If you’re afraid to write, write a little, every day. Start with an anonymous blog, start with a sentence. Every day, drip, drip, drip, a habit.
If you’re afraid to speak up, speak up a little, every day. Not to the board of directors, but to someone. A little bit, every day.
Habits are more powerful than fears.
Yesterday I accidentally committed to run every day and to blog every day.
Here’s how it happened….
On Tuesday I emailed Seth Godin inviting him to be a guest on my podcast. If you’d asked me to rate the chances of him answering, let alone saying yes, I’d have estimated around 1 in 10.
He emailed back immediately. ‘I’d be thrilled. Pick some times upcoming and let’s do it.’
On Friday, we did it. (It’ll be episode 28, and you’ll be able to hear it on 26 September. It is utterly brilliant.)
On Sunday, I wrote one of my (semi-)regular Birds on the Blog posts on one of the key themes that came up in our discussion – the importance of daily blogging, which Seth recommends. It’s a bit like streaking – running every day – like that Ron Hill, I thought. I’ve done both of those for 30-day periods. Each time it was brilliant.
Click.
When I run I feel stronger, fitter, calmer, clearer. I have more energy. I’m more creative. And I can eat cake without piling the weight on.
When I blog I take my thinking to another level. I develop my writing muscles and I connect with other people more easily.
Click.
So…. why don’t I run every day and blog every day?
Because I’m not committed to it.
So why don’t I commit to it? Right now?
Clunk.
After that thought process, there’s only one reason why I would choose NOT commit to both of these as daily habits, and that’s fear of failing.
Which seems a rubbish reason not to do something. As Seth himself said:
To overcome an irrational fear… replace it with a habit.
So that’s why yesterday’s blog ended with a commitment rather than with pontification, as I’d intended when I started writing.
And here’s the Day 2 blog, which closely follows the Day 2 run.
Because every streak has to start somewhere.