I Used To Be A Writer….
This is a post about choices, and why I’m choosing to write again.
It has been months since I’ve worked on my craft. 70 days to be specific. Stagnation, avoidance, excuses and other priorities have filled the void. Nonetheless, writing is part of who I am, and even on the longest hiatus since pre-2016 I am still a writer at heart. I find immense value in clarifying my thoughts, and the discipline required to start that process.
The season of my life now is one of harvest. Seeds I’ve been planting for the last decade are now bearing fruit. I let writing sit on the sidelines for 10 weeks, while I prepared for this harvest and transitionary period. Such a bountiful period for opportunities and demands for my time.
But, to live the ultimate expression of my dream life, writing must be a big part of that. So here I am. Back at the blank page and connecting to that creative source energy. It feels good. It is necessary. It is a priority. As of 7/26 2017, Writing Wednesday is going to be a regular practice in my life again. This will be a firm and unwavering commitment that I must execute consistently.
However, I can improve this practice. The way I used to accomplish my weekly 1000 words was by grinding out the entire writing, editing, graphic design, and publication processes in one intense outpouring. That is not only challenging, but it is not the optimal way from a quality standpoint either. In my studies of creatives and writers, nearly all agree that a period of synthesis (writing/brain dump) should be followed by a cool-down period before the editing. The focused and intense state I get in when I write is like tapping into a geothermal energy source. But, to edit requires cool and detached rationality, not the overwhelming outpouring that usually happens for me. Essentially, I need to partition my creative time and spread it out over more days even to only publish once a week.
This will be a good practice for me. Consistent creativity will produce more and end up making me better, contrasted with a once a week sprint to do everything in a few hours of a single day. A few hours every day is what I really need.
The power of choice is more important than ever. Being part of this era in humanity is surreal. We have so many opportunities and so much information coming at us. Protecting our cognitive resources is one of the skill-sets of the modern master. Each piece of information we absorb takes time, and the potential volume to absorb is rapidly climbing every day. Ways which we spend our time are at the most abundant ever in human history. Each day brings new chances and changes.
The same can be said of creativity — we have more ways than ever to express our creativity and give ourselves a voice or communicate a message. Storytelling is an integral part of what defines our species. We are surrounded by exciting new ways to share our stories with the world — and we control the means of distribution too.
Between the options for information intake, and creative output I have found myself overwhelmed many times in the last few years.
There may be no limits to my ambition, but there are undoubtedly limits to my attention.
Mastering the filtration system I use for deciding which information I want to consume is a work in progress. Choosing how to express my creativity is also a process in continual evolution.
I would love to blog, vlog, podcast, write books and take amazing photographs. I would also love to learn music, dancing, languages, martial arts, writing and countless other things I am interested in. Yet, my ability to execute on those ambitions is not infinite. Perhaps, over a long enough timeline (the rest of my life) I can make time to learn and create in all the ways I imagine. For now, I must be discerning and disciplined.
I would also love to study and learn from many of today’s masters and thought leaders. It simply isn’t feasible. I have had to decrease my information sources significantly in the last 2 years. Now I have 3–5 people I consume content from, but they are all quite prolific so I can’t even hope to consume it all. That’s okay. I give myself permission to support my mentors as much as I can without detracting from the time I need to create.
I used to be a writer. I used to be a fighter. I used to be a chef. I used to be a renaissance man. I used to stress about how I could possibly reach all the dreams that I have for my life.
Not anymore. I give myself Tabula Rasa. I am allowing many of the desires I have in my heart and mind to diminish or hibernate while I focus on the next 18–24 months. With this clean slate comes decisions that will shape many future outcomes. One of those is to resume writing. If other things have to get cut from my schedule to make this happen I will make those sacrifices.
If I am ever going to become the best version of myself I must master the decisions I make daily. Each day is mine to create, as is yours. The use of our 24-hour allotments matters most. As much as I want to do everything I dream of I also am totally fine with only doing what matters most. That decision — what matters most to each of us is ultimately the determining factor in our lives. We can’t lie about it either. What matters isn’t what we tell ourselves matters, but what we actively do with our days.
Writing matters. I am humbly returning to this practice. I shall continue to improve and dedicate time to this craft. After months off, the desire to write, create and express myself has returned with vigor.
I choose to write. What will I choose not to do so that can happen consistently? Everything that doesn’t matter.
Thank you for reading!
This is the 67th installment of Writing Wednesday…simply a practice in personal accountability and development. I have not written in 10 weeks so this is the first day I am resuming this practice.
Let me know what you thought of this piece.
