They say it takes 21 days to build a habit. Yesterday was my day 21. On January 5th I published my first post to this platform, this medium; see what I did there. When I started it wasn’t actually to build a habit but instead, to stretch my writing muscle and get disciplined. There is a bigger writing project that I am working on and I figured that taking the time to sit and write would help me with, you guessed it, sitting and writing. There is a specific space that I do it in and in the big picture I feel like it all matters.
Then there is the discipline part. I don’t know if it’s the creative in me but I can do something consistently and then boom, hard stop, no rhyme or reason. It is like I love it and then one day I’m over it. Doing this because I said I would, makes it easier for me to not just stop, I hope. Practicing discipline gets my body and my mind accustomed to a thing and hopefully helps that thing it, my discipline will take the wheel.
My practicing of discipline also has an additional part, I am not checking views. I know I know, like how dare you come and read this and visit and me not even check that you were here. Let me explain. I know you are here and I appreciate you taking the time to do so, however, if you didn’t or not enough of you did it, could affect my continuance and I don’t want that. So, I thank you. I am glad you are here but I will not check for another few weeks.
Maybe in these 21 days I am also trying to break a habit, take back control if you will. I am trying to break the habit of giving up based on how other people receive me and taking control over my works. It is great to get feedback. We all want followers and people who will come read all the letters we have typed, but that does not define us. Likes don’t define us and the number of followers and shares doesn’t either.
Here’s to habits formed and habits broken, to discipline even when unmotivated, to quantifying my value and greatness on something other than “views” and “likes”. Here’s to muscle stretching, word writing and preparation. May your habits grow you. May every x you mark on a calendar bring you a step closer to accomplishing your goals.
They say, it takes 21 days to build a habit and 90 for it to stick. Hey Siri, set a 69-day countdown.
