'Why We Don’t Do What We Want to Do and How to Start', read in tinybuddha

“The truth is,” she said, “if you can’t put fifteen minutes a day into your art, then you’re making an excuse.”

Once I accepted that my mindset was the only thing really getting in the way of my “impossible dream” of a consistent, prolific art practice, I committed to trying this fifteen minutes a day idea, as an experiment, for one month.

I admit I was skeptical that fifteen minutes would be enough to accomplish much, and I couldn’t imagine that such a short amount of time would even begin to satisfy my hungry inner artist. But waiting until I had big chunks of time to work in my studio had gotten me nowhere.

For over a decade I’d lamented that I never had enough time to do my art. Surely, even fifteen minutes would be better than nothing.

Sometimes we make excuses to avoid unpleasant things, it’s true. But human psychology is complex. Perhaps just as often we make excuses because we want something so much it hurts.

“If I do this thing that I really want,” we might think, “I might prove once and for all that I’ll never be any good at it.”

Or, “If I try, I might fail.”

Or, “If I step into this bigger identity for myself, I’ll have to let go of my comfy, old identity. People might expect more of me, or they may be threatened or disappointed.”

And, ultimately, “If I do this, everything might change, and change is hard!”

No wonder we resist! It feels so much safer not to try at all.

How to break the cycle? By looking resistance square in the face and taking responsibility for finding a way instead of finding another excuse. By acknowledging what is really important, and committing to making it a priority.

It won’t happen overnight, but my fifteen minutes a day commitment to my art showed me that baby steps, over time, will take you further than you ever imagined.