Time Is Money

A lot of people don't understand that: your time is your money. It's one thing that you alone have, and can freely give up for pretty much any cause at all. It can be taken from you, but for the most part, you volunteer it. And it's as valuable, if not more valuable, than your money.

Just because someone asks you to do something that doesn't involve any money on your part, doesn't mean it's free. It still uses some of your valuable resources, like time. That's something I didn't really understand for a long time. I just said 'yes' to pretty much anything, and got myself wrapped up in a million different projects, many of which didn't really help me get where I wanted to get.

I've still got a million different things I'm doing, but now they're a bit more focused, and I'm still not doing as much as I could be doing. There are some areas where I don't have much of a choice, like school, but even there I have some choice. I choose my major, what classes I want, etc., and anything that's not gonna help me get where I'm going, I don't take. That's what's great about college: you can really tailor it to what you want. And it's designed to help get you where you want to go...for the most part.

But being spread too thin is also a problem. It impairs the quality of your work, and takes away from the enjoyment of what you do. When you're too worried about finishing one thing and moving onto the next, and you're completely stressed, it's almost impossible to enjoy the work you're doing. In my personal experience, a lot of what I do involves writing of one kind or another. Writing is something I absolutely love doing (as I've previously expressed). But when I have too many things I have to write, I don't enjoy doing it; I just have to rapid-fire move from one thing to the next. But when I can just sit down and work on it and write, not only is it ten times better, it's ten times more enjoyable.

I've kind of touched on this a little bit in a previous post, but I felt like expanding on it, 'cause it's important to learn. It's something I've been learning (the hard way). If you try and do everything for everyone, you're never gonna get around to your own stuff. And if you never say no, you're gonna be hurting people more than helping, because you'll be wrapped up in everything you have to do, that you won't be able to give their project the level of attention it needs.

Just a couple thoughts on the matter. Like I said, I've been learning this stuff through experience. It's good stuff to know.

-Micah McFarland

Lift Foot; Insert Into Mouth

Ah, my old friend procrastination. We meet again.

The truth is, I've had a busy week. So I have an excuse. But at the same time, I also had time to write. So there goes my excuse. But on the other hand, I have been writing. Bonus points for me. But again, I haven't posted a blog. There goes my points.

Confused yet? I am.

In reality, I actually have written on my blog, you just haven't seen it. I have several drafts, and several ideas for posts, but they haven't come to fruition just yet. They're still blossoming, but will hopefully be up here for all to see soon enough. Another problem I've been running into is that, I have about four different projects I want/need to write for, and when it comes to the totem pole of importance, my blog is the lowest on the list. But I've churned out about 20 pages of material overall in the last week, so, I figure, that's not too bad.

For now, though, I'll just talk a little bit about writing. Obviously (or perhaps not so obviously with how quiet I've been), I love writing. I've been writing stories, songs, poems, papers, what have you, all for many years now. But writing's not just something you can pull out of thin air. Okay, sometimes it is, but good writing takes more time and thought process.

Writing is more than just assembling linguistic characters on a page with correct spacing and punctuation so it makes sense. Writing (mostly creative writing, but even essays and the like follow suit) is a pouring out of the writer's soul; his ideas, his worldview, his musings. His hopes and fears, strengths and weaknesses. And so on. It has meaning. A lot of meaning for the writer. Especially if it's in any sort of public presentation, like a blog, or a song for a band, or a book. 

Writing also takes inspiration. At least for me it does, but I'm fairly sure that I'm not an anomaly here. Sure, I can force myself to write, but it's usually not great, and it's slow-going as can be. When I'm inspired, I can whip out 10 pages an hour easy. Sometimes I have to force myself to write to get inspired, but natural inspiration is the best way to go.

But you'll never get anywhere if you wait for the mood to strike. You'll never get anything done. And that's something I've been learning the hard way. I have to sit myself down, open a document, close my internet browser, and pray there's no distractions for the next half hour while I get the creative juices flowing.

In the end, though, writing is always enjoyable. At least for me. It can be frustrating when the words won't come, but it's always a good experience, and it's the greatest feeling in the world when you finish a piece of writing. You feel like you've accomplished something, and it's one more step in the right direction, one more piece of work for your portfolio, one more achievement that puts you one more step ahead of the other writers who haven't accomplished what you've accomplished.

However, where would any type of art be without an audience? Just like with music, art, acting, or any other type of performance or art, writing only feels really completed once it's been shared with and enjoyed by others. Completing a blog post helps me get something off my mind, and give me a little feeling of accomplishment, but what's better than both of those is when I know that at least one person has read, understood, and either enjoyed, or found useful, my writings. And that's what ultimately keeps me going. I think that's what keeps any writer going. Because after a while, doing it for yourself just isn't a strong enough motivation. We need someone to appreciate, and even criticize, our work.

So, thank you for sticking with me (those of you who've read this far, I'm talking to you), and I dearly hope to be more affluent in my blog posts as we go.

-Micah McFarland

The ADD Generation

First off, my apologies for being silent. I was traveling for two days, and just getting back into the routine for the third. But things are settling down, so I have some time to write. Well, I'm making time to write. Which is pretty much how any new commitment starts; there's a period where you have to force yourself into the routine, before it becomes routine. I've learned this the hard way with many failed attempts at life changes, new habits, commitments, etc. But that's how you learn, I suppose.

Now for the entree. 

If you ask most high school and college-aged teenagers about sleep, you'll most likely get a slack-jawed expression, their eyes glazed over, as the very concept is so far removed from their daily existence that it's becoming a lost art. We fill our lives with activities like a druggie pumps heroin into his veins: we just can't get enough.

From school to church functions, to baseball to xBox, reading to writing, singing to playing piano, watching TV to browsing Facebook, we cram so much into our days, and it's becoming a problem.  First, that we can't give anything our full attention, which means shoddy work. And secondly, we don't have the time to slow down and rest, which stresses us, the people around us, and the people we work with, out. 

Sure, doing stuff is great. Especially productive or important activities, like homework or daily devotions. But you have to realize something: you can't do everything.

That's a concept that, while it's disappointing, it's not entirely hard to grasp. Now, here's something else: you can't do everything you want to. Ouch.

I'm not gonna go into dreams and hobbies and stuff right now (I'll save that for another post), but the gist of it is that we all do too much. We don't know how to say "no". To anything. Or anyone.

So my first bit of advice is learning to say "no" to someone. You don't have to be a jerk about it; simply explain that you really can't do that right now, or possibly at all. It's not the end of the world. The ground isn't gonna open up beneath you, unleashing the fires of torment to engulf you for your transgressions. More likely is that they'll say, "Oh, sorry to bother you," and be on their way. And if they punch you in the face and take your wallet, then that's probably not someone you should be helping anyway.

For some reason it's hard for most people to grasp that refusing to do something for someone won't make you a social outcast. Look: you saying 'no' is more helpful to me than you standing there being indecisive, or even saying 'yes', then not being able to follow through. If you can't help me hunt for Bigfoot next Saturday, then just tell me now so I can go find someone else who will. 

My second piece of advice is to slow down. Life is a beautiful thing, and the most enjoyment you get out of it isn't walking around with a pocket full of cash, or getting an A on a midterm (though I wouldn't mind having either one); sometimes just sitting at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee, listening to the sounds of the day starting can be the difference between enjoying your day, or screaming at your kids. Take a walk. Put on your favorite song and just close your eyes and listen.

We're such an ADD culture that we can't stand to do just one thing at a time. We've always got our cellphones, ready to carry on a sporadic conversation with someone a hundred miles away, or whip out our iPods when walking--or even talking to your friends--gets too boring. I've seen it happen countless times at school, gatherings, and even parties. Someone--or several people--just has to put on the ol' earbuds and tune their life out, or ignore the flesh and bones in front of them for a 2" LCD screen.

This whole detachment from the beauty and wonder of creation is something that I believe leads to the erosion of one's conscience, something that causes problems like depression, suicide and murder. If we don't stop to think about how truly blessed we are to live in this incredible world, full of sights, smells, tastes, people, and emotions, what's to stop us from starting a fire in the woods? Throwing a dog off a cliff? Hitting our kids? Murdering an unborn infant?

Without any appreciation for the beauty and wonder that God has blessed us with, life is just a mess of stress, deadlines, taxes, and death. And a true appreciation of beauty comes from an appreciation of the one who created it.

-Micah McFarland

What's in a Name?

I've written blogs before. I've had several admirable, as well as many less admirable, attempts at publishing my thoughts on a consistent basis. It's not that I stop finding things to write about, or even the desire to write them; I'm just lazy.

And so, now, in what's essentially the busiest my life has ever been, I've decided to try again. I'm more serious about writing, as I think it's a gift I have, and I need to use that gift. Not only to exercise it--though, that's a large reason. But also because words and writing are extremely powerful. Definitely historically, but I think it's just as important today, just, in somewhat different ways. 

Even in this modern, technical, visual culture, words (which are the expressions of thoughts) are the driving force behind them. We saw it in this last presidential election. The words and speeches of the candidates were able to sway and, alternatively, repulse the convictions of the American people.

This and numerous other examples show how writing is still vital today, and with it a lot of good, as well as a lot of bad, can be done.

So, basically, all that's to say: the purpose of this blog is to write. It's for me to express my creativity and my interests and my worldview through writing. Hopefully frequent writing. I know, that's a pretty broad area to cover; I've never been good at narrowing down my writing. I write every genre I can think of, and I write in every method I can think of (short story, novel, paper, poem, song, script, play, etc.).

But I also know that it's hard to go back to a blog about everything. In this industry, it's best to have a specialty. A niche. A talent.

Well, the most consitent part of this blog will be the fact that it comes from me, and my worldview. I'll try to keep on a general theme, but I can tell you now it won't last. But this is primarily a place for me to get things off of my mind, or spread things I think need spreading.

So, thank you for reading. After this the posts will be more interesting. But I think an introduction was needed in this case. Speaking of which...

You're probably wondering what the title of the blog means. It comes from a song, "The Young and the Brutal", by a band called House of Heroes. (I suggest you listen to the song, although the whole album's great.)

When looking for a title, this song sprung to my head, and looking over the lyrics, it perfectly fits.

It's about a generation of kids who are apathetic, uninspired, and shy about faith and God. And I'm one of those kids. It's asking God for the faith we need to be faithful, for the will to stand up and do what we should. And it really hits home.

So this is me. This is my endeavor. I hope you can find some enjoyment or use in what I write. Thank you for reading. I hope you'll come back.

-Micah McFarland