Writing is hard. It requires work. And discipline. And a freakin’ idea.

But writing it is the best thing I can do with my time. Here’s why:

“Thinking is the hardest and most exhausting of all labor; and hence many people shrink from it….Thinking is growth; you cannot think without growing. Every thought engenders another thought. Write one idea and others will follow until you have written a page.” – Wallace D. Wattles

Mr. Wattles inadvertently helped me understand the nature of thinking. His exhortation to spend time thinking left me puzzled. What does thinking (as opposed to reading, web surfing or just sitting like a lump) look like? It looks like writing.

I recently made several commitments to myself (not New Year’s Resolutions – heaven forbid!), one of which was to write ½ hour per day. I kept the time brief because I wanted to give myself the best chance to succeed.

Even with this modest goal, I still fail. I find every excuse in the book, the best (worst?) of which revolve around work responsibilities. “I can’t write this morning – I’ve got to get this project done! The client will be upset if they don’t get it right away!”

Nonsense. 30 minutes is not going to make or break a project. I am just avoiding the hard work.

The hard work that will change me.

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