I Do What I Want
I’ve noticed the confusion people have about true aspirations in life. In many instances the only difference in aspiring vs being is doing. I’ll give you a personal example: running. I used to read Runners World magazine for many years before I started actually running because I loved the content of the magazine. When I first decided to run, I trained for a 5K using the Couch to 5k app. This program has you walk then run in intervals over time until you can run a full 30 mins without walking. I remember thinking that the moment I can finish a 5kor run a mile at a certain pace and without walking, I would be a runner. I learned quickly from my running group the moment you begin running, you are in fact a runner. That slight shift in perspective did a world of good for me. I learned that runners of all experiences stop to walk sometimes. So simple but I had a total mind shift. I have been able to translate being a runner into so many other areas in my life.
For most of my life, I have wanted to be a writer. I have always thought of myself as an aspiring writer. I have been a blogger for years thinking blogging would be the gateway into writing. Never did it occur to me that I was a writer with a blog. It was lost on me that the second I stopped becoming an aspiring writer and became is writer is the moment I started writing. No matter the platform. Published or not. Recognized or not. No matter the medium. I am a writer.
I am enjoying this book “Writer with a Day Job” which was gifted to me. I will do a book review about this book at another time, because it is filled with great things for writers like me. One of favorite take aways from this book is to get into the habit of saying your a writer. I often identify my profession by my day job. Now I say both.
In this life, I am many things, one of which happens to be a writer. I urge you to identify those areas in your life where the only thing stopping you from what you want to be is what you actually do. What’s stopping you from aspiring vs being?
