Why am I writing to you today?
Well, certainly not because I have to. It’s also not that I have something so brilliant to say that I feel compelled to share it.
It’s actually really simple…
Because I said I would.
I committed to it and once that decision was done, there wasn’t really any choice.
Over the past couple of years I have often lamented the fact that I don’t blog enough. It’s not that I lost the ability to write or haven’t had anything to say. I just never got around to it and did not make it a priority. I told myself I would blog whenever I want to. Well...anyone who has ever started an exercise program that is “whenever you want to” knows how that turns out!! It just doesn’t work and this is exactly the concept I blogged about recently in my post, Don’t Wait For Inspiration. Amateurs wait to be inspired...pros just do it.
So to kickstart my writing, a few weeks ago I COMMITTED to sending out a blog on social media and to my email list every Wednesday. Not some Wednesdays. I send a blog Wednesday. There may be more...but there will at least be that. It’s actually kind of liberating in a strangely powerful way. I never need to make another decision about whether or not I am blogging on any particular week. I just do. Wednesday.
We have some authors who have INCREDIBLE run streaks. For example as of November 6th, 2020, Josh Stumpenhorst (author of #Drawn2Teach which is a super clever PD book with a graphic novel twist) has run every day for 2,856 days. What???? That is approaching EIGHT consecutive years of running 365 days a year!! Sarah Johnson (co-author of Balance Like a PIRATE #BalanceLAP), has run for 1,944 consecutive days...wow. Over FIVE consecutive years.
Josh and Sarah don’t run when they want to. They don’t run when they are feeling up to it. They don't only run when they have time to fit it in. They run because it is the next day and THAT is what they do. They made a commitment.
Adam Welcome committed to run a marathon every single month for a year. No decisions after that. Get it done. In fact, he documented his inspiring journey in his book Run Like a PIRATE (#RunLAP).
I was listening to Seth Godin’s Akimbo podcast (Excellent, by the way!) and he was telling a story just today about how the investor, journalist, philanthropist Esther Dyson swims at least a mile every day...and has for decades. How does she fit it into her busy schedule? No...you have it mixed up. Seth makes a key distinction. She swims every day and then figures out how to fit the rest of her priorities, to-dos, activities, and commitments in. The swimming is non-negotiable. No decision to make. She swims.
Speaking of Seth Godin, I have heard him talk about this concept many times and if ever there were a blogger who can authentically speak about commitment, it is Seth! He has published a blog post every single day for over ELEVEN CONSECUTIVE YEARS. Zero days missed. He makes the essential point that once the commitment was made, it shifted his mindset from “Should I blog tomorrow?” to “What will tomorrow’s blog say?” The difference may seem subtle but it is intensely powerful!
Now, are there times to renegotiate our commitments? Absolutely. Is it okay to decide to switch directions? Yes. Can we quit a commitment that no longer serves us? Of course. Not as in the day to day renegotiation for convenience and ease...that “well, I will hit the snooze button 4 more times and do it later” kinda thing. But instead, the thoughtful, honest, reflective, and intentional type.
One of my goals for self-improvement this year is to do better at making intentional commitments and then living up to them. I have been juggling so many balls while walking on a tightrope (plank?) that I have let too many things slip. As I write this, I realize I even let one slip this morning because of not looking at my calendar before bed last night and setting a reminder. Ugh. The struggle is real.
But, I’m getting better.
Need proof?
It’s Wednesday...and you are getting this blog. I am leaving in the morning for a 10-day trip, I have 10,000 things to do, I did not have a topic 90 minutes ago, but...it’s Wednesday. Expect one next week, too!
-Dave
"Copyrighteous will surprise you. It's not just a book about using resources responsibly and attributing. It's an inspiring encouragement to forge your own path, tap into your creativity and create the class of your dreams. As a proud textbook ditcher, this book spoke to my teacher soul!"
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--Adam Welcome, educator, speaker, author, and runner
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