I’m in the middle of a decent run of writing the guts of 1,000 words every single weekday at present for this blog. So far it’s been pretty easy to not break the chain – easier than I thought it would be actually – which is pretty cool. Until today that is. Today I just hit a wall and found it really hard to drag my ass into WordPress to start writing this post. I was supposed to be writing about something else completely today but the energy levels simply aren’t there. So I’m heeding my own advice and I’m just going to write something – anything!
Dealing with The Dip
I’ll be honest and admit I very nearly didn’t open WordPress at all. Now that I’m here I’m really glad I did. I pretty much used to do the same thing to develop my running habit. When I first started getting into running I loved it. Then I went through The Dip and it became difficult to muster the willpower to get out every day.
I had to trick my lizard brain into running by simply leaving my shorts and trainers right by the bed so that once I got out of bed in the morning I basically fell into my running gear and walked out the front door. I’m the worlds worst morning person so I would generally only really wake up after about half a mile – by which time I was well and truly over the hump and I didn’t give myself the chance to cop out on not running that day. 60 pounds lighter this habit became so fundamentally part of who I am that I no longer need to trick myself into going for a run. I still run most days – but it’s so hardwired into me now that I can pick and choose when I can get out for a run and I’m confident I won’t cop out and take the easy way out. In fact, if I do go a few days without a run due to sickness or injury I tend to get really cranky and unpleasant to be around in general. At this point, I think I’m pretty much addicted to the endorphins and it’s simply easier for me to keep running than to stop. As a former very fat guy – I fucking love that I’ve re-wired my brain to love a hobby that allows me to keep eating some amount of crap without piling on the pounds. I am The Blerch.
Hardwiring new habits for success
Right now I’ve a ton of work to do to make my writing a habit as hardwired as my running habit. I keep reminding myself that The Dip is an essential part of the journey to hardwiring a new habit. This particular extract from The Dip is something I can come back to time and time again.
Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt—until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons. In fact, winners seek out the Dip. They realize that the bigger the barrier, the bigger the reward for getting past it. If you can become number one in your niche, you’ll get more than your fair share of profits, glory, and long-term security.
Losers, on the other hand, fall into two basic traps. Either they fail to stick out the Dip—they get to the moment of truth and then give up—or they never even find the right Dip to conquer.
I’m pretty sure I’ve found the right Dip to conquer. I’m also sure that I spent the best part of a year avoiding giving writing a real proper chance because I was afraid of The Dip. I’m not afraid of The Dip anymore. I’m actually glad I’ve found it now. It means I can start smashing through it and hardware my writing habit. So what’s changed recently that’s lit a fire under my ass? I’m not entirely sure. I do know that I read about the a fellow blogger who recently sold their blog for a very nice profit who’s major strength was consistently turning up and producing kickass content 5 days a week. 5 years later and several thousand blog posts later that blog sold for over 7 figures. Is the content pullizter prize winning quality. No fucking way. Does it have a huge audience because he turned up and produced the goods every week for 5 years – absofuckinglutely. Whatever the reason I’m here for long haul now and won’t stop until I’ve smashed The Dip and writing becomes my new running.