Insights
#13 Write & Publish. Then write some more
Here’s a question Tim Ferris asks startup founders (and himself) when deciding to invest time and money into a new project: “If, in one (or two, or three) years from now, this whole project has failed miserably… Which assumptions you hold today were proven wrong?” Tim Ferris Answering the question first requires defining failure and
#12 Back on track – discipline vs regret
Almost broke the chain today. Then I remembered: “We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.” Jim Rohn Nothing builds more trust than daily practice, back to back. Today, remembering that is more than enough. I’m back on track.
#11 fixing a flawed faux finish
when the cracks in my faux finishfinally appearmy mind screams outyou’re coming too near yet i resist the need to hidelean in to the fearlet the cracks grow widebecause after all these yearsslowly steadily submerged under layers of snowfrozen frightened i don’t know where else to go i feel i’m sliding back into my headbut
#9 Striking gold
I’ve tirelessly written at least 300 journal entries on the same topic in the belief that in the 301st, I’ll strike gold and find the exact words I’m looking for. And it took me a while to accept that that’s an illusion. Maybe every attempt is really just the same struggle to find the right
#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
#8 Musenküsse
der Musenkuss (German) The kiss of the Muse Creativity becomes much easier if you see it as a game of finding new ways of describing what has always been there. Observing, rather than inventing. It’s liberating. Because now the game changes from pulling ideas out of thin air to a game of discovery. Observation. Paying
#7 Persistence despite Resistance – Finding your True Purpose
Does “true purpose” even exist? And if it does, how do we recognize it? Persistence despite Resistance may be a helpful indicator. Are you chasing your dreams because of what society wants you to do? Or are you chasing them in spite of what society wants you to do? Because even when social conditioning has
#6 Brevity
As I gain more expertise in a certain field, I expect my posts on that topic to get shorter. Because raw material starts with a lot of fluff, and only through sculpting away, day by day do I get closer to the essence. So… If my posts on a topic I’m familiar with are getting
#5 How did I ever let that stop me?
The other day you asked about my favorite words. But what I really want to write about is my favorite questions. Because as much as words can spark imagination, questions are what steer the mind – to good places or bad. Consider this one: “Why do I always give up when I start a new
#4 When the best story in the world has already been written…
When the best story in the world has already been written… why do I write? Because writing is not a choice – and neither is telling stories. Because stories are never finished. Because the best stories in the world are written over and over again. Because a story well-told depends on who you’re telling it
#3 Trust issues and the Completion Paradox
Starting a new habit seems to come with three universal “self-trust issues”: Trust in my Intentions. “Do I even have the time for this? Does making time for this make me selfish… Is it even good for me to spend time on this, out of all the priorities in life? Will this do me in
#2 Why I write
If writing and creating every day were as vital to my survival as drinking water, ingesting food, and bonding… What would life look like? Biologically, all behavior is driven by pain, pleasure, and the triggers and habits that come from repeated reaction to those stimuli. So I eat because I want to escape the pain