Similar Posts

  • |

    #241 Is this truly a catastrophe?

    What am I scared of right now?

    What are the chances that that scenario will come true?

    What would happen if that scenario came true?

    And what would happen then?

    And then?

    And then?

    Is it really that bad?

    Do I have the resources to deal with it?

    Is this truly a catastrophe, or will I be fine either way?


    Keep asking*, “What would happen then?”.* Look past the initial fears and challenges. And more often than not, you’ll realize that this too shall pass.

  • #9 Admiring early work

    Admiring (flawed) early work is easy when we already know the late work is going to be great.

    Everyone forgives Picasso or Da Vinci for a lousy early sketch. In fact, people pay good money to hang one in their living room.

    Maybe the early work, showing that even the greats are mere mortals on a journey towards excellence, is the most valuable?

    And yet, it’s much harder to be gentle on a beginning artist for shipping mediocre creative work – not in the least for the beginning artist themselves – when their path to excellence hasn’t unfolded yet.

    After all, something that one day will be “my early work” is still “my current best work” today.

    The road to excellence is invisible from the trenches.

    But that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

    Which makes me wonder…

    When I know that through persistence and daily practice, one day, I’ll look back on today’s creation, smiling, thinking: “Oh how far I’ve come… How much I’ve learned… And some of this was actually pretty good…”

    Can I admire my creative work less for what it looks, feels, or sounds like, and more for who I’m becoming through making it?

    Can I do the same for the creative projects of others?

    With that mindset… How much easier and forgiving would the daily creative journey be?

  • #440 How to make choices that stand the test of time

    Victory passes.
    So does defeat.

    Exhaustion passes.
    So does excitement.

    And because it all passes, the highest peaks and lowest lows are probably not your most reliable guides to make life decisions.

    Take a step back.

    Wait until the emotions pass and you see clearly again.

    Then you can make choices that stand the test of time.

  • |

    #165 Writing doesn’t mean writing

    When I write, I’m meditating.

    When I meditate, I’m writing.


    When I run, I’m meditating.

    When I meditate, I’m running.


    When I play the guitar, I’m meditating.

    When I meditate, I’m playing the guitar.


    When I meditate, I’m writing.

    When I write, I’m running.

    When I run, I’m playing the guitar.

    And no matter what I do, I’m always living.

    Life experience always carries over.

  • #361 How to overcome the seemingly impossible

    You’ve spent your lifetime bumping into the limits of what you deem possible.

    And you’ve also spent your lifetime overcoming the seemingly impossible.

    Sit. Crawl. Walk. Speak. Read. Find love. Get over loss and heartbreak. Travel. Invent. Create. Learn. Write.

    Overcoming the seemingly impossible is what makes you you.

    Once you accept that, the question shifts from, “What’s possible for me?” to, “What are you overcoming next?”

  • #174 How to turn faith into trust

    You build self-trust by taking actions – Tiny Trust Builders – in alignment with who you want to be.

    I want to be a writer, and build self-trust by writing every day, even if it’s just one line.

    I want to learn Portuguese, and build self-trust by practicing every day, even if it’s just 2 minutes.

    But often, what stops you from taking these actions in the first place is a lack of trust in yourself.

    I don’t trust myself to write every day – I’ll give up anyway.

    I don’t trust myself to learn Portuguese every day – I’ll probably get busy and skip a day.

    There’s only one way out of this vicious cycle:

    When you don’t trust yourself to take the actions, you take a leap of faith instead.

    Because with every leap, fear turns into faith, and faith into trust.

    Trust you must.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *