Bridget McNulty

Input / Output

// September 9th, 2008 // Inspiration, Life (and the living of it), Time

I speak about this a lot in ‘real life’ (i.e. verbally) but I think it’s such an important pattern to recognise, so maybe it’s time to speak about it in blog life…

I really do believe that we go through periods of input, and periods of output. During the input periods we’re quieter, we read more, watch lots of movies and TV, listen to people deeper and generally absorb all there is to be absorbed in our lives. During the output periods we talk more, offer advice, create (in whatever way works for us – cooking, art, writing, dancing, drawing) and have enough energy to give it away, in abundance.

The problem comes, I think, when we don’t recognise the difference between the two. When we become givers (outputters) 24/7 and don’t ever stop to recharge, to input, to fill up again. And then we become resentful because other people aren’t giving us what we need, when really we have to give it to ourselves.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, because I see it happening so much, not only in my own life, but in the lives of my friends. Of course, it can go the other way, too – getting stuck in an input phase and unable to get up and DO anything because the inputting becomes addictive.

It’s that good old balance thing again, isn’t it? I’m beginning to think that much of life might be about finding that mystical balance…