I am a Cat was written the late 1800s by Japanese novelist Soseki Natsume. A first-person novel from the perspective of a cat\u2014as you might expect that cat\u2019s got a lot of opinions. I\u2019m not that far into it but it stopped me short in the beginning<\/p>\n
The cat\/kitten\u2019s story starts with his earliest memory. He is alone and trying to find a way to survive. He is carried into a house and given some milk. He is almost immediately kicked out again.<\/p>\n
This cat was sure that inside that house was food and warmth. Inside that house was life. His whole kitten self was targeted on getting into that house.<\/p>\n
A determined cat. An irresistibly demanding cat. I can see it. I can feel it.<\/p>\n
I have been that kitten. Single focus on the one thing. All the world whittled down to one thing.<\/p>\n
You know what happens to that kitten? He gets what he\u2019s set out to get.<\/p>\n
Not every goal has that kind of clarity. I\u2019ve had other goals that were more like fantasies. Things I would want when I remembered I wanted them.<\/p>\n
Goals like that have less of a chance of coming true. Commonly, it\u2019s only after they get promoted to the need-like-life status that they got real.<\/p>\n
Life or death focus is hard to maintain. That kind of intensity can only last for a little while.<\/p>\n
However, I might need the life-of-death focus to get it started. I might need to fuel the momentum of getting the lift.<\/p>\n
For me, that means getting the idea organized. I will need to shape my desire into something I can get a handle on.<\/p>\n
Long term goals require a system. When I\u2019m fired up, I can shape it and break it to little pieces that I can actually do.<\/p>\n
I can feed the hunger with those little bites. I can make it real.<\/p>\n
I can be that cat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I am a Cat was written the late 1800s by Japanese novelist Soseki Natsume. A first-person novel from the perspective of a cat\u2014as you might expect that cat\u2019s got a lot of opinions. I\u2019m not that far into it but … Continue reading