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Jun 27, 2022Liked by Tania Rabesandratana

There's lots of things I could seek motivation advice on, but... one that really bugs me a lot is getting in touch with friends--old and new. I really cherish the depth I can get to with old friends. And I really get buzzed from conversations with new acquaintances! However, I feel dragged-down by guilt from feeling I've already failed them by not being in touch more! It's like if I think about calling or emailing one friend, my mind goes to, "Well what about [other friend]? And also, you should call [so-and-so] for [plausible reason!"

There's another problem with this too. In most dialogues, I feel tremendously responsible for how things go. It's like I'm being self-protective of my own image but also holding myself super-responsible for using words to help the other person as much as possible. Sometimes I send too-long emails "so as to not be misunderstood" or "because something shorter wouldn't truly capture what I'm trying to say"--which seldom serves my hearer or the cause of maintaining a dialogue. Other times, it results in, well... starting a lot of writing (sometimes personal communications, sometimes substack posts, etc.) that I never complete. Ahh. I think the word I wanted here was "perfectionism."

Also, I'm a math teacher & tutor, and it's summer for me! My mind has like 5 projects I'm dreaming of, any of which could be a good investment this summer. (Not putting them forward right away... that'll distract me too much! But I'd love it if you'd ask me more so i have an excuse to maybe write them out. They're all pretty legit ideas... nothin' too crazy or inherently-controversial.)

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Vikki, thank you for sharing those questions.

You KNOW I want to know about these FIVE projects. Lay it all on me!

I also have thoughts about your hesitance to reach out to old friends; please stay tuned.

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Jun 24, 2022Liked by Tania Rabesandratana

I love anything about -- you put it so well -- sustaining motivation. I'm a highly disciplined person (not always a good thing) but I go through periods of low motivation, even burnout, just like everyone else. How do you keep a long-term project going through what Seth Godin so aptly called "the dip," especially if the "dips" come back around? It's less that I expect there *never* to be low points -- that's not realistic -- but more like, how do I care for my motivation when it's not as robust as usual? (Is there anything to do besides simply allowing it?) Curious to hear your thoughts, as always.

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I do have thoughts about this. Is that more likely to happen for finite projects or...?

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I second what Sarah said above. It's definitely the less-finite, more open-ended projects that will mess me up. When I do feel less motivated or burned out, I'm also terrible at acknowledging that's just part of the process and being okay with not being 100% all the time.

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Jun 24, 2022Liked by Tania Rabesandratana

Both, though I'd say I have less of a problem with it for finite projects (unless the finite ones are long-term, say, 9-12+ months long).

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That makes sense. Let me pull my thoughts together on this!

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