In The Trenches—The Founder’s Daily Report: Day 299—This happens every time!

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In The Trenches—The Founder’s Daily Report:  Day 299—This happens every time!

Day 299:  OMG!  What is wrong with me?  When it comes to going to work on the editing I’m like a toddler at bedtime who doesn’t want to go to sleep!  I have to pee—I’m hungry—One more story.  And of course, the final full on tantrum of tears before actually falling asleep happens—or in my case, actually doing any editing happens.  That was yesterday for me!  UGH.  Seriously, every effing time!

It’s like I have to go through the five stages of grieving before I can finally begin.  I’m in denial.  What documentary?  I’m in bargaining.   Should I just look for another editor?  I’m angry.  This film has destroyed my life!  Then I’m depressed.  Oh dear god, I’ll never ever not be editing on the same documentary film for the rest of my natural born life.  And finally—I hope today is the day—I’m in acceptance.

You know, we get these ideas in our head of the perfect work, the perfect person, the perfect weight, the perfect number in our bank account and on and on but the truth is perfect doesn’t exist.  After a long enough time of having that “perfect” something it inevitably will become a toddler’s sleepy time routine to get into it.

So, this morning, there will be tough love.  There will be no more stories, no more trips to the bathroom, no more snacks and no more tears.  It’s time to accept reality and get my ass in the chair and edit.

Until tomorrow, create from what you have…toddler tantrums.

Kelli Joan Bennett is a filmmaker, actress, writer, entrepreneur, advocate for creative thinking and Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Think Outside The Box Inside The Box Media.

2 Comments

  1. Stop the madness!! No, seriously I’ve been where you are. I sometimes find it helpful to set short goals for the day, like time benchmarks. “I’ll take a break after 1000 words, or 3 pages, or 3 scenes, or 1 hour.” Then, I have little rewards for each benchmark accomplishment, like a walk or a 15 minute yoga break, or a phone call with a friend, or a cookie. 🙂 Hey, whatever works to get you through the droll days of slugging away…

    • LOVE your comment, Cindy, and your wonderful suggestions! Thank you! I’m going to try and incorporate them. And try and focus more on the walk, yoga or call break as opposed to the cookie or in my case, the brownie(s)! 🙂

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