Writing Again
I’m writing again. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The dates for the last three posts I’ve written are from July 2011 and April of 2014. I used to write a lot (ish) and it was always fun to do. Somewhere along the way I fell out of the habit. Through the next 30 days I’m going to be writing a few posts to see if I can begin to rekindle the habit.
- 2008-09: 50 posts
- 2010-14: 12 posts
- 2015-: ???
It’s been said that the vast majority of one’s life is lived not through his words and actions but through the thoughts and emotions inside his own head. By writing, I hope to expose more of my internal life to my external self. Along the way I hope to understand myself more. I hope to understand the results in my life more.
I enjoy browsing Twitter and Instagram each day but I’ve noticed that I am in constant consumption of information and rarely take the time to create. I am looking to be in a more creative energy in my life, to take the time to think and meditate more often. I can see writing being one avenue towards building a system of being creative often.
I want to write more often because it puts me in a more contemplative mode. Writing will do that you. So will drawing, painting, playing piano, and a host of other activities. Periodic contemplation of your life path is a Good Thing.
How we spend our time is a fascinating concept to me. I think Derek Sivers put it most elequently, as he so often does:
[Time] really is limited. We can’t pretend it’s not. Time spent doing one thing is time spent not doing something else.
It’s so easy to waste time doing that stuff that’s of no importance, no challenge, no benefit to anyone, not even yourself.
The crux is the “easy to waste time” part. I have found myself at various times in my life “coasting”, which just means not really paying attention to why you’re doing the things you do. I believe it’s quite healthy to have time set aside to “do nothing” as they say. Filling up every minute of your day has never felt particularly healthy to me. What I’m most interested in is building a system where I regularly spend time contemplating, creating, purposefully doing, in addition to time spent purposefully not doing.
Keyword: purposeful.
During this 30 day period I’ll be drawing more as well, for similar reasons. I haven’t picked up a pencil to draw in nearly 10 years. Last night I tried to draw a picture of my daughter Bella. What an incredibly relaxing experience it was to just sit and do nothing but try to interpret light and shadow.
Here’s to a more purposeful life. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯