I’m a coffee wh*re.
I’ll do anything to avoid missing my morning cup(s). Walking in freezing weather to get a coffee while traveling? Been there. But that’s changing.
I’m ending my relationship with coffee.
And beginning one with decaf coffee.
Sure, I’m still getting caffeine. But at a much lower dosage than before. How can I tell? I’m demotivated and don’t want to write.
Some mornings writing feels like running through water. But the past few days have felt like running through water with a 55lb vest. The muse has been nowhere, and I’ve had to dig deep.
To be honest, I didn’t write for two days.
I’m ashamed of that. Not because I care what you think (JK, I do a lot, sadly), but because I had a streak.
Rather than let those two days off turn into three or an entire week, I got back on my saddle.
That’s a secret a close friend of mine (hey Mark 👋) shared with me months ago:
When you miss a habit, don’t miss it a second day in a row.
Sadly, I failed that advice but didn’t let two turn to three. So, I think I kind of won.
Anyways, the point of this email is to show that we all feel the resistance that comes from writing and showing up. That’s a given. But our reaction to the resistance is what truly matters.
The best (and only) way to overcome the resistance (which comes from being caffeine depleted) is to sit down and do the work.
There are no shortcuts to doing meaningful work. The only hack is to sit and do the work.
As simple and complicated as that.
🧠 + ❤️ // JO