Dig Deep and Finish Strong
We have a saying in our teaching at Outlaw Yoga, “Dig Deep and Finish Strong.”
It’s become a favorite refrain of our teachers, a hallmark of our style – productively pushing through fatigue and the voice in your head that says, ‘quit’.
There will always be more reasons to quit than to continue regardless of the challenge facing you. Obstacles that need to be gritted and just plain ol’ got through.
This month I’m flinging myself into a flurry of creativity in order to finish the year on a strong note.
Makes me feel better about my entire year’s productivity if I get some shit done in December.
I’m putting the finishing touches on the follow-up novel to The Adventures of Larry Wampler – The Case of The Koreatown Car-Jumper (now available for Kindle), moving to a new place, recording a couple more “F*cking Great Affirmations” and trying my best to finish a dozen or so paintings that have been lingering in my work space.
Painting presents a unique challenge to me – I know, rough life I have…
But, for some reason creating with paint and brush on canvas just confounds me – intimidates and even scares me. When I’m writing if I don’t like a line I delete it…when you’re painting you can only plow through your intense dissatisfaction and paint over it.
Turns out, paintings only get better by adding more paint to them.
Round about this time of year, most of us can’t help but get pretty self-reflective, considering our year and years past…if you’re anything like me, you’re likely tougher on yourself than you ought to be. It’s for this very reason, this predictably unkind tendency of the mind, that in December I hit the creative gas pedal.
Pushing my productivity to the limits.
I curtail my extracurriculars in lieu of enhancing my productivity – finishing the year with a flurry of productive creativity is a sneaky way of making myself feel better about my entire year’s output. It also, perhaps not coincidentally, makes me feel better about going on my annual ‘Winter Break’.
Whatever it means for you, try hitting the gas a bit. Cleanse for a few days, brush up on your personal practice, or just take some time to finish off a couple lingering tasks before the holidays hit.
Add some paint to your unique canvas.
Happy holidays and New Year, Yogis! May it be filled with possibilities and conscious creation…
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Justin “Jud” Kaliszewski is the best-selling yoga teacher and renowned creator of Outlaw Yoga. Author. Artist. Adventurer. Though his studio is currently closed per state order, you can still take his class NOW at outlawyogaclub.com and www.youtube.com/outlawyoga. Find his writing and art at www.justinkaliszewski.com and his presence all over the internet – for an outlaw, he’s shockingly easy to get ahold of.