One of the reasons why I reignited this blog was to recommit to consistency. I have achieved that with my latest streak of writing. I have written everyday in this blog for six months (please hold the confetti).
Before I started this streak, I wanted to write. I have been a writer for a while, so I had an air of confidence that I could do the job. However, when I sat down, all I could think of was expectation. I had no readers, but the minute I sat down I already imagined the complaints that I would get. By the time I went down the list of worries in my head I turned a simple blog post into a peer-reviewed article that needed top-secret clearance. In short, I catastopized and it made me paralyzed.
That’s constantly hovering over me, and it is one of the reasons why I am not known for my consistency. As a matter of fact, if you asked anyone who knows me well,me writing something consistently for 6 months would sound strange.This blog didn’t happen all at once(it took me more than 4 years to start writing regularly) and it was a defined process. If I have learned anything it is that by leaning on willpower you end up with a quick recipe for disaster.Staring at these posts is a reminder of the strength behind the power or habit, and just showing up to do work everyday.
This month’s theme has been habits. I have written consistently for six months. This is the habit I am most proud of, so I can think of no better subject to break down when it comes to keeping a habit up.I have distilled it to three main ideas and when I implemented them.
- Starting Small – This was the biggest barrier of entry. I finally started small, forcing myself to write 3 sentences a day, and started to worry about just getting the 3 sentences down. The streak started that day (February 4,2015)
- Accountability – I put my blog in my email, it is on every card that I hand out, and in every guest post that I do. I made it impossible for me to not write anything without embarrassment. I make it a point to write that I say something everyday, and that became the next expectation. Every new person I meet will get a post in the email I send. Knowing this, I can’t afford to not have something new up everyday, unless I put my honor on the line (my twitter name is TheHonorableAT – as you could guess, my honor means a lot to me) (March 15th,2015)
- Constantly Learning – When I let go of the big posts, and I stopped letting myself off the hook, I recognized that if I am here everyday, I could experiment often. I have tried video posts, audio posts, music reviews, how to’s, personal journaling, contests and more. Each day is an opportunity to try something new. If I fail I fail, but with this blog I can work out the kinks. I switched over to a growth mindset, and everyday I feel more and more confident with each experiment. ( April 20th, 2015)
Every day is a chance to get better. I have really enjoyed writing here 6 months in a row, and I can’t wait to connect in another 6 months to see the things I learned in a year.
From the desk of Adam Thomas 