#508 You can be the one who runs the show
No matter what you want to do
No matter where you go
For your life, you can be the one who runs the show.
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#38 Regret, worry, forget
ByLukasWe regret the past, worry about the future, and forget about the now.
What if I:
- learn from and let go of the past
- create an empowering vision of the future, informed by your imagination AND lessons of the past
- act in the now, confident that every action you take brings you closer towards that vision
To let go of the past:
- Write Morning Pages – Stream of Consciousness journaling
- Did I give it my all? Whether my actions were aligned or misguided, did I go for it 100%?
- Did I allow myself to learn something and see the silver lining?
To create a future with fewer worries:
- Write Morning Pages – Stream of Consciousness journaling
- Develop trust in yourself and your good intentions
To be in the moment:
- Write Morning Pages – Stream of Consciousness journaling
- Breathe
- Walk in nature
- Create something
- Talk… and listen
The constant: write Morning Pages.
#400 3 lessons from 400 consecutive days of writing (and a request)
ByLukasToday marks day 400 of the Daily Insight newsletter – which calls for a longer post and a question for you.
Let’s start with three lessons I learned from publishing daily.
Lesson 1: Writing when not you’re not inspired IS the point
I wasn’t inspired every day in the past 400 days – but many days I was.
And I wouldn’t have had the inspiring days without the uninspired days.
Maybe writing when you’re not inspired is the whole point.
Because showing up for the bad moments makes it possible to be there for the good moments, too.
Lesson 2: You don’t have to be ready to get started – you get started to become ready
In the past, I just couldn’t get myself to write, not even if I really wanted to.
Now, I just write.
Doing something new always goes against your current beliefs and always comes with resistance – otherwise, you would already be doing it.
But seeing how tiny daily actions can normalize a behavior that in the past seemed unattainable was incredibly empowering.
You don’t have to be ready to get started. You get started to become ready.
Lesson 3: It doesn’t matter what you do as long as it’s meaningful to you
For the longest time, I felt like I always gave up on things that were important to me. I just couldn’t persevere.
So, I chose to start writing daily. But I could’ve also decided to run every day. Or knit.
In the end, the activity itself doesn’t matter. You can choose any desire you feel resistance towards…
And start using it as a symbol of your defiance against your limiting beliefs.
In its essence, such “Tiny Trust Builder” actions, as I came to call them, are symbolic.
Pick one. Attach meaning to it. Use it to prove to yourself that your aspirations are not just pipe dreams. And see how your life changes.
What’s next?
Maybe it didn’t have to take 400 days to prove to myself that I could write every day – or maybe it did.
Either way, I did it. And now the question arises: what’s next?
To answer that question, I need your help.
Why are you subscribed to this newsletter? What do you get out of it?
Could I do anything to make the newsletter more interesting to you?
Let me know by replying to this email so we can shape the next 400 newsletters together.
Thanks for being along for the journey!
- Lukas
#104 This is not a poker game
ByLukasAll in on getting fluent in a foreign language?
That’s a 6-12 month game, at the minimum.All in on learning an instrument?
Count on a multi-year (or multi-decade) game.All-in on getting in shape?
That’s a life-long game.This is not a poker game. You’re not trying to impress anyone. There are no opponents to deter. Not everything hinges on one big moment where you can win or lose it all.
You’re not only all in the moment you decide you’re all-in. You’re all in for the entire journey. That means: making your efforts, resources, and motivation last.
All in means preparing for the long game.
Choosing small daily habits over grand gestures.
Choosing consistency over completion.
Accepting that whatever you go all in on will inevitably change your identity.
Now you’re all in on life, and who you aspire to be.
#270 When it’s better to be wrong
ByLukasThought of the day: it’s better to be proven wrong than to be paralyzed in doubt.
#84 Long-term Side Effects of Procrastinating
ByLukasI can choose to procrastinate on a project for weeks – then finish it all in one go, right before the deadline.
In absolute terms, I might have been very efficient with my time – but the time I saved, I spent frustrated with myself.
The long-term effect on my self-image: I’m a procrastinator.
What if I work a little bit on a project every single day – and have it finished well before the deadline?
I might spend more time in total – but every day, every moment spent makes me feel good about myself.
The long-term effect on my self-image: I cultivate an identity of discipline and consistency. I do what I believe to be good for me. I build character. Taking small daily actions towards a goal becomes part of my identity.
What’s more: I avoid the frustration and resentment that comes with procrastination (=not doing what I know I should be doing), and feel good about myself instead.
Long-term, the benefits of small daily actions always outweigh huge last-minute efforts.
#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.