#538 When things don’t seem to go

Unintentional living and identity building look like this:

1. Actions are inspired by pain and pleasure.
2. Repeated pain and pleasure lead to repeated actions.
3. Repeated actions lead to habits.
4. Habits shape your identity.

“Life made me who I am, and I can’t do anything about it.”

Intentional living and identity building look like this:

1. Who do I want to be? What’s my desired identity?
2. Which habits that would turn me into that person do I not have in place right now?
3. Which repeated actions that would build that habit am I not currently taking?
4. Which reactions to pain and pleasure triggers in my life can I change? Which pain and pleasure triggers can I ban out of my life completely?

“While the past has shaped me, the way I choose to live my life today, tomorrow, and every day after, will determine who I am.”

You’re living anyway. Your actions are votes for an identity anyway. So you might as well do it intentionally.

We all want to avoid doing things that make us miserable.

Yet avoiding them often takes the shape of prioritizing them.

“I’ll do this unpleasant thing first so that I can get to the fun stuff.”

Unfortunately, it seems to be a rule that the more unpleasant tasks you cross off your to-do list, the more unpleasant tasks appear on your to-do list.

Sometimes it makes sense to do the essential things first, even if that means you keep the unpleasant things on your to-do list.

This is not a free pass to avoid unpleasant things and only do something you like.

It’s about doing the things that matter, regardless of whether they’re pleasant.

It’s about coming to terms with the fact that you’ll probably always drown in chores and busy work to do, then doing the important stuff anyway.

Journaling question of the day:

Where are you prioritizing and attracting things that make you miserable instead of doing the work that matters?

Before you can master the art of writing, you must master the art of showing up.

Because this journey you’re embarking on isn’t just about writing.

It’s about creating a powerful, resilient identity that will support you for years to come.