(note: I am challenging myself to write every day for 30 days. What follows may not necessarily be interesting or even coherent. Parental discretion is advised.)
On day four now of my thirty day writing challenge, I came face to face with the void.
The void is this nebulous hazy fog that settles down to wrap me up in a comfortable blanket of complacency. There is no inspiration to be found within the void (except to write about it, ha!) and it has the effect of melting away any and all obligations I’m responsible for. Including having to write this post and needing to put on underwear.
As I watched the clock tick into the evening knowing that I had to write something, anything, as part of my vow — I could feel the urgency settle in. If I don’t write, what would the people of Medium think?! How could I possibly win back their respect? How would I be able to live with the shame of failure without having to pay for expensive therapy?
That feeling of needing to do something but not wanting to do it. You’ve been there, I’ve been there and... well, it sucks.
What can we do to overcome it?
An idea I have heard from the esteemed Jocko Willink is that discipline equals freedom. Look at this mug. You know he’s the type of guy who eats freedom for breakfast and then asks for seconds without finishing his plate.
Jocko was an ex-Navy Seal who retired from service to start a management consulting business and run a gym. He has since went on to co-author two books and start a popular weekly podcast. His most incredible achievement is that he gets up at 4:30 each morning when he doesn’t have to. Why?
Because discipline equals freedom that’s why.
The way Jocko describes his philosophy is that in order to experience freedom, you must be disciplined enough to achieve it. Financial freedom means financial discipline for instance, and that can involve a number of steps and habits should one be willing to pursue it. Same goes for writing. For working out. For whatever goal you might have in mind. Including flossing.
It’s a good mantra to have when feeling listless and the “void” stealthily creeps in to make you forget what your responsibilities are. Discipline never feels good when you don’t want to do anything, but it always feels good after you do it, right?
I told myself that I can write every day for thirty days and that means I need to confront and work through the void. This is that.
The other nice thing about this writing challenge is not having a set word-count. So… see you tomorrow! Thanks for reading :D
FIN
