compounding habits

There’s no debating the impact habits make in our lives—good or bad; it may just be me, but when I think about habits, I automatically think about ones that change our lives for the better. But the truth is we have habits that hold us back from reaching where we are trying to go. Today’s note is not to convince you that you should pay more attention to your habits–I’ll leave that up to James Clear’s Atomic Habits.

I did want to share an interesting reflection I recently had on one of my habits, the Daily Note.

Before starting the Daily Note, I would have said that I was a “blogger”, not an author or even a writer. I wrote sporadically on All About Your Benjamins and the frequency kept me in the hobby camp with my writing.

I can’t remember when exactly, but sometime in the last couple of months,. I recognized that I was more than a “blogger” (not that there is anything wrong with that title) and was an actual writer–I’ll reserve “author” for when I publish a book on my own. It was through my daily writing that I transitioned from an every-once-and-awhile blogger to a writer.

The thought that circles around in my head is, did I become a writer because I began writing daily?

Or, did I start writing daily because I was a writer and hadn’t recognized it in my Self yet?

I don’t know the answer, and I’m not sure it matters–it’s a little chicken or the egg. After all, I’m a writer now, and that’s what matters most. But I do think there is something there to consider, especially if you are evaluating your habits as you pursue your authentic Self.

If you are trying to change your habits by focusing on what you must do to evolve and are struggling, maybe shift your perspective to looking at the habits you do (or would do) as the version of your Self you are trying to become.

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See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,

JC