Note to Self !… The Best Advice I Ever Got

And I finally started listening

Every one of us goes through this. There’s no shortage of advice either. Most of it is free, and we know what that’s worth.

Wait though. There are a plethora of real experts who will steer you in the right direction. These are the times when you need them the most.

You recall a phrase quoted from Napolean Hill. He seemed to have a gem for every situation, and he’s always come through. This one fits best.

Don’t Procrastinate. Don’t Stand Still. Attack.

How right he is. Time to make a move.

I drag myself into my chair and sit down in front of my screen. Then I tell myself…

“So go ahead. Start.”

There’s nothing to ponder about. Put your head down, and write.

Begin.

No?

What do you mean there’s nothing there? There’s always a there, there.

Ah yes, the excuses.

I can’t get motivated today, I have nothing to say, and everybody’s favorite, I’m a fraud, a sham. I have no talent for this.

The grand triumvirate! Self-doubt, self-pity, and self-loathing.

Well now that that‘s settled, it’s time to go watch a movie. No use wasting more time on this useless activity.

I could have bent to any of those excuses I mentioned, at any moment. So can anyone. Who’s gonna know?

Don’t feel motivated? Well, no one says you have to write every day. You need some time for yourself. Take the pause that refreshes. You should never be made to feel you HAVE TO do something.

What about when you had a real job, you were constantly doing things you didn’t want to, all the time? You still showed up. Why?

Survival, that’s why.

Huh! Wonder why I can’t do that here?

Can’t think of anything to write about? Maybe it’s a good idea then, to go in search of some subject matter. After all, you need something to write about, and research is part of the journey, right?

How many more hours do I need to spend reading news articles, trolling chat rooms, or surfing the net, clicking through pages like a dog spotting a squirrel? Click!

Maybe I should write first about something that interests me, and then I can research it as I go.

What a novel idea!

Nobody is going to read it anyway? Well, that’s for certain if I don’t write anything. Yup. It could be crap. SO WHAT?

How many artists are satisfied with every work they ever produced? In some cases, pieces they consider to be their worst work becomes iconic. Think for a minute about Michaelangelo climbing up that scaffold for the first time in the Sistine Chapel. He had to begin somewhere, and he kept coming back for four years until it was completed. How many times do you think he felt like chucking it in and go for a walk?

Yep, I just looked that up. Wonderous, this internet thing, no?

Every member of The Beatles indeed loathed the experience of making ‘Let It Be’, their final album as a band. Working as a group had become tiresome, but not the work. Principle songwriters John, Paul, and George remained prolific throughout their solo careers.

The success lies in the doing. It doesn’t get simpler than that.

Before I close my laptop and go about my day of procrastination, I realize something strange has occurred. For some inexplicable reason, I have written down everything I was just thinking. Typed it right here on a blank page. I’m not staring at a big empty anymore. How did that happen?

Is it because I am compelled to write? Even when it’s pure crap! Is it because the act of writing itself is like a drug? Or is it more like a habit that when perpetuated, it becomes stronger? Like exercising a muscle. Fear of atrophy must be what keeps me going.

Mr. Hill is in my head again.

A positive mind finds a way it can be done. A negative mind looks for all the ways it can’t be done.

I have performed this dance with myself countless times. I finally realized that after fighting the urge to stop enough times, if I just keep going, I will feel better about myself no matter what the external outcome.

Writing in a stream of consciousness is an affirmation that skills are being honed.

As for the sage advice from me; the pearls of wisdom? Pretty simple really. Sit down and say to yourself, “This one’s for me”, and begin. Doing is all that matters.

If it’s crap…It’s crap. No rule states I have to share it at all. Most times I don’t.

But, at the end of your session, you’ll sit back and say, “Well, would you look at that? WORDS!” Put it aside or fling it into the Recycle Bin. Let it simmer in a stew of other meandering thoughts. It is entirely up to you.

Before I walk away, another Napolean Hill missive pops into my head.

Take possession of your own mind, and you may soon make life pay off on your terms.

Whether anyone else reads this or not, I as the creator get to decide the work’s fate. I think I’ll share this one though. Yes, this may be crap too.

So?

As always, thanks for taking the time. Gratitude and appreciation for the inspirational artists I have found here on Medium.

Liam Ireland Britni Pepper Myriam Ben Salem Rasheed Hooda Agnes Laurens Kristi Keller Tree Langdon, CPA, CGA Dr. Mehmet Yildiz