What Are You Practicing?
Let's celebrate it
We’re returning from an unexpected cross-country trip following my father-in-law’s passing.
I’ve been sitting in the passenger seat working on this week’s story, stressing that I’m right up against the deadline this week. I started wondering how long I’ve been doing this. Checking the archives, I see that I’ve published my newsletter weekly for the last three years running.
Not a week missed.
I won’t start listing the benefits of having committed to public writing, but they are broad and deep. Professionally, emotionally, financially, creatively.
Many of you have been present for a good part of my journey with this. Thank you for reading, and commenting and liking. Your presence and attention have fueled this communication experiment and practice.
Rather than pushing out another essay this week, I’m taking a breath and letting the story of commitment to this project stand on its own.
A mountain of stories and a handful I’m truly proud of.
And what about you? Can we pause for a moment and review the fruits of your own commitments?
If you feel moved to share, I would love to hear about your own practices. What consistent activities do you benefit from in your life? Perhaps you have a story about something you’ve stuck with, long after most people would have quit.
What projects have you built? What skills have you gained? What endeavors have you been loyal to?
What road have you steadfastly followed, because you can see—just up ahead—that there’s a spectacular view?
I too could talk about the benefits of writing publicly for many years, Rick, but your essay gave me something else that I needed this week. The encouragement to enjoy the fruits of my labors. To not turn one finish line into yet another starting line. To sit back and enjoy for a moment. Thank you. 🙏
Rick, thank you for the reminder that we must stop and enjoy the fruits of our labor. The one practice that I've done, through thick and thin, is my morning cold shower. The ice-cold water (especially between November and March!) really jump starts my day, and it's nice to know that I'm trading present-moment comfort for all the benefits that come with this chilly endeavor. Sure, I turn a little blue ... but it's worth it. Now the challenge here is to apply some of that discipline to my writing. Thanks again.