#384 Why you don’t need a how-to program

You’re likely to encounter consistency challenges.

After all, nobody feels motivated every day.

Maybe you’ll have a day where you’re busy or not feeling great, and writing, running, or doing yoga, seems like the last thing you want to do.

Luckily, you don’t need to feel motivated to write one sentence.

You don’t even need to want to write to have words appear on the screen or paper.

You just need to be reminded that you want to be a writer.

And writers write, even if they don’t feel like it.

And so it goes for runners, yogis, meditators, athletes, crafstmen, lovers.

Question: Do you know how old I’ll be by the time I learn to play the piano?

Answer: The same age you will be if you don’t.

Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way

Some skills take years of practice before I’m any good at them. But I’m living those years anyway. And while society and systemic pressure might push me down a certain path, I still have a say in how I spend every day.

Whether I publish a blog post today or not, I’ll go to bed tonight and the sun will still come up tomorrow.

Whether I write every day in the coming 10 years or not, in 10 years I’ll still turn 40.

The only difference: will I feel that my actions were aligned with who I want to be? Or will I feel regret instead?

Some aspirations are worth the time you’re living anyway.

Future dreams build motivation – and sometimes frustration.

Past achievements build confidence – and sometimes complacency.

Present actions create experiences you could’ve never even imagined, nor remembered.