Justin Foeppel

Have you ever had a lot invested into something and been disheartened at the results? Have you started an effort, questioned whether you’re really interested in it, and quit the effort for well-reasoned purposes? Me too. I have been writing this blog for about a year. Not much has come of it. I had a lot of positive feedback on the first post, mixed results with the rest. I think I’m going to give up. It costs money and time to maintain. It looks bad that I don’t post regularly. I’m not sure each article I put up is all that great. There are so many valid reasons to quit!

Here’s the problem with that thinking: We fail in endeavors we treat this way. Yes, these are all valid reasons. And, yes, this attitude will bring certain failure. I used to think ‘I haven’t dedicated the time to do this even though I started it so it must not be important.’ Maybe, but is that true ALL the time? No, it’s lazy reasoning. Sometimes I still think this way. However, I also think I’ve been busy with competing priorities. I could prioritize this if I wanted to. Maybe the inertia of past behavior is what’s keeping me from aligning action with intention. Maybe I just need to persist to get into a new groove in life.

Which brings me to the purpose of this post. Scott Adams held a wonderful Q&A on writing the other day. I was able to get a question answered along the lines of “Do you follow any exercises to practice your writing tips?” His answer: No, just write. I don’t have a lot of time to write, so I’m setting a 10-minute timer, looking at a screen capture of Adams’s tips, and practicing writing. The timer just went off. If it’s important, stick with it. Just write.

Justin Foeppel