The practice →

Published October 29, 2023  ·  All posts on Oct 29  ·  , ,

I am often stuck in the resistance right before actually writing. It usually takes me several attempts to approach the work. It feels like walking up the slippery slope of a small hill, where the initial speed and direction has to be perfect, and then with continued effort—a penguin waddling judiciously—I reach the gently rounded top of the hill (after sliding off obtusely a few times and beginning again.)

I can easily be nudged into sliding off that small hill by distractions. I’m drawn to address the distraction. Can I fix that so it doesn’t happen again? (For example, change fundamentally how my phone is configured.) But I know that distractions are not all bad and I know that I can hide in the busyness of getting things just right. (Hazards warned of by both Pressfield and Godin.)

Besides that, if you want to get anywhere interesting, there’s no substitute – not even talent – for grinding away at something year after year until you’ve put more work into it than almost anyone else alive.

~ Cierra Martin from, «https://www.gapingvoid.com/what-is-your-practice/»

slip:4ugawa3.

The word grinding feels too negative a way to spin simply doing the work. If I think, “that’s going to be grinding,” I’m setting myself up to more easily slide off that little hill. Because invariably—for the things I have to, and want to, do—the actual work is exceedingly easy. Easy like gleeful skipping. All of the hard part is in the way I think about the work before I ever begin. Even using the word “work” feels too negative. All of the hard part is in the way I think about the practice.

ɕ

Join us →

Published October 29, 2023  ·  All posts on Oct 29  ·  ,

You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope some day you’ll join us. And the world will live as one.

~ John Lennon

slip:4a1315.

Change →

Published October 28, 2023  ·  All posts on Oct 28  ·  ,

They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.

~ Andy Warhol

slip:4a1314.

Reminiscing →

Published October 27, 2023  ·  All posts on Oct 27  ·  

I’ve often mentioned journaling. A few years after I began journaling seriously, I started taking time to read my older journal entries. Initially, I was setting aside some dedicated time early each month to simply spend time with my old journal entries. I was just randomly hopping around looking up things, and reliving old adventures (at least, those I’d taken the time to write about.) I soon ended up with bookmarks at various number-of-years-ago.

Eventually I wanted to reign in the time I was spending reading. (The author of my journals is the most fascinating person I know of, so I can really get lost navel gazing into my journals.) I process-ified the entire thing (which I’ll skip explaining because it’s not important) and now, every day, I read my journal entries from 1-, 3-, 6-, and 9-years-ago. It only takes a few minutes and it is endlessly illuminating.

Oh the adventures I’ve had! The thrills… the spills… the ups and downs!

[…] most of the fun is in the experience and not in the reminiscing. We don’t actually spend most of our days enjoying memories. How many minutes yesterday did you spend thinking about that trip you took last year?

~ Jacob Falkovich from, Shopping for Happiness – PUTANUMONIT

slip:4upuso1.

This article by Hoffman is typical. You’ll probably love it or hate it. The part I’ve quoted is way down in the middle part and not a major point. But it leapt off the page for me. I’ve long known that journaling has at least corresponded with my improvements, in the sense that it has raised the depth of the downward dips—this is a very important achievement. Alone, it’s reason enough that I intend to never cease journaling. Hoffman’s mentioning reminiscing as being a valuable activity related to happiness, has made clear another reason to never cease.

ɕ

Hurry →

Published October 27, 2023  ·  All posts on Oct 27  ·  , ,

No man who is in a hurry is quite civilized.

~ Will Durant

slip:4a1312.

Beautiful →

Published October 26, 2023  ·  All posts on Oct 26  ·  , ,

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched—they must be felt with the heart.

~ Helen Keller

slip:4a1313.

Challenge →

Published October 25, 2023  ·  All posts on Oct 25  ·  ,

Setting a challenge for myself seems simple enough. Pick a goal and then work to reach it. But there needs to be more than the goal, and the process. There also needs to be some sacrifice; What will it be necessary for me to give up in order to attempt the challenge? There also needs to be some risk; Risk of physical loss, injury or monetary cost are obvious options, but a good challenge has mental, even spiritual, risk attached. Who will I be after this challenge? What about success itself? I think a good challenge must seem achievable (it mustn’t fly in the face of reality) but must actually be uncertain. It takes a special person to set and truly attempt a challenge that they aren’t certain they can achieve.

I am going to try to convince you to spend the next 4 days watching a YouTube live stream of people running round a 4.1 mile loop in Tennessee, all day and all night.

~ Matt Webb from, Why you should watch Big’s Backyard Ultra, which starts tomorrow (Interconnected)

slip:4uieho3.

I’m not sure what to say about this “backyard ultra”. Fortunately for you, the race will be over by the time this post appears. You don’t risk being sucked into the live stream by reading Webb’s article. While I’m not the least bit attracted to attempting something like this, I read the article slowly. The challenge that lies at the heart of this race is something I understand. I’m not suggesting you go try to run one of these races, but I do hope you have experienced true self-set challenge.

ɕ

Leave a trail →

Published October 25, 2023  ·  All posts on Oct 25  ·  ,

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

slip:4a1310.

Exerting yourself →

Published October 24, 2023  ·  All posts on Oct 24  ·  , ,

Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you’re going to while away the years, it’s far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive than in a fog, and I believe running helps you do that. Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: That’s the essence of running, and a metaphor for life—and for me, for writing as well. I believe many runners would agree.

~ Haruki Murakami

slip:4a1311.

60 Seconds with Mandell Conway →

Published October 23, 2023  ·  All posts on Oct 23

60 Seconds – with Mandell Conway

What role does storytelling play in driving creativity and engagement in personal projects like podcasting and daily writing?

Mandell Conway and Craig Constantine discuss the art of generosity in podcasting, daily writing challenges, and the power of pushing through creative discomfort.

I’m building the material up. I’m building the reps. I’m getting better and then I can go and say, ‘okay this is the part that I want to keep.’ I’ll share this today. I’ll share this tomorrow. …or I’ll share this next year. But just get in that habit of doing the emotional labor. I think I want to be able to push through that. Versus just saying I would spend 20 minutes and that drained me— [then] ‘yeah, I’m out of here.’ What would happen if I just sat in it for a little longer.

~ Mandell Conway 24:55

Mandell Conway and Craig Constantine explore the concepts of giving and generosity. Mandell speaks about the importance of daily writing, acknowledging the emotional labor involved and discussing the benefits of creating a content backlog for challenging days. They emphasize that the primary goal should be writing, with publishing (in whatever medium) as a natural outcome of this consistent practice. Mandell also offers some perspective on the creative process, emphasizing the commitment required to share impactful stories with the world.

Takeaways

Daily Commitments — the importance of a daily writing or podcasting habit, consistency is key.

Emotional Challenges — writing can be emotionally taxing, but rather than avoiding it, sitting with the discomfort can lead to profound and emotional content. By accepting difficult moments in writing, individuals can develop resilience and produce better work.

Importance of Conversations — the value of discussions between like-minded individuals. Sharing ideas and experiences can spark new insights and innovative approaches to content creation and creative work.

Resources

Giving is Like — Mandell Conway’s web site with his daily email, The Daily Tithe.

Mandell Conway: Giving Within Community — Mandell Conway with Anne Roche on Roche’s podcast, How I Live Through This.

@mandellconway — Mandell Conway on Instagram.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

ɕ