fly fishing without a hook

I was relistening to Seth Godin’s The Practice, and he was talking about how when he learned to fly fish, he asked for a fly without a hook.

He wasn’t trying to actually catch a fish, and he didn’t even want to try.

What he wanted to do was learn how to fly fish.

He was process oriented, not outcome oriented.

*mind exploding*

How many things have I done in the past where I’ve judged myself to be a failure because of the outcome, when really I should’ve/could’ve been focusing on the process?

Many, many things, is the answer.

But I’m also proud of the fact that I am, for the most part, fly fishing without a hook these days.

I’ve been playing my new bass guitar just about every day. Can I play a whole song yet? Not quite. Do I like it when I can figure out a note? Or transitions between notes? Yes. But most of all, I just kinda like playing.

This blog is a form of fly fishing without a hook. There are no expectations here. I try to write something that I think will resonate with someone else. And I’ve been letting myself off the hook of writing blog posts twice a week while I focused on finishing a book—and then another. But honestly, this blog is just for the fun of processing my thoughts. Of figuring out how to hold the fishing rod and cast the line. I’m definitely not trying to catch a fish.

The trick though, I think, is to live your life like you’re fly fishing without a hook. To not be so expectant/focused on outcome. And to instead enjoy the process.