Keep Going by Austin Kleon - Notes

 

Today, I am writing about another great book by Austin Kleon which can help you keep going in hard times and good times. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

📖Who should read this book?

1. If you are a creator and creates things

2. If you are facing some creative block

3. If you want to  become better

💜Why I liked this book?

1. This book talks about ways to keep going no matter how the situation is.

2. It shares various things which you start doing regularly you would be able to become a much better human

3. This book has helped me to make my routine better.

✍Some of my notes and highlights of the books are-

Any man can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burden of those two awful eternities, yesterday and tomorrow, that we break down.

We all, especially students have a lot on our plates. We are constantly thinking about what to do next. I am constantly thinking about the future. Also, a lot of times I have a bad day or a bad start to a day. But, the best way to stay consistent and keep going is to think of just present and just focus on the day. We should create routines and create various lists like To-Do, Pro-Con, Gratitude Journals, Learnings of the day. By creating these lists or maintaining journals we can declutter our minds and get rid of thoughts and we can then focus on action.

So, instead of bothering yourself with stuff that happened in the past or overthinking about the future, spend your time getting the most out of the present. Enjoy each moment and learn something new each day and be grateful for the good things which happened in a day.

             

“The phone gives us a lot but it takes away three key elements of discovery: loneliness, uncertainty, and boredom. Those have always been where creative ideas come from.”—Lynda Barry

Mobiles have taken something away from all of us which is boredom. I remember, in my childhood, I used to get bored a lot and so I used to get outside my house and went to my friends' home and rang their bells and got them to play with me but recently I realized these mobile phones and gadgets have taken that boredom away. Whenever I feel bored, I start watching some series or movies but as a kid, I rarely watched movies or series. So, let's get more bored and spend time doing things, having fun, and enjoying life.

Whenever we get lonely we open our social media and start connecting with people. But, previously there was no social media, and I used to feel so lonely that I waited when my relatives would come over to visit and wait for my cousins and I remember how much I enjoyed staying at my relatives' homes but things have changed a lot in recent times.

             

You never know when a gift made for a single person will turn into a gift for the whole world.

A lot of great authors, entrepreneurs and creators started off doing something for their loved ones like family members or friends but later on, those gifts turned out to be huge success stories for them like the JK Rowling's Harry Potter Series, Percy Jackson Series, etc

             

Most of my favourite artists made extraordinary art out of ordinary circumstances and materials.

Most artists can create meaningful stuff from things that we all can find around us easily. The only difference between them and ordinary people is that they can stop and notice things that others cannot find. They spend time reflecting and they are more aware of their surroundings.

             

Read old books. Human beings have been around for a long time, and almost every problem you have has probably been written about by some other human living hundreds if not thousands of years before you.

We all are busy knowing the new things, to keep up with advances in everything. But, their truth is instead of finding answers from the latest stuff we can go back to the past and get inspirations and wisdom from ancient people. There is this famous saying that the same things happen again and again as no one listens.

             

If you want a quick way to escape the noise of contemporary life, break out of your like-minded bubble, and do some good thinking, just visit the past for a bit. It’s inexhaustible: Every day, we’re making more and more of it

“The demons hate it when you get out of bed. Demons hate fresh air.”

Today these tech companies are making us hooked to our smartphones and other gadgets by creating products that are getting us to use them again and again by appealing to our internal triggers especially negative emotions like boredom, loneliness, stress. Whenever we feel bored we open YouTube or other apps, whenever we feel lonely we open social media.

Although these demons are winning but we are the ones who are losing as we are wasting our time and energy on actually counter-productive things. We should use our energy on meaningful stuff and spend more time outside by doing things like going for a walk, playing some sports or even doing nothing.

When we spend time outside the screens of our gadgets we would get more ideas and would feel much better.

“Imitate the trees. Learn to lose to recover, and remember that nothing stays the same for long.”—May Sarton

Trees have been able to withstand various seasons. They face various seasons. They have to face severe winters and autumns where they shed their leaves. They face springs where new lives grow and they are filled with beautiful flowers.

In our lives, there is not always going to be an upward curve or we won't always succeed. There are times when we fall down, when we struggle and when we feel low. But we can't give up on such hard times. Like I said in previous blogs the real path to success is compounding and optimism and we have to keep going in hard times then only we are going to succeed.

Instead of following people who got quick successes, we should follow people who became successful at later parts of their lives but keep ongoing. These people will teach you more about life