Welcome to Day Seven of the July Intensity Project!
31 Days Toward Living with More Intensity & Creativity
Before we get to today’s reading, I want to introduce you all to Cal Newport’s blog, Study Hacks. Cal is an MIT postdoc and published author who writes about “strategies for building a life that is both remarkably accomplished and remarkably enjoyable. Its primary audience is students, but at least half the content is non-student specific, and the site enjoys readers of all ages.”
His most recent post about tending to one’s mind is a wonderful addition to our July Intensity series:
“[N]o amount of planning, productivity, or accomplishment will provide you an interesting and happy life if you allow your mind to run amok — ruminating on what has or could go wrong; fixating on slights and fantasy dialogues with invented nemeses; leaping perpetually to day dreams of some quixotic future where everything finally works out.” ~ Cal Newport
Similarly, learning to live an intense and creative life is not the same as the relentless pursuit of happiness for its own sake and, for many people, offers greater and longer lasting satisfaction.
Dayton Duncan: Living and Working the Intense Life
We’ve done a brief inventory of our strong points, including the weird ones. We’ve touched on the idea of creating and developing one’s personality and a few ways to think of creativity. Now let’s get to the heart of what we mean by living with intensity.
Today’s post is excerpted from my book A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Teens: Living with Intense and Creative Adolescents. The example of Dayton Duncan is the perfect introduction to Dabrowski’s five areas of overexcitability, which we will cover in turn, one each day, beginning tomorrow.
Dayton Duncan, (CC) by Larry D. Moore
In the third episode of the documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, writer and producer Dayton Duncan describes his feelings as he watched lava flow from the Kilauea Volcano at Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park:
“[Y]ou were watching new land. For an Iowan, new land is a great notion. I felt like I was in the earth’s maternity ward. You know that euphoric rush you get if you walk into a maternity ward and see all those little babies? Well, here was a little bit of land being made where that lava met the sea.”
Duncan’s words and work are a powerful example of intensity—intensity of intellect (knowledge of the volcanic process), intensity of emotions (the euphoric rush he feels), intensity of the senses (seeing and describing the details of the lava as it meets the sea), and intensity of the imagination (the metaphor of new land as new life). In addition, Duncan’s intensity of personal energy allows him to do the work necessary to turn his idea into reality. He says of his work:
“I have the best job in America. I don’t even consider it a job. My ‘job’ is to pick a topic that I’m interested in, convince Ken [Burns] that we ought to do a film on it, and then begin with what I call sort of a self-directed, post-graduate degree in that topic…. I had to spend a number of years reading about the individual parks and reading about the history of the park idea. The second part of it is then to find the people who know the most about the topic and meet them and talk to them. Then we would interview them, going out on location.”
The intensity that Duncan describes and exhibits is the driving force behind not only memorable works of art, but also the “euphoric rush” of otherwise ordinary life.
~ From A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Teens
In what ways you feel and experience the euphoric rush of your everyday life?
In what ways do you resist it?
Do others in your life show similar intensities that you may, until now, have missed or misunderstood?
Previous July Intensity Project Posts:
- Day One: List Your Best Qualities…
- Day Two: Wonderfully Weird?
- Day Three: Got Personality?
- Day Four: Celebrate Your Way
- Day Five: Torrance’s Creative Manifesto
- Day Six: A Spork Divergent Thinking Exercise
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I felt this ‘euphoric rush of everyday life’ twice yesterday. Once was when I decided to take the kids to an IMAX movie about chimps and didn’t realize it was a movie about Jane Goodall–I got chills when they showed early footage of Jane interacting with the chimps. Her entire life has been about finding that euphoria in her day to day life.
The second time was something simple–I wrote a chapter for my new wip. But that chapter didn’t exist before–for me, creating something new always feels euphoric. Another awesome post, Lisa!
Cal Newport’s quote doesn’t appeal to me. It is great advice for someone who wants to become an all A student, but will it work for everyone? Maybe not always. At least, not for me. I do like to have my mind run amok occasionally and treasure these moments. That is when I get unusual ideas even if they start as “day dreams of some quixotic future.” They do develop into things worth pursuing.
I agree with Julia about Newport’s quote. I haven’t experienced joy to anywhere near the degree I have since I started writing this year–allowing my mind to [run amok; dialogue with invented nemesis (or heroes, for that matter); leap to daydreams of imaginary futures that may or may not work out, depending on MY whim].
As far as accomplished…that remains to be seen. I’ll always hope and have faith that I will someday be–based on Divine inspiration, as well as that very faith and hope that get me through the days of tedious politics, people, war, suffering, bills and to-do lists. The inspiration that keeps me writing and brings me joy. I do this for me…what comes from it…well…so be it.
As always, thanks Lisa, I appreciate your inspiration!
{Extended comments on my blog. Comments welcomed.}
Thank you all! Kristi, your euphoric rushes sounds wonderful. Julia and Didi, I do understand what you mean about the value of letting one’s mind run amok. At the same time, I see Cal’s point. It’s complex, I guess.
I so appreciate everyone’s comments on this series! I’m learning a lot so far. Didi, I will write more as a comment on your blog…
Thanks, Lisa. I must say that your Everyday Intensity blog has made me visit or revisit thoughts and feelings that I otherwise would not have. Thanks for the insight opportunities and comments. It’s been refreshing to read your exchanges, as well as other posters perspectives. You’re making this hot July much more interesting!
DiDi
DiDi, you made my day.
Thank you.