Do the Work
One main difference between amateurs and professionals is that professionals show up and do the work. This is an idea that I’ve gleaned from Steven Pressfield’s lovely little book, The War of Art (which I’m sure I’ve mentioned before). The necessity of “doing the work” is true for any area of life where you hope to have some sense of competence or mastery - creativity, recovery, family life, personal wellness, finances, career, etc. If you want to become the best version of yourself, you must embrace the grind. You have to get laser-focused on what you need to do, and then you do it over and over again, even when you feel tired, off, or uninspired.
I want to continue growing in writing, yet I have struggled with writing for the last few days. I know that only one key behavior separates writers from non-writers … actually writing. But for the last several days, when I sat down to write, I didn’t feel like it; nothing was inspiring, and it seemed easy to just piddle with other projects that would give me a temporary sense of satisfaction. However, I’m aware of this coping-via-distraction tendency, so I kept my butt glued to the chair and forced myself to turn out some real garbage. And it felt good.
I’ve learned to take pride in grind-it-out days, whether that’s pushing through a workout at the gym, writing, updating my budget, or keeping my shiz together at home and acting like a reasonable person. Whatever you’re working at in life, remember this: Consistency is what matters. Not every day will feel great. In fact, many days will not feel good at all, but that doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. Be mindful not to get in your head and tell yourself a bunch of negative stories. Just do the work.
Do the work of being a parent
Do the work of being a loving partner
Do the work of being in recovery
Do the work of being spiritually grounded
Do the work of being career-focused
Do the work of being creative
Do the work of being healthy, mind, body, soul
When we show up and do the work that matters most, even when we don’t feel like it, do you know what that’s called?
Integrity.
Happy to be in your corner,
Tom Page, LCPC
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