#129 When the going gets tough

ByLukas
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When I’m inspired, I write.

When I’m over the moon, I write.

When I’m frustrated, I write.

When I’m sad, I write.

When I’m angry, I write.

When I’m so overwhelmed I don’t want to do anything at all, I write.

Because when the tides of life get rough, a consistent practice is your life raft.

Writing, running, yoga, music, walking, gardening, knitting, dancing, singing, surfing…

You not only build trust in such habits and practices to achieve lofty goals but also – even more so – to fall back on when the going gets tough, and you need a beacon of stability to keep you afloat.

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    #16 The insights have always been here

    ByLukas

    Creativity isn’t about inventing new concepts, thoughts, pieces of art or machines out of thin air.

    It’s not even making new connections between unrelated concepts.

    Creativity is exposing connections that have always been there but nobody has noticed before.

    Again: the connections have always been there. The hard part is noticing them.

    That requires presence. Slowing down. Taking a step back. Asking “Where have I seen this before?”. Trusting your mind for doing what it does best: recognizing patterns. Paying attention. Sometimes, paying no attention at all and letting the breakout principle work its magic.

    This view of creativity can set you free from a lifetime of frustration
    because once life becomes one big exploration
    where every detour, every diversion, every event
    no matter how unimportant or seemingly insignificant
    holds the promise of a new insight
    a new breakthrough, a connection to stumble upon…

    And once the crushing pressure – invent something you must
    disappears, turns to dust
    replaced by curiosity and wanderlust
    then you can slow down, enjoy the present moment, and trust
    that everything you ever wanted to know, feel, see, hear
    every insight or desire you hold dear
    has always been here
    hidden in plain view, underneath the world’s veneer.

  • |

    #78 Unconscious categorization

    ByLukas

    Within a split second, I’ve categorized an object as an apple. Now I don’t pay attention to the dimensions, color, smell, and texture anymore.

    Within a split second, I’ve categorized an emotion as anger, fear, frustration, love. So I don’t pay attention to the physiological changes in my body anymore.

    I’m always categorizing – but I didn’t consciously create the categories.

    But what if I’m categorizing inaccurately?

    Can I interrupt instant categorization, governed by language, habits, patterns, past experience?

    Can I re-open my senses and see, smell, touch, hear, feel again?

    Can I start sensing nuances between the objects I behold?

    Can I discern nuances between the feelings I feel?

    Mindfulness, journaling, meditation, and learning languages can help with more conscious categorization.

    Because what if the anger I feel is nothing but fear?

    What if the fear I feel is nothing but frustration?

    What if the frustration I feel is nothing but unrequited love?

    And what if the love I feel is nothing but infatuation?

  • | |

    #304 Responsibility brings opportunity

    ByLukas

    After writing over 300 daily blog posts (and journaling for 926 days), here’s my main takeaway:

    Once you decide you’re responsible for writing that daily sentence, learning that language, doing that workout…

    Once you decide you’re responsible for making it happen, no matter the circumstances or external events (travel, sickness, emergencies,…)

    That’s when you’ll notice that there are very few excuses that truly stop you from making it happen.

    And that’s when you have the opportunity to become who you’ve always wanted to be.

  • |

    #206 How to always bounce back

    ByLukas

    On the days when I feel like everything I write is bad, I choose to be a writer.

    On the days when I feel like the most inspired writer, I choose to be a writer.

    On the days when I need to skip a day because life gets in the way, I choose to be a writer.

    On the days when I don’t feel like a writer, I choose to be a writer.

    And especially on the days when I don’t write, I choose to be a writer by trusting that soon enough, I’ll write again.

    I choose to be a writer, not through pressuring myself into hardliner habits but through my daily commitment to the general direction I want my life to take.

    Focus on making the majority of your actions and decisions align with who you want to be.

    When you do that, you’ll always bounce back.

  • |

    #133 How to Get Irrefutable Proof of Progress

    ByLukas

    “Getting better” at something is not a linear process.

    You can practice every day and not see any progress.

    In fact, you can practice every day and notice deterioration.

    But it’s impossible to practice every day without building the self-trust that you have the discipline to practice every day.

    I might not have clear proof that I’m becoming a better writer, but I have irrefutable proof that I wrote today, yesterday, and the past 138 days.

    And because I write every day, the evidence is building that I am, in fact, a writer.

    As my actions shift my identity, the probability that I’ll keep writing increases.

    And as long as I keep writing, the probability of writing better work increases.

    Tiny Trust Builders are the only reliable proof of progress.

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