Over the past month or so I’ve tried to start a regular writing habit. And I’ve discovered that its really hard. Not because writing is hard (even though it is), and not because I don’t want to do it (I do). I’ve struggled because there are actually infinite reasons to not write. What I mean by that is that every single thing that you could possibly do in any given moment is a reason not to write.

Oh I have to run to the grocery store… wait gotta figure out why my tire is leaking air… can’t deal with that creaky door hinge for one more minute… lets get a quick workout in… let me take care of that bit of work thats been hanging over my head…

These are reasons/excuses from only the last 48 hours. The inertia of life takes me from thing to the next thing most effortlessly. In my mind I’m not making excuses not to write. It just happens. I had no idea how to fix a door hinge but watching a few youtube videos and then pulling out power tools seemed less intimidating than writing.

Sure, maybe its because I don’t feel like I have anything important to say. Or maybe its that it takes a lot of effort to figure out what to write about. The latter seems like something concrete I can work on. Instead of just ‘write something’, I can have a more structured system for what to write about so I’m not staring at a blank piece of paper every time I sit down. Like having a workout plan before you go to the gym or a meal plan for your week.

Anyway, the bottom line is this: you can fail continuously but if you don’t quit, then you are still in the game and you can still win. That’s also how I quit smoking so its definitely not bullshit.

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