Writing clearly is thinking clearly

“Writing clearly is thinking clearly.”

How is it that I’m inspired more by 5-letter quotes than the words coming from my own mother? (I love you mom)

For someone with thoughts running on a 24/7 cycle, this really resonated with me. It’s been a lifelong affinity war in my head—bullets of anxiety whizzing by, a shower of “What if this doesn’t work out?!” raining down, enemy soldiers from Chores I Have to Do Like Taxes creeping on the embankment, and a wary army fatigued from fighting an imaginary army of thoughts. Welcome to my mind.

I’m a natural-born thinker with a penchant to overthink, and releasing these thoughts onto paper, words, or with the outward release of a long breath has been a lifesaver. Seth Godin has been writing a post every day for the longest time—a feat I quite admire—and I yearn to get to his level of consistency. Because with every new thought released onto paper, it wipes the slate clean. I can think clearly again. The enemies have retreated—they will be back—and the battle begins anew tonight, but I know what I can do to win the war. Writing them all way—day by day.

Overcoming resistance

“The more important a call or action to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.” - Steven Pressfield

I’ve really resisted going to bed early this past year—and I wonder how important or unimportant that is to me. Perhaps procrastinating by staying up late to write instead of going to sleep is a sign that my journey will begin only when I’ve overcome that resistance…to go to bed earlier. I love this self-help therapy.

But what’s my point? Steven talks about this Resistance as a negative force that prevents us from achieving our dreams—to become a writer, a storyteller, a whatever-you-want-to-become. Its sidekick is Procrastination. And it’s by overcoming Resistance and Procrastination that we truly become the persons we were meant to be. Persisting in the face of fear, the unknown, the Suck. Time to face this Resistance. Time for bed…