There was this thing that struck me as quite odd and it concerns writing. In my previous counselling session with my therapist, it came up that I was procrastinating as usual when it came to writing/journaling as I had been doing for the past couple of months.
I’d been wittingly or unwittingly been avoiding writing. And when probed further as to what might be causing this avoidance I came to the realisation that it could be because there might be this apprehension or fear. The fear of putting things down in writing if it wasn’t significant enough. This self-expectation that I had from myself was ultimately the worst thing that could happen to me from the perspective of writing better. Ironically, halting the process and stopping the practice of writing altogether.
I was the reason for my own failure.
Consistency is Key
Recently, I’d come across this video by author Tim Ferris where he mentions his routine with writing and what it is that writing really does for him. He goes on to explain that writing essentially works in a way similar to rewiring the processes and thought patterns in the brain as one has to be actively engaged in the process of writing your thoughts down into words, and often times it can make something that we might have been ruminating over or hypothesising in our brains into reality by the sheer act of writing it down. The other thing he mentions is that in doing so we are actively participating in the act of bettering and creating newer versions of ourselves by the process of writing. He also mentions how writing every day has greatly shaped the well being of his own life and how the quality of life can be improved by such a simple thing.
The second aspect that Tim touches on is the onset of fear, apprehension or doubt that can come up as a result of practising such a routine, and how it in itself is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You see the doubt makes one not follow through on the routine or habit, fearing that the results might not live up to expectations or the fear of taking a step back. What Tim explains is that not fulfilling the idea of practice in and of itself can have consequences of regression and losing out on progress by the sheer act of procrastination. Ultimately, creating your own resistance.
He reasons that even if one were to write two pages of crap every day, that crap is worth more than the price one pays by not following through with the practice itself.
You see, it’s the continual practice and consistency of that practice that makes small, yet marginal gains over time. And this holds true for even a creative or involved process such as writing as it would hold true for something like personal finance. Understanding and experiencing this message firsthand was the final push I needed to break the rut. To open up and explain to my therapist what I was facing and how I needed to act. To really get up and do something about it and finally be a friend to myself.
Takeaways
- Writing is one of the keys to self-improvement because it allows one to put thoughts down into words and make them tangible and actionable.
- Consistency in this practice is what promotes and propagates growth over time.
- Procrastination causes regression.
