The builder satisfaction(08)

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What is the builder satisfaction?

Let the following vague statement work on you: It is not possible to saturate your satisfaction for a long time with the help of comforts and luxuries. In the song “I can’t get no satisfaction” the Rolling Stones describe exactly that.

I would like to go a different way with you. It is about the change from passive to active life. Specifically, I want to talk about the satisfaction you experience when you devote yourself to creative activities.

What is or means satisfaction at all?

Here is a little play on words to lighten things up: there is peace in the word. The german word ,, Zufriedenheit”. With a small addition, one can still find the word unity (Zufriede(i)nheit). Einheit is the german word for unity. There one could assume that a content person never voluntarily goes to war. Makes sense somewhere. Looking back, not only the Rolling Stones had problems to find satisfaction.

It is simply difficult to be and remain content without always acquiring new possessions. And there’s nothing wrong with striving for more, as long as you don’t hurt anyone along the way.

In my eyes, the word satisfaction describes a feeling. I deliberately say paraphrases, because words can only approximate feelings, but never reproduce them completely. Contentment is the feeling of profound peace with one’s surroundings, oneself, one’s future, past and especially one’s present. In this state there is no separation, only unison, which is experienced as oneness.

I personally do not experience the state of contentment permanently. For that I enjoy the state all the more consciously.

To be creatively satisfied

Destruction through destructive wars is contrasted with building big and small. Almost every child loves Duplo or Lego. Man by nature strives to create. If this were not the case, we would not have many of our current achievements. The fundamental drive for great inventions has never been money, power or recognition. It was always the desire to bring a vision to life.

The feeling of creative satisfaction can be accessed by anyone who has the desire to do so. You don’t have to invent the next iPhone to bring a vision to life. You can also start with smaller projects to rediscover your creative power. Maybe you decide to start with a birdhouse, a small garden, a short story, a drawing, or a new dish.

Small projects are like tests before a big exam. This is where you find out where your strengths and weaknesses are. It’s also important to get to know the basic process of a project and, in the best case, to really internalize it.

Sequence of a small project in 5 steps

4 prerequisites for a good start:

1.You have the financial means for the required material and tools.
2.You have access to literature/professionals who can help you with your project if you need help.
3.Time/Willpower (If you don’t have willpower, you will find reasons not to have time).
4.You have a vision/idea for a project.

Step one: Present vision

Visualize your project in your cortex. Imagine the contours, colors, shapes, sizes, features. The more senses you engage, the better. How does it feel? Rough or smooth, warm or cold? What smell could it give off, what sounds could it make?

You should have a concrete idea before you really start. That doesn’t mean you can’t make changes as you go along. Think of yourself as a captain heading toward your destination. If an obstacle such as an iceberg, a storm, or something else comes your way, you will have to change your course in order to reach your destination in the end. However, before you start your journey as a captain, you have a concrete idea of your route. You don’t sail blindly into the open sea and then land somewhere.

Step two: Model attempt

Create a small model of your idea. Try to include important features and highlight special characteristics. The point here is not to fulfill a function, but to represent it. The model should not become a smaller version of your final result, but should reflect a first draft of your vision.

The simplest form would be a drawing. However, the more complex your vision, the more effort you should put into your models. This will help you identify stumbling blocks and obstacles early on.

Models are perfect for achieving an approximate representation of reality. Especially when it comes to abstract things, we find it easier to create a link with the help of images.

Step three: Start your project

You now have a concrete idea and know approximately what obstacles await you. You have the most important materials, tools and knowledge to start with the implementation. With the right work and protective clothing, nothing stands in your way. Set a time limit for your project and set a deadline for when you want to be done. Be honest with yourself and use it to improve your time management skills.

Step four: Realize your vision

It is important to finish a project. So achieve the goal you set for yourself and be happy with yourself.

Step four: Evaluate your result

Try to evaluate your results objectively. But remember that in the beginning the main thing is to rediscover the joy of creating.

1. How does your result compare to your first performance and your models? Where are the differences and what has remained the same? What reasons were there to make changes?
2.Were you able to meet or even exceed your self-imposed deadline? If yes, great! If no, why? What were the reasons? Be honest with yourself. Put the reasons in writing.
3.What mistakes have you made? Mistakes are perfect for learning. Get rid of the idea that only incompetent people make mistakes. Try to build a positive mindset towards mistakes. Try to learn something from every mistake. This is important to avoid making the same mistakes over and over again. Take enough time to reflect on the mistakes. Incidentally, you can also make a sensational discovery through a mistake. Serendipities like the discovery of penicillin or Tesafilm have not harmed the world. So look carefully before you hastily judge your result as a failure.
4.You pulled it off. It’s a great feeling to finish a project. You might as well take some time to pause before you move on to the next project. Allow yourself to relax a bit and recharge your batteries.

Large and long-term projects/life projects

Of course, you won’t get as much satisfaction from building a birdhouse as you will from building a beach house on a beautiful coast. In a broader sense, the small projects serve to prepare and internalize successful strategies.

For your big personal life goals, you need staying power. Before you tackle these goals, you should think carefully about what you want. Only if you want it with all your heart will you achieve it.

Also, be aware that your life time is not enough for all conceivable life projects. It is possible (sometimes even necessary) to have several projects at the same time. But be aware that you have a personal limit somewhere. Do not exceed your competence limit. A burn-out would set you back years. Treat yourself and of course others fairly.

Concrete strategy

With one addition, the strategy itself remains the same as for your smaller projects. Here, too, you first visualize everything and form the big picture of your imagination: the big picture. Afterwards, however, you will break your project down into different sub-projects. So you divide your big project into several smaller projects.

Figuratively speaking: Imagine your big project is a pearl necklace. Each individual bead that you thread is a completed subproject. As soon as the last bead has been threaded, your project is recognized as a string of beads.

For each individual bead, you apply the same process as for a small project. So you go through all points of your strategy each time (also all points of step five).

For some subprojects, this may seem unnecessary. But this way you can avoid small mistakes that could possibly continue as a rat tail. Especially in the beginning this thorough approach is very important. Preparing the actual work, for example, is an essential part of this.

An everyday example:

You want to repaint a wall. This is about masking, protecting the floor, providing enough paint, providing buckets and the right rollers.

You can also make clear lists for this. That way you won’t forget anything. If you don’t have enough paint, you have the salad. And by the way, all of this is part of organizational skills.

Even very complex problems can be broken down into several small problems. If you persevere in solving one problem after another, you or your successors will eventually find a solution. In theory, of course, many things are easier to imagine than to put into practice. However, this should not prevent you from tackling larger problems.

Quintessence

Wie du siehst, kann man das Gefühl von Zufriedenheit nicht nur auf einem einzigen Weg erreichen. Es gibt mehrere Wege, die es zu entdecken gibt. Ganz klar ist aber, dass deine Zufriedenheit nach dem Erreichen von Zielen viel tiefgreifender ist, als das bei der Anhäufung von Besitz jemals möglich wäre.

Auf dem Weg zu deinem Ziel gibt es viele Durststrecken. Deswegen musst du Folgendes akzeptieren:

Das Gefühl von Zufriedenheit wird im Leben mal schwächer oder sogar gar nicht vorhanden sein. Es besteht überhaupt keine Notwendigkeit, dieses Gefühl täglich zu haben. Es gibt gute Gründe, warum das so ist. Zum einem wird dieses Gefühl dadurch wertvoller. Zum anderem bringt es uns dazu, neue Dinge auszuprobieren, um erneut die Wonnen dieser Erfahrung zu erleben.

Goethe hat sich einst sinngemäß wie folgt geäußert: ,,Es gibt nichts Schlimmeres als eine Folge von schönen Tagen.“ Auch andere Gefühle wollen schließlich erlebt werden.

Verabschiede dich bitte von der Vorstellung, du könntest in deinem Leben nicht viel bewirken. Wenn du einen Fixstern hast, dann wirst du immer einen Grund haben, nach oben zu sehen. Noch nie gab es so viel Zugang zu Informationen und Werkzeugen, mit denen du deine Visionen verwirklichen kannst. Die Welt liegt in deinen Händen und wartet auf deine Ideen.

Now it’s your turn.

Your thoughts are welcome in the comments section.

What project are you going to jump into now?

Please write in the comments

Thank you

Book recommendation:

The book Creating by Robert Fritz inspired me to write this blog.

Unfortunately it is only available in English. However, it’s worth reading if you want to learn even more about this area. I have presented here only a small piece of a big cake.

Those amazon links are affilliat links. It brings you direct to the product. If you click here and buy with this link, I get a provision of the online shop. You will get same prize as usual.

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Links:

You can also learn from this video: Project Planning for Beginners – Project Management Training created by the youtube channel Project Management Videos