Too Much Thinking, Not Enough Action
That’s the mantra of many creatives. Too many creatives, in fact.
Why do we hold to ideas like they are our children? Afraid to let them run, jump, and play without boundaries.
We think entirely too much about what we want to do, what we want to create, and how it will make us feel in the process.
Now, I’m not discounting that these things aren’t important. What I am getting at is, however, these things aren’t as monumental as we make them out to be.
They have very little to do with the practice of creating, with the practice of writing. Because oftentimes, we’ll talk ourselves out of a good thing. …
Yes, someone is ‘Googling’ what comes easy to you
A few months ago, I started my Jeep and the dashboard was a slot machine.
Lights galore.
I had a few options:
- Search for the car manual I hadn’t seen in YEARS
- Ask a mechanic who was sure to “find” $3,000 worth of problems
- or Google it
So, I took the easiest route, picked up my phone, and almost immediately a YouTube video appeared in the search results.
It was tailored to the exact problem I had. And within a few minutes, my issue was solved. The car was fine.
Thus, I owed a debt of gratitude to a complete stranger on the Internet. …
1. Tomorrow doesn’t exist
You don’t know how many tomorrows you have left. In fact, they don’t really even exist. They’re something we can only hope for. Something out of our control.
If you risk the chance of putting your creative work in the hands of tomorrow, well tomorrow has no hands.
You don’t know what circumstances you’ll have to face. And, inevitably something will come up.
Whether it’s an emergency or you’re just downright feeling unmotivated. Many obstacles will find their way into your well-crafted plans — and they don’t care.
That’s why it’s imperative to not give yourself an out for creating. Especially when you have the time, technology, and energy on your side. …
If you quit now, you risk becoming someone different.
Do you want to become yourself?
I know, this might be an odd question. Because you’re probably thinking, “Well, why wouldn’t I?”
But I ask this because you’d be surprised. Many people don’t think through this lens.
Especially when it comes to our creativity and the things we want to do. For many of us, the connection between what we do and who we’re becoming isn’t clear.
To illustrate, let me give you a common example. The aspiring writer toils, plots, and hesitates. Day after day, he thinks, “I can’t wait to become a full-time writer.”
He casts off his dreams into the future. Not knowing that what he’s doing now, is ultimately shaping his future — to not become a writer. …
A small twist to ‘Morning Pages.’
Some years ago, a coaching client told me she was deeply worried and dealt with lots of anxiety over the creative process.
“I just can’t write,” she said. Her emphasis on “can’t” was as if it was law.
Through our conversation, I gave her an assignment: “If you can’t write, describe what you’re feeling. But on paper.”
It’s what I now call prescriptive writing. As in, writing meant to address the current concern or issue amidst you. I recommended it because it’s worked for me.
It may sound simple or silly, but you’d be surprised how many people bypass this effective method. …
Writing isn’t like eating croissants.
It isn’t like pancakes or waffles or whatever your decadent pleasure.
There’s no need to feel guilty about enjoying writing for the sake of writing. You don’t need to make a lot of money from your writing to be worthy of writing.
Earlier this year, my family and I visited Paris, and I ate more croissants than I could count. It made me want to run a 5K every day.
This is a natural reaction — extreme or not — to an overindulgence issue.
But when I overindulge in writing (if that even exists), there’s no such feeling unless outside circumstances have pushed me to feel this way. …
Please Do Not Overlook the Power of #2
On Medium, I made $8.37 in the month of October. Here’s why I’m celebrating:
- October 2019 I made $2.74 and published no articles
- August 2020 I published 8 articles
- September 2020 I published 2 articles
- October 2020 I published 9 articles
While you might scoff at the above stats, this is big for me. In the past, I would’ve quit by now. And I’d have good reason to quit.
That is if all I saw was the monetary rewards — or lack thereof.
“Every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent success.” ― Napoleon Hill
But I’m measuring my progress differently. I’m focusing less on earnings and more on output, quality work, and improvement. …
4 Hidden Rewards of Writing Through Resistance
You’ve written yourself in circles. It’s dizzying. I mean, really, resistance is giving you everything it’s got — it’s like fighting a whole person.
Getting a complete sentence down feels like rocket science. Your mind feels uneasy. You can’t focus.
Nothing, and I mean nothing is working.
Look, I’ve been there. I’ve given into resistance, told myself it wasn’t that serious and buried myself in YouTube videos.
And the very next day, I felt embarrassed — like I’d let my future self down.
Believe me, you don’t want to give in just yet. Even if you write very little and that very little is bad, it still could be worth something. …
Short advice for writing and life
I like slow, meandering roads that take time to travel down.
Ones that allow me to admire the scenery along my journey to the destination.
I’m a joyrider who, caught up in the moment, often misses the exit when driving.
My wife, however, prefers I not miss exits.
She needs to know where she’s going.
She optimizes her route there.
There are many advice articles out there about starting, how to start, and where to start.
There are many more articles to be written. …
In case you ever forget
1. To know what you think
2. To change how you think
3. To observe how you evolve
4. To be expressive and unedited somewhere
5. To be creative
6. To have at least one consistent habit
7. To trust the power within you
8. To become a better writer
9. To practice giving yourself grace
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