The urge to just “do”. Is it something you experience often? I’m sitting in bed wondering why my circadian rhythm isn’t complying and I feel compelled to write something down. To be busy. This is where a fork in the road appears for the majority of people. The notion of productivity vs. being busy. I’ve had the realisation that the term busy is a word used in conversation almost every day to describe how much pointless shit we managed to contrive in our lives. But at what cost does that busy-ness have on your ability to actually create anything to be proud of? We live in this deceiving paradox of time where we know that our lives are finite, but have an expectation of how far away that is. That distance we create lacks urgency, so we have developed a tendency to fill it predominantly with “stuff”. Activities that lack any real substance that we feel will influence, inspire, revolutionise, whatever term you wish to place around it. Why? Because we have lost our creativity as a culture. We are spoon fed an a + b = c equation to derive what is accepted to be appropriately attainable.These equations differ slightly from variances in the cultural discourses all across the Western World. However for me personally, I’d have to say my creativity took a sharp dive when I began university. It was an environment in which “facts” (the most recently accepted data) was placed in front of me, I needed to recite my understanding of that data and at the end of 3 years they would tell me if I was adequate enough to receive my piece of paper to become an over qualified personal trainer (insert crying with laughter emoji….and a $20k HECS debt). This also coincided with the end of my football playing days, a great source of identity in my life. An explanation has now become apparent as to why I feel like there’s such distance from the age of 18 to 23. I wasn’t being productive through creativity. I was simply busy.
Most of my friends will attest to the fact that I’ve always been a hard worker who does my best to fill my plate and stay moving. One who isn’t seen all that often, but for good reason, I’ve got my head down and arse up. But what did I actually achieve? Yes, I earned a degree and began my career in strength & conditioning but aside from that I contributed nothing. This is another area that I find vital to creativity. When you’re demonstrating contribution, there is a predetermined notion that you’re looking to service a need outside of your own benefit. When you’re a uni student, working in retail, with a convenient girlfriend and a social group you no longer partake in the same sport as, you become a bit of a self- centred arsehole. Not necessarily by choice, I suppose more as a product of circumstance. My first big hit of dopamine from contribution I can recall in this reflection would be helping my first client lose 20kg. To some degree creativity was met as I designed the program to achieve her result. Nevertheless, when you repeat the same process you acquire a tolerance. So to achieve a new sense of worth you must contribute to something greater. That’s where I’m at right now.
The next addition to productivity, creativity and contribution is scale. How do I fulfil those needs by doing so for as many people as possible? As a strength & conditioning coach I felt my scope was just too small on an annual basis with respect to number of athletes I have contact with. Furthermore, I don’t want to just influence rugby league players to achieve what it is they want as a PERSON not just a player. I want to talk to people in this format you’re taking part in right now. If I don’t know you personally I’m beginning to weave my way into the footholds of contribution I wish to have (and if I do know you please share this with someone I don’t!). That my views on the way the world works may challenge your thinking, to create pause to reflect on the lives we lead and most importantly, to ask questions!
I hope we could get to a point in society when someone asks, “Hey! What’s been happening?” More of us can say “I’ve just been really productive.” As opposed to “Not much.” Or “I’ve just been really busy..” Fingers crossed it’s also shed some light onto your own circumstances and perhaps areas where you have become too accepting of what’s expected of you. Don’t ever think that it’s too late to do something you want to do. I don’t mean that in some motivational speaker bullshit way either. If you have a passion and can convey insight, you can make a living out of it. I hope you’re never busy again. Stay creative. Stay productive.
Life as Benny 