The promise of a practice

A good process doesn’t guarantee an outcome, but it always works better than the alternative

Decide once, persist often

We are not entitled.

We’re not entitled to an audience, to applause or to make a living. The work we most want to do, the thing that pushes us to be show up — it might not resonate with the audience we bring it to.

There’s no guarantee, none at all.

But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t show up. The lack of a guarantee is precisely why the work is worth doing, because it’s the guarantee that we’ve been brainwashed to require, and without it, few people have the guts enough to show up anyway.

Show up anyway.

When we commit to a practice, we don’t have to wonder if we’re in the mood, if it’s the right moment, if we have a headache or momentum or the muse by our side. We already made those decisions.

Twenty years ago, I decided to blog every day. There will be a blog from me tomorrow. Not because it’s the best one I’ve ever written, or perfect, or even because I’m in the right mood. It will be there because it’s tomorrow.

Outcomes are important. Figuring out how to serve our audience is essential. But the outcome isn’t the practice, the practice leads us to the outcome.

Find work worth doing, and begin there.

After you begin, persist with the urgency of generosity. Which is the best kind of urgency.