1 thing that changed the way I chase dreams.
Apr 25th by JonYesterday, I asked you what “your thing” is.
I asked what was that activity or art or passion that you chase. And there were some really fun answers and it was exactly the kind of thing I like to discuss on the weekends on Stuff Christians Like. I try to stay faithful to the concept of the blog all week, but on the weekends, all rules are off.
So today I thought I would share one thing that forever changed the way I chase one of my “things,” which is writing.
It is not dramatic. It is not magical. It is pretty simple. Here it is:
I decided to write.
That’s it. That’s all I did. When people ask me for the secret of getting a book published or growing a blog, that’s it. I write. More than that though, I decided to write.
Here’s what I mean. Most people have a love or an activity or something in their heart that makes them feel alive and lightheaded. It’s that thing you can do for hours without thinking about food or friends or anything. Time speeds across your head and hands like a bullet train. But there’s a problem.
Most people decide whether or not to pursue their thing every day. They sit down at the computer or the easel and have a discussion with themselves, “Should I do my thing today? Do I feel like it? Is there anything inside me right now that wants to? Is this the right moment? Are there other things I need to do?” And so they argue. Most times, maybe 90% of the time, what Steven Pressfield calls “resistance,” wins. You give up. You never start. You put it off for one more day. You don’t do your thing.
So what I did as a writer was decide to write. I don’t have that conversation with myself everyday because I know I will lose it. I had that conversation once, about two years ago, and I have not looked back. Sure, there are days when it is harder than others and I fail. But for the most part, that is a settled issue. I am a writer. Writers write. They don’t argue about whether to write. They don’t analyze if they will write today or not. They write.
There’s my not-so-secret secret.
Stop deciding whether you will sing or dance or be an accountant or study or play with your kids.
Decide it once and then do it.
The end.
Comments
Thank you for deciding to write. I wouldn't have read this otherwise!
I decided to leave a comment, and I did. Boom.
That's how I made my decision to start smoking.
Wonderful thoughts, Jon!
I DO have to confess, however, that the phrase "writers write" caused my brain to continually make me think I was hearing Sean Connery yell, "You're the man now, dog!"
[...] past weekend my wife and I were talking about this. After reading Jon Acuff post I brought up the conversation of reaching our dreams. There are so many things we want to do that [...]
A-men.
I love this. I've been itching to move to the east coast and pursue school in photography, and the only thing keeping me from it is…myself. Thanks Jon.
I read this more as a "You have no reason to not do the things you're good at" rather than "Hey you should just do a thing" – Did i get this wrong? It's just I don't like the idea of acting on impulses!
well. fine. I will.
the end.
ps- I expect you to do a review when my book comes out.
kthnxbai
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I didn't get a chance to read this post till now, but thank you so much for this post. I just finished reading "The War of Art" a few weeks ago and it (and this post) was pretty much a slap in the face. I get so hung up on whether or not my writing is good that it keeps me from doing it. Gotta change that.
Being an accountant is "my thing". Funny you should reference that in your blog. I've really been struggling with pursuing my CPA, but I can't seem to make up my mind about it. Been sitting on the fence for a long time…It's hard balancing on that thing. lol. But, I'm making a decision today. I will do it. I will study so that I can be the best accountant ever! Thanks, I so needed to read this today…
Jon, that's exactly how my blog got started–which is less of a blog than just a sharing place for the daily messages I write about the Bible and about digging deeper into the Word we are supposed to know and love. I woke up on July 1st, 2009, and as I was reading my Bible, the Holy Spirit told me to write about what I had just read. So, I wrote a message for some friends and sent it out as an email. And then on July 2nd, I woke up and did it again, but this time I thought to myself, "I'll do this for a month and see if I really can keep going." A few days later, the conviction was "Okay, I'll keep this up for 100 days." That's when I decided to post them on a blog. Next thing I knew, it was November, and I had written over 400 pages! Then I knew: I would write every day for the rest of my life.
I don't have the will-power to argue with the Holy Spirit every morning, so I write just to let Him get it out–and in the process, I learn more about God's holy Word and about writing, too. It's a pretty fair trade for the two hours I "sacrifice" before sunrise every day.
Like you said, writers write. Thanks for the kick-in-the-pants reminder.
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Jon, Great post! Over the past few years I have discovered a passion for photography. It has never been my dream to be a great photographer(nor am I ) but I feel God using my photography grow my faith, and as a way to engage others. Here is a quote which I have added to my web page which really sums it up:
"Ask not what the world needs; ask rather what makes your heart sing, and go do that-
For what the world needs is people with hearts that sing."
-Philip Thatcher
That "heart singing" is how I make a "joyful noise".
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