I don’t feel much like writing today. Which makes it all the more important that I sit down and bang on my keyboard.
Discipline matters more than creativity, inspiration, or motivation.
Especially if your goal is mastery.
When you’re just starting out – regardless what your craft – getting started is often the most difficult part.
As you mature in your craft and begin to develop some actual skill, starting gets easier. But sticking with it can be a challenge.
Once you’ve developed some level of mastery, it’s not necessarily getting started or sticking with it that you’ll have trouble with. No.
Once you get to a certain level, it’s far more likely that you’ll use “your standard” as an excuse for consistently working on your craft.
“You should not attempt anything unless you can do great work,” the voice of Resistance teases.
But that’s not how ideas transform into great work.
If you truly want to hone your craft, set aside time every single day.
Do not allow yourself to develop the bad habit of believing your own press. No matter how good you get, you still need practice to stay fresh.
Even if that means some off days. Even if that means missing your mark. And even if that means starting back over as a beginner in order to reinvent yourself all over again.
On the path to true mastery, discipline matters more than almost everything – including talent.
As they say, “The world is run by people who show up.”