Absence, commitment, love, life, and distractions

Hey everyone!

Haven't been around for a spell. Mostly (ok, all) my fault. I seem to have issues with commitment, and distractions, and keeping myself accountable with furthering a lot of things in my life. I know the lessons here are learn at your own pace, but I still feel like they should be done for my own good. I made goals and have yet to be able to complete them.

I honestly don't know why I'm posting this, really, other than to get my thoughts out about this. I want to grow as a Jedi in my own eyes. I found a home here, and I feel that this is the place to do it. I unfortunately have troubles keeping myself accountable. Not just here, but in a lot of things. School, personal projects....I just tend to get distracted. Sometimes even lose interest, though that's not the case here.

I want to get back into it and devote some time here. I finally have a routine, steady job, and am getting married (soon, I believe.) I want to start the insanity workouts we have available here before work, then maybe study some after work, depending on what's going on that day.

I know it all falls back on me, but I feel like if I get this in writing maybe I can stick with it a bit better.

Does anyone else have these issues, or sometimes feel like they lost motivation sometimes? How do you get around this?

Welcome back Jahendo

It is good to hear you say that you found a home here. Remember...we don't have to stay at home every minute of the day. Sometimes it's good to get out, do other things, perhaps even have a vacation...but we always know that we can return home afterwards

I've experienced those issues in other aspects of my life. I guess everyone does sometimes. There's nothing wrong with it either...if you beat yourself up about it, or try to force yourself to find motivation, that motivation might well end up becoming even more elusive...

Try to remember what it is that makes TOTJO feel like home to you...what it is that made you want to come back...and hold onto that.

But as I said, if you still get distracted and pulled away from TOTJO...it doesn't matter. We will still be here for you.

You definitely aren't alone in this one! Your issues with committing and sticking with something sound alot like mine.

I'm a genuinely enthusiastic/excitable person and anything that interests me (hint: almost everything interests me to some degree and I never miss an opportunity to learn). I think a lot of these kind of issues might stem from being or becoming an open-minded person. I noticed that when I finally broke free of the restrictions that had been ingrained in me through years of indoctrination to the Baptist Christian faith (not to bash on anyone's religion here) I became even more enthusiastic than I had been before (and that, trust me, is saying something) about learning new things for myself. Your mileage may vary, of course, but that's how I rediscovered my "lust for life" that I had in younger years personally. Alas, I digress.

In terms of advice: why limit yourself to focusing on only one or two things? One wonderful thing about Jediism (at least as I see it presented here at TOTJO anyway) is that it IS such an open system. It can be frustrating to feel like you aren't making progress, I know. However, if you feel you're spinning your wheels sometimes its best to take a break and focus on other things. I know for me it helps to just take some time out to meditate. I don't know how much experience you have with meditation, but it truly is a magnificent tool.

I hate to sound frivolous, but this quote came to mind "Search your feelings, Luke..." Sometimes, for me at least, a good meditation session really can redirect my energy toward where it needs to go.

Also, it could be that you're just expecting too much from yourself too quickly. It sounds like you have a lot going on in your life. Its fairly natural to be a bit distracted. (Especially since you seem to be facing some rather large life changes in the near future.) The trick is, put plainly, to find out what will help you to not "backslide" and, hopefully, keep you moving forward each day (even if its not as much "movement" as you would ideally like to see). It can help to just take things a day at a time too.

"Jedi live and focus on the present;" second basic teaching. Sometimes, in finding my motivation after it is lost within, it helps me to go back to the beginming.

Don't worry, we all lose motivation sometimes.

Enthusiasm comes and goes. It can be influenced by mood, stressors even the change of the seasons. I myself have come and gone in the Jedi community for years. The important thing you have already found. That dispite the ebb and flow you come back to the community. Realizing this you never really leave, you just have times that are more productive and involved.

We.... sometimes learn things, and then we need to try them out...

Test our theories, try some ideas, live a little....

We can all sit here and try to figure out life, have our discussions and conversations....

But theory is one thing, and experience is another...

As has been stated, we will be here.... Some folks come and go, and have for years...



We are just happy you've returned....

Don't sweat it, Jahendo. Personally, I started the Jedi Initiate's Programme in April and didn't come back to it till over two months later in June. It took me about 3-4 months to complete it, when I know I could have completed it well in only 2.


So I don't think there's anything wrong with you taking breaks from the Temple. After all, you don't really have any obligation to stick around here - you're still a novice, so please don't stress out! (Of course, I'd think that Apprentices, Knights and above require more commitment, due to self explanatory reasons.)


The only things I recommend you watch out for are large free time periods: opportunities to really crack down on your studies. When my summer break came, I'm am so so so glad that I didn't waste any time - I worked on the Initiate's Programme daily.


Overall, we're just glad you chose to come back. That really says a lot about your character. It's nice to have you back, friend