to do every day that helps me overcome this "Da Vinci Syndrome" and do something that has been a dream my whole life, to be a better person today than I was yesterday. The following list is what I do almost everyday:

1. Set an intension for the day which is almost the same like: do better than yesterday, enjoy each and every single task, be at peace

2. Make the bed in a mindful state

3. Do my affirmations in front of the mirror: "I am full of unconditional love and I share it today, I am full of an indescribable joy and I feel it today, I am full of a profound and serene peace and I experience it today and I am connected to the infinite wisdom that is God and I choose to let it guide me through everything in my life".

4. Do another task in the cards like "do something that relaxes you" or "sing in the shower". Every single card has in a back another task like "set an intention for the day" or "make a list of what you are grateful". This means I am adding to my list something to be grateful each day.

5. Write in my journal about anything happening or that has happened in my life. I usually write one or two pages in the computer because my fingers are swelling and writing with a pencil is tough.

6. If there is a challenge in a group I follow and the challenge is to write a short poem I try to write one and I have succeeded most of the times.

7. I play the Wordle Game just for the fun of sharing it with my sons

Other than that I workout some days, have a good breakfast and then I am ready to work in my ceramic some days and some days on other products like the art on wood, pillows, and fabric panels. Those "little things" that I do almost every day has changed profoundly my state of being. I have more energy, I am more productive and I see things more clear. The decision making process is less heavy and I feel free.

To succeed in completing important projects I set my mind to finish one at a time and once one is completed I'll start the next one. This does not mean that "the project" is the only thing I am working on. It means I take one project off the list and while I do the other things, like producing ceramics, I work on that project continuously using my available time efficiently. This new way of getting done what needs to be done has granted me with more spare time to do other things that I love like collage painting. The image below show a "collage painting" I created a long time ago and I added one of my "miracle" tiny poems.

I hope I can share with you very soon the first finished project from my "List of Uncompleted Projects"

My wish for you is to have an excellent health, to live a peaceful live and enjoy more happy moments!

Elizabeth Claire