pardon the mess: transitions, exploring
I’m about to embark on a pretty daunting challenge in 2020, a daily writing (and living) practice focused on the theme of what is essential. I’ve decided to make it public, for a few reasons.
The first is to challenge myself to be more intentionally engaged in a creative practice. If I’m writing something others might see, I have to actually finish it, not like yet another entry in one of the dozens of mostly-empty journals I’ve started over the years, or one of the countless unfinished song ideas waiting patiently in binders/boxes/notebooks/piles.
The second is to be accountable in some way when pursuing one of my goals. Having too many unrealised or unmeasured goals is discouraging and distracting. It might be difficult to evaluate a day’s progress, or lack thereof, since life can get pretty fractured for a self-employed person with ADD/OCD tendencies, but a daily post is very simple to measure: I either wrote one, or I didn’t.
The third reason is that my website has been neglected for so long I really need to be engaged with it again. I’m not naturally inclined to do the social marketing that so many others are brilliant at, but I can at least show up here and do the work … and perhaps some of those other skills will gradually osmose. đŸ˜‰
The fourth reason is I really like technology and this project is a great excuse to get even a little bit geeky.
And the fifth is that I know by showing up and doing the work on a regular basis some other things will make themselves clear over time.
So … this website will be in flux as I spend December exploring and organising. Please excuse the mess.
xoL
p.s. Speaking of doing the work, there’s an amazing book by Stephen Pressfield on this subject. I’m posting an Amazon link since lots of people use Amazon; you could also check it out in the library or buy it from a local bookseller, or if you’re lucky find a copy in a thrift shop.
And speaking of libraries, there’s an amazing app called Overdrive (iOS / Android) that let’s you borrow e-books and audiobooks on your mobile device with your library card—genius!