People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily. ~ Zig Ziglar
Upon moving to Thailand you will notice that the apartments are different. The bathrooms have no bathtubs! (It’s like the opposite of Des Moines Iowa where there were no showers.) In Tailandia here is no divider between shower and toilet. Usually. Normally. For starters.
No kitchen either. Studios are common and the cheapest and that is why I live in one. There is also no carpet.
At first I thought having tile floors would be cool. No more vacuuming! No more off-gassing of weird fumes! No more nastiness hiding in the carpet! But now I have to sweep every day. Hair, dander, dust and other fruit cake foil collect and congregate for all to see and it’s simply too crunchy to let go.
It’s the constant upkeep that made me think about how we have to be vigilant in other ways of our life too. Control what’s in your cupboard and control your weight kind of thing. When we quit smoking we have to no matter how long it has been, still hold back that part of ourselves that wants to give in.
I think we trick ourselves into thinking: I deserve a break or a treat or just this one time. The smartest people, in my experience, have some of the most messed up personal lives. Because they can justify poor decisions, they make poor decisions. And if that is what comes with being a genius then I’ll take average because I don’t want to let my life lose control because I think I am in control.
There are many exercises out there on strengthening your will. They seem straightforward enough but I know they are not. Rudolf Steiner believes the act of remembering to do something at a particular time will strengthen your will. Like remembering to tug your ear or twist your wedding ring at 3 pm every day. It seems pointless but if you can make yourself do that, imagine what else you can do?
Although I would think if you don’t want a dirty floor then you would simply clean it. I mean be honest, if you don’t care if your floors are dirty then just say so. Actually you don’t have to say anything. Everybody makes time to do the things that matter to them. It’s that simple.
Hmmm. Maybe motivation is tile floors. Or dust bunnies.
Life, the Universe, and Lani 
I thought I was obsessed with floors at home…but this! You're right and it's a topic we talk about regularly…now that's sad.I'M GOING TO SPLURGE ON A VACUME CLEANER 🙂
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Hi Lani, I think if a dirty floor bothers us we need to clean it as soon as possible. Things can niggle at us and if enough things niggle us we can end up in a foul mood – we might not even be sure why. Of course if things don't bother us then there is not such a rush to clean our dirty floors. If we were more Zen we might even try to investigate what it is about dirty floor that bothers us 🙂 I have spent some time staying in Thai temples in the past; one of my favourite pastimes was sweeping – there is just something so meditative about it. Maybe I should get a job as a cleaner.
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@Snap: Ug. I can't imagine vacuuming. And yes it is a Thai obsession. Although in Laos they use a dustpan :)@Paul: You crack me up. I can't imagine meditating on a dirty floor. Sounds like a wonderful study in procrastination though.
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Hi Lani, the great thing about meditating on a dirty floor is that you tend to do it on a dirty floor 🙂 Maybe if we delved deep enough in our psyche we could find the driving force that compels us to clean. We could then not feel the urge to clean at all; of course the downside of this is that we could die of food poisoning or rat bites 🙂
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OK…I'll try a nylon broom first. My hair which seems to fall out continuously (you think I'd be bald by now) sticks to the current muppet like straw broom, then gets flicked all over the show.I lived with more dirt, floxum and jetsom on my floors at home…it's just that I couldn't see it as easily.
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@Snap–Oh man, I know what you mean about the hair–I cannot believe the amount of hair that falls out of my head! It's BAD. @Lani–The constant battle of the dirty floors…I, too, have to sweep every day and I hate it!
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