There comes a point where the only thing left to do is to sit down and do the work, and I have arrived.
Over the past year I’ve experienced a growing desire to write. The universe blessed me with endless topics to explore. So I wrote often. I wrote about money. I wrote about modern work. I wrote about meaning. I wrote about great books, podcasts, and movies. I wrote about simple ideas that changed my life.
There was just one massive problem. Most of the time, I couldn’t hit publish. I had the Fear. Fear that I’m not a “writer”. Fear that it wouldn’t resonate. Fear that I need to choose a lane. Fear that I’ll write something today and disagree with it a few months from now.
It turns out that there are only two things standing in the way of me being a writer: writing and hitting publish.
Turning Pro
In some areas of my life I am a pro (to use some Steven Pressfield verbiage).
For the past ~10 years I’ve (mostly) worked on growing software companies, and when I show up at work I am a pro. When I’m investing and researching businesses, I am a pro. When I look at my bookshelf, it’s clear that when it comes to reading I am a pro. From the moment I put my wetsuit on until the moment I get back to the car after a surf, I am a pro.
To clarify, I do not mean pro in the traditional sense. Despite my fancy Excel sheets and thousands (?) of hours spent researching and investing, I am not a “professional” investor. I haven’t gotten through a Dostoyevsky novel (yet). I’ll drive 4 hours in the middle of winter to go surfing and catch one good wave if I’m lucky. But I show up, and I show up like a pro.
A professional shows up every day.
A professional does not fear failure.
A professional pursues excellence but is not shackled by perfection.
A professional writes and hits publish.
And therein lies my issue. When it comes to writing, I’ve been acting like an amateur.
Leaning in is the only way forward. I must do the work. I can’t be sure anyone will care, or that it will find the right eyes. The only thing I can be sure of is that I will write about what energizes me and it will be great work, because I will show up like a pro.
Thinking and Feeling
Welcome to Thinking and Feeling, a Substack that actually gets published :)
If the past year of writing journaling (shout out to my friend Ian for this post that has been living in my head rent-free) is any indication, I suspect I will write mostly about money, meaning, and modern life. I also suspect that I will go off script and explore new frontiers.
I will write often, I will write authentically, and I will hit publish.
I’d love to have you along for the ride (to the 40 of you who aren’t my Mom).
Time to lean in.
Shout out to Adam, a pro, who used a skillful combination of knife and feather to help me see more clearly that which was right in front of me.
I'm proud of you my guy, always and today in particular! And I'm excited to see what you're going to produce in the months and years ahead.
To keep all the ideas you have locked up in your head and in your Notes app would be a huge disservice to the world.
hell yeah