Why ‘life gets in the way’ becomes my favorite excuse to use.

Vowing to break out of it soon...

One day I’ll uncover why adhering to a routine is so hard for me. Why building, breaking, forming habits gets the best of me. Why ‘life gets in the way’ becomes my favorite excuse to use. Why any minor disruption throws me off course, and why, albeit unconsciously, I—let it.

Today isn’t that day. But today is my attempt at getting back to my efforts here. And I don’t just mean releasing a piece for the sake of it. I mean trying to build the unseen energy behind what actually makes a consistent, prolific writer.

A few months ago, I learned a couple things that helped me immerse myself with my craft, and to have what felt like good output. I felt myself in a different zone. It felt good. It felt pure. It felt natural. And I attribute it to a book I was reading at the time. One that helped me redefine my relationship with the ‘work” it actually takes to be a writer. Not just say that you are.

Never interested in gatekeeping any of it, so I’ll share what those few tips I implemented were. Maybe in a future piece, I’ll dive deeper. But some of those were:

• Having bare minimum and bare maximums as it pertains to word count. I think the maximum one (one we often never even think about, is SO important and was the most transformative to me)

• Finding the time of the day that feels most pure to actually write

• Making shitty, ugly, bad, messy art (the importance of this was a huge revelation for me. it’s not just a suggestion. I actually think it’s necessary. A crucial part of the process)

• Immersing yourself in a practice that allows you to reset with your writing (particularly for moments like these where you feel of course and yearning to get back)

• Perhaps a lesson for life, but… patience, patience, and more patience

I’ll end here because, ironically, with my attempt in just sitting down, typing on these keys, and wanting to put something out to the world, I’ve hit all those bullet points I just laid out. Unintentionally. A beautiful reaffirmation for me, and one I hope gets me back on track.

I appreciate you all! To the new folks on here, thank you for being here. If I’m being honest, I don’t think I’ll ever view supporters of anything I do or put out as a number. Not as a subscriber, a fan, an audience, or any of that. I truly do perceive everyone along the journey as part of the community I so deeply hope to build. And I know how precious it is to take time out of your day to spend time with something. Especially in a world that moves so fast. So thank you for being here. And as always, thank you for spending time with my words.

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Until next time,
Kevin