Routine into a Route

“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.” – Vincent Van Gogh

After a friend shared one of her guitar performances, I told her that I always wanted to play the guitar. Rather than let the comment slide by or say “it’s too late,” she encouraged me to do it. Author Julia Cameron calls those rare people “believing mirrors” – humans who encourage rather than criticize, build up rather than break down, who anchor in abundance and invite others in. We all need more believing mirrors in our life and to be one as well.

A simple conversation transformed a lingering thought into action.

I asked her for advice on selecting a guitar to take “I’ve always wanted to” to “I am doing it now.” She generously walked me through the process, encouraged and inspired me to buy a guitar from Sweetwater (highly recommend). Within a week, a beautiful “real” guitar arrived at my doorstep. Serendipitously, a few weeks earlier, I received a Great Courses catalog in the mail. All of their courses look interesting and I’ve always wanted to order a few but never did.  One of the four courses that I ordered was on learning the guitar. Perfect timing and the stars aligned. The course format is awesome as the instructor weaves history and story into clear and concise 40 minute lessons – both instructional and inspirational.

For the past few weeks, I have been practicing at least 15-20 minutes each day and leaving space between lessons to comprehend concepts and improve through repetition. My fingertips are sore but are toughening up each day. At first, I didn’t think I would ever get my fingers to move how they should with my left third finger being a bit of a straggler. Rather than giving up, I keep imperfectly and slowly committing time each day to practice, treating it more like a marathon than a sprint. There’s no hurry and the process itself is the gift. Time, repetition and practice work. Each day, I am getting more dexterity in my fingers and seeing slow progress.

“Because when you truly believe your story of practicing, it has the power to turn routine into a route, to resolve your discordant voices, and to transform the harshest, most intense disappointment into the very reason you continue.” – Glenn Kurtz, Practicing: A Musician’s Return to Music

When we tune out dissenting voices - others and our own - and allow our believing mirrors to guide our path and next best step, we discover joy in learning, in the pursuit of doing activities that grow and expand us. There will be naysayers and your own limiting beliefs that will speak up. Let them say their piece and then carry on. The more you do, the quieter they get. Resistance is defeated by action.

Start that activity that you have always wanted to try. Experiment, play and wander. Trust the process of practice, of action to do its work in you. Messy, imperfect, doing and learning. Apply yourself daily, expand and deepen. It is NEVER, EVER, too late.

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” – Leonardo da Vinci

The Answers are within YOU

“From sitting backstage with some of the most brilliant scientists and wise rabble-rousers and calm healers, I can tell you, without a doubt, that everyone has weird neuroses and surprising insecurities, and everyone has moments of befuddlement just about being human. We look to them for answers, but they too are still searching. This realization has ground into me the truth of what has been said across the ages, but somehow we never really believe: that the answers are within you; that you, yourself, are the answer.” - Elizabeth Lesser, Marrow: A Love Story

Now and then, we all need inspiration, a pep-talk to get us out of ruts and self-inflicted mental blocks. Inspiration is good. Starting is better. Rather than overthinking options and underestimating yourself, do the work, take small actions daily to figure out the path by walking it out. Consistent actions strung together builds confidence, breaks old patterns and creates new connections.

At the beginning of the year, I started writing posts every day on Cast-Light. While not all posts are perfect, spending one hour each morning writing morning pages, meditating and posting consistently has created a daily practice, ritual and rigor. Progress comes one step at a time.

Author Anne Lamott was on Cathy Heller’s Don’t Keep Your Day Job podcast and shared valuable insights from her new book on hope, Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage:

1. “Be available for any idea, be permeable and be curious about all of life.

2. Take the action. The insight will follow.

3. Don’t try to figure it out. Let the thing inside of you help you get it done.

4. One of the keys to the kingdom of inside reserves of new material and insight and awakening is, “I don't know.”

5. Create what you'd love to come upon. It tells you that something deep in your soul is trying to get your attention.

6. Start where you are. Break through perfectionism by doing it badly more often.

7. The point is not to try harder. The point is to resist less.

8. There is only now. There is only the Holy moment. So do it today.”

The process is the point, the journey. Wander, wonder, practice and try new things daily to expand your perspective and deepen your resolve to keep becoming your most authentic self. The answers are within you so start asking the questions.

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” - Arthur Ashe

21 Lessons from 31 Days of Practice

“Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from.” – Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

At the beginning of January, I committed to write every day for Cast-Light. I’ve done a 30-day streak in the past and then dropped back into inconsistent posts two to three times a week when the “feeling” hit. If we base our practices on feelings, progress will be sporadic at best.

After completing a full month of daily writing in January, I intend to go beyond “challenge” mode into committing to a daily practice of writing and “shipping” the work. Over the last 31 days, I’ve learned some lessons that come only from doing, not thinking about doing.

1. Choose a few daily commitments, follow through and make them non-negotiable activities;

2. Find the optimal time to do the work that matters first. For me, morning is my best time to write before the day’s activities take over;

3. Some posts were good, some were forced and some needed more time to percolate, but the goal was to launch each day. Perfect repetition, imperfect posts;

4. In The Practice, Shipping Creative Work, Seth Godin notes that doing the work daily, executing imperfectly is the key to success;

5. To get started each morning, Julia Cameron’s morning pages method of 3 pages of free flow journal writing with no boundaries or rules laid the groundwork for writing, the pre-work that led to the first draft and then evolve to launched posts;

6. Meditation focuses energy and guides direction – after 10 minutes of morning pages, I added a minimum of 10 minutes of meditation and mindfulness time using the Insight Timer app;

7. Allow first drafts to fill the blank page without editing or judgment. Flowing thoughts that turn to words on blank pages are the formula of first drafts. Revisit, weave, find connections and strengthen transitions to publishable content;

8. Acknowledge and overcome the “lizard brain” of fight/flight. “The lizard brain is not merely a concept. It's real, and it's living on the top of your spine, fighting for your survival. But, of course, survival and success are not the same thing. The lizard brain is the reason you're afraid, the reason you don't do all the art you can, the reason you don't ship when you can. The lizard brain is the source of the resistance,” Seth Godin;

9. Fear of starting dissipates by starting. Final “shippable” work always starts with a messy first draft that evolves into final content;

10. Resistance is a guarantee. Starting for at least 5 minutes daily overcomes resistance. 5 minutes become 10, 20 and 30 minutes without notice;

11. Start where you are in the moment. Nothing before, nothing after, lost in the moment, unaware of time;

12. Go between spectator observation and participant immersion, broad and narrow;

13. Remember to play to restore with time away from work and activity – get out in nature, go for a run, let things settle;

14. Keep a notebook with you at all times and write down thoughts as they come, don’t put it off, capture it in the moment;

15. Read daily to expand perspective, deepen connections and broaden insight;

16. Practice gratitude to move forward from a place of abundance, not scarcity;

17. Stuck? Take a break and return after a few minutes away;

18. Take time to reflect to look for lessons;

19. Clarity unfolds with action. As you step out, the path begins to unfold;

20. Use quotes to prompt new ideas and inspire a fresh outlook;

21. Confidence increases and fear decreases with consistent daily practice.

Lessons and insights are found through action, habits, structure and play. More imperfect doing, less perfect thinking about doing.

“It is not knowledge, but the act of learning, not possession but the act of getting there, which grants the greatest enjoyment.” -Carl Friedrich Gauss