Bridging the gap

Bridging the gap is the distance between thought and execution. How do we express ourselves naturally? This is something that has always intrigued me. To do something so spontaneously from ourselves that we bypass the thinking mind entirely.

Effortless execution, it could be anything. Playing an instrument, driving a car, playing a sport or doing the dishes. The idea of performing life with utter naturalness. Bridging the gap between thought and action.

I am the type of person that thinks first and asks questions later. Or most of the time I don’t even get to the question at all. I am so caught up in my own thinking.

What is the cost of too much thinking? A lack of expression. This for me leads to frustration and anxiety. I don’t think you need to be an artist to express yourself. It can manifest through anything.

I really admire the way some people are so effortless in the way they do things.

To flow with expression is to bridge the gap between idea and execution so it happens naturally without time for the mind to get involved. Think of artists like Jack Kerouac and John Coltrane and James Joyce whose expression was unencumbered by time spent in the gap.

In my opinion, there is no greater goal in life than to be able to express yourself with naturalness. Sometimes things come easily, other things may take a lifetime of routine practice before they become second nature.

A good analogy for this would be tying your shoe. How often do you actively think about the task? Where to hold the laces? How to do the loop? It's totally internalised, yet if you had to describe it to someone who has never done it before it's actually very challenging.

So whatever you make be it art, music, food or a mess in life. Make it as easy as tying your shoe.