Southpaw Jones

Southpaw Jones presents
Is This Interesting?
Thoughts/feelings that just might not matter:

The weekend is here, my friends, and I don’t want to be all preachy, but I’ve discovered something recently. The easy, ultimate way to cheat life and swindle reality itself:

Action.
Doing.
Moving.

No, I’m not becoming Tony Robbins, Tom Robbins, or Baskin-Robbins. Just let me briefly explain. The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word “painter” thusly:

paint•er
n. One who paints, either as an artist or worker.

“One who paints.”
One who likes to paint?
“No, one who paints.”
One who is talented at painting?
“No, one who paints.”
One whose mother and father were painters?
“No, one who paints.”
One who has all those neat supplies and accessories from the art store?
“No, one who paints.”
One who is properly motivated to paint?
“No, one who paints.”
One whose friends paint?
“No, one who paints.”
One who has a good amount of free time to paint?
“No, one who paints.”

Know what I’m sayin’?

Are you a messy person? Well, you can keep that dirty little secret to yourself if you just get up, clean your place, and keep it clean forever. No one ever has to know. It sounds silly, but it’s true. What’s that? You say it goes against your nature? Shut up, ya big baby.

Are you a shy person? If you’re constantly talking to people, suddenly, you’re Eddie the Extrovert, even if it makes you cringe inside.

Are you burned out at your job? Start working it better and stronger, and you’ll be a good employee whether your heart is in it or not.

Have you hit a dry spell with your significant other or best friend? Buy them a present. Treat them like royalty. I don’t care how mad or bored or hurt you are. If you treat someone like you love them, well, dang it, you become a lover of them. And wouldn’t you know it, those feelings of love and warmth and goo you were waiting for? You might just find that the action of love creates them out of nowhere. It’s magically delicious.

We place a lot of garbage between ourselves and actually doing something, and I am among the worst offenders. I have extreme slacker tendencies, which is why I’m composing The Southpaw Jones Fun Time Gazette right now instead of advancing the ideals of American Money Team who pays me to wake up early in the morning.

However, I really think I’m on to something here. No matter what your life is like, and no matter if you’ve never done it before, when you paint, you are a painter. Simple as that.

When you run, you are a runner.
When you cook, you are a chef.
When you sing, you are a singer.
When you process financial planning commissions, you are a Financial Planning Commissions Processor.
When you write, you are a writer.

Do you have to enjoy it? No.
Do you have to “feel it”? No.

We are a spoiled nation, and we spend so much time building up to actual action. We take pride in our little idiosyncrasies that keep us from functioning. “I’m a bit of a procrastinator. Tee-hee.” There are entire industries built around the distance between “I should do ______.” and “I’m doing _____!” I say skip all the steps and preps. Start grabbing, walking, playing, digging, creating, cleaning, demanding, sorting, kicking, punching.

Motivation can come later if it comes at all.
Expertise can come later if it comes at all.
Enjoyment can come later if it comes at all.
Doers are those who do.
Simple pimple.

Get off your butt, Southpaw, you conservative-sounding blogger, you. It’s Friday!

Bill Passalacqua presents
I am not a smoker…
One man’s reasons for not lighting up in ‘07:

…because smoking is a gateway to “the dark side.”
So far I have saved $85.50.
Jan. 19, 2007

…because smoking would cause actuaries to bet against me.
So far I have saved $81.
Jan. 18th, 2007

Southpaw Jones presents
Online Museum of the Week
Presidential Doodles:

Benjamin Harrison

Southpaw Jones presents
Quotopia
Freshly-picked quotes from the ol’ reference collection:
The rhythm of the weekend, with its birth, its planned gaieties, and its announced end, followed the rhythm of life and was a substitute for it.
F. Scott Fitzgerald

Southpaw Jones presents
Fool Around Friday
Silly games for silly times:

Thank you, come again!
www.southpawjones.net
E-mail southpaw@southpawjones.com
©2007 Southpaw Jones. All rights reserved.