2,034

Seven years ago if someone had posed the question, “would you like to know more about the writing process,” my answer would have most likely been muffled by my yawn. Hmm…. Maybe I’d rather do something, anything, else. Writing? Nope, not me, I’m more of a talker.

I’ve always had a creative itch, but only once do I remember the act of writing become the scratch (the research paper I did in college was much more enjoyable due to the process of researching rather than writing). Put new problem to solve in front of me. Spend time in my workshop. Not writing. Ugh… sit in front of a keyboard, or, god forbid, write with a paper and pen? Yuck.

Then life changed in its slowly evolving nature as it seems to always do. First a blog. Then writing a a book. Now working on a few different book ideas at once. The process has become intoxicating in many ways. Not for the sake of writing in of itself or as a way to become rich and famous, rather, it forces me to take time to walk through my thoughts and ideas. To go from a blank page to creating something means I must pause, think, consider, translate the abstract thought into a cohesive whole. As I write I am spending time alone focused on understanding myself in previously unexplored ways. It is a form of deep meditation, soothing while simultaneously discomforting and unsettling. Crazy, right?

Yesterday I was in between audiobooks so I opted to fire up a podcast I’d downloaded quite some time ago. Tim Ferriss had an interview I just HAD to listen to with one of my favorite authors. Neil Gaiman is definitively on my “Mount Rushmore” of writers and experiencing an insight into his mind was something I could not miss. The podcast and interview did not disappoint, the only knock on it was that it was only an hour when no less than 8 would have satisfied me.

What’s really been resonating in my thoughts over the past 24-ish hours was the insight into his writing process. Since I’ve started to enjoy the act of writing I am finding myself more and more fascinated with the ways in which authors ply their craft. There are technical aspects which are interesting, the timing, the rituals, the typing versus hand writing. So many various ways to actually write and create.

Even more fascinating is the thought process, the creation, the ideation process. Start with a simple thought and write straight through. Start in the middle of the story and then work backwards and forwards. Create an outline as a skeleton and then add the flesh. Start an idea, lock it up for months for “aging.” Start with a question. Start with a character. Start with a twist.

Additionally, it is interesting to hear how perfectly imperfectly human they each are. Start with fears of getting the idea right. Nervousness about making the first keystrokes which mar the perfection of a clean document. The impostor syndrome, the fear of their work not being worthy. In hearing and reading about each author I’m able to more strongly connect what I do with the craft they’ve turned into their livelihood. They suddenly go from being “authors” to “people,” and people I can relate to.

While I continue down my current path of writing I’m blessed to have access to so many interviews, notes, conversations, and stories with these folks who’ve found the joy in the craft I’m enjoying more and more.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,033

Days like this almost make it feel a little too easy to blog, but seriously, look at this scene! On our way back from the halfway point of our run we encountered this incredible view. The sun getting ready to pop out from behind the bluffs in the distance. The calm waters of the Black River. Pelicans floating in the background. In case that wasn’t enough a great blue heron started to fly across.

Starting a day with exercise, being outdoors with Becky, and soaking in the scenery like this? Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,032

Today was a focused effort from start to finish. I started with a handful of tasks from the past couple of days and added many more to cover the next week or so. Some of those tasks also included mapping out the next four plus months which was pretty wild.

There’s a joy to be found in being able to go from one task to the next, crossing them off one after another. While I often find the most joy in strategy, the beauty in knocking out tactic after tactic felt amazing. Really knocking the crap out of that list on Wednesday felt pretty amazing!

Another thing I’m thankful for is the bearing of the next finish line. I’m a fan of looking at much of life as a series of sprints with a little recovery in between each race. I’ve been going strong for quite some time and I’m really looking forward to hitting the next finish line in the near future. My body and mind can tell that I’m getting to the point when I need to take that deep breath, pause, and recharge. See you soon finish line!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,029

Quick heads up, this is going to be a bit of a short one, I’m exhausted. Long weekend away from home, got off track with my normal sleep schedule, short-ish week ahead packed as if it were a week and a half. Throw it all together and I’m ready for bed!

That said, I just wrapped up a 30+ minute long phone call with my brother. Our schedules have been out of sync recently and this was out first time to catch up in a while. Yes, I was ready for sleep, but I had so much fun catching up with him that there was no way I was going to cut it off early. Spending time shooting the bull with him was an excellent way to end the weekend on a high note.

What also helps is that I’ve been working on banking up sleep as much as I can. Had I been running on almost empty as I did a decade ago staying up may not have been an option. Sure, I won’t have the eight I’d like, but I’ll still be over seven.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,027

Funny how some of the little actions we take somehow grow legs and echo through eternity. In the moment we feel like a small action could be seen as almost insignificant, so minor that we question whether or not to make it a reality. When we do we find that it was far from significant, so much so that the action takes legs of its own and continues through others. That’s when it becomes our legacy, after others continue to take the same action. The funny thing is that often we won’t even know the legacy we’ve created until after we’ve passed. Future generations will live it and we may not even know it.

The reason for that thought today was something that Dad passed on to me. The action itself isn’t relevant, maybe another day I’ll open up more. Long story short there were times when he was smiling bigger than normal. When I asked him why he’d share what he’d done and we’d both be smiling. His actions would brighten lives in a couple of different ways, ways we heard more about after he’d passed away.

Today I was compelled to do what he’d shown me. In the last two months I’ve often talked with my teams about what he did as a way to help us grow and shape our culture. This morning was an opportunity for me to do the right thing, to take a page out of Dad’s playbook, and it was awesome!

When Dad took action I’m sure the last thing on his mind was creating his legacy, he just did it because he felt it was the right thing to do. When I did it I did it because it was the right thing to do AND I was inspired by Dad’s actions. After it was done I realized that in that moment, in that action, Dad’s legacy was alive and well. To be a steward of it has left me smiling all day.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,026

So many directions to potentially go for the blog tonight, which one is the right path? My mind is racing back and forth across all of the happenings of the day and I’m smiling as I think through it all.

From waking from a happy dream to getting a on early bike ride in. A delicious hot homemade breakfast. Focused time in the morning to finish a task. Reading a book with a well timed insight. The excitement of potentially adding a new teammate. Helping someone through a difficult time when they’ve done the same for me. Seeing Dominic shadow a teammate for the afternoon at work. Gavin working solo outside. Getting closer to wrapping up a difficult situation. Moving a step closer to my long term goals. A text string with a new friend. Knocking out a long task list. Putting more thought into an important project which never seems urgent. Sharing a heart felt compliment in the moment. Almost talking Becky into moving to Hilo, HI… almost 😉. Seeing a teammate grow and find their stride. Remembering the challenges others face in other roles. Talking with a friend. Grilling delicious steak. A nice conversation with Mom. Sitting in the living room as a family exhausted from the day. Catching up with Becky. Blogging in bed. And that’s just what comes to mind, there’s sure to be more as I wrap up this blog.

What I’m grateful for today is the process of daily blogging. In the past 10-15 minutes I’ve had the unique opportunity to review much of my day, remember the highlights as well as the difficult times, find meaning in the all, and then file away in the form of memories and lessons. This process embeds more of those moments into my brain more deeply and help me find purpose.

Thanks!!!