Start.
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”
It’s Time To Begin.
I’ve put this off for too long. It’s been over a year now of hiding behind the construction page of my site, making insignificant design changes, tweaking colours, anything I could think of to avoid having to reveal my writing, to just get started with my idea. I could spend a lifetime researching, consuming information and passively reading without acting on my learning. Although it’s good to be prepared, I’m far past the point of paralysis by analysis. It’s time for me to move towards creating instead of consuming. I need to create an environment where I can put what I’ve learned into action, where I can share things that may be useful to other people. Like anything worth doing, I know it will take a lot of work, and it will be a while before I can build up to being even remotely good. But it’s so important to share the process. I have so much to share, so much I feel that you may benefit from by reading my thoughts. Think of it as a way for both of us to get a better understanding of life. I hope that by sharing in my success, you might be inspired to success of your own, and by seeing my inevitable failures, you can see a better more efficient way of living. My aim is to pull back the curtain a bit and give you a glimpse into the lens through which I currently view the world.
What I'll Write About (and why you might care)
I am a compulsive note taker. With copious amounts of notes scattered throughout both my physical notebooks and in Evernote (more about this later), I think it’s time to share some of the things I think about, find ways to condense my notes on various concepts and make them into coherent, actionable posts. At the start of 2014, I made this the year of “system creation” for myself. Now just over a quarter of the way through the year and after a quarter century in life, I’ve begun to develop and implement various systems for different areas of my life that will definitely help me as I grow. So I will likely be sharing a lot about the different systems I'm implementing and how they work for me, from how I read and take notes, train, eat, schedule, create to-do lists, manage finances and everything in-between. It’s now time to create something of my own with all of this information I’ve acquired. The direction my writing will take is going to develop with time, and I'm so thankful to have you along for the journey. It is my hope that by writing about and getting clear on my thinking, you can see ways to improve and act upon different things that may apply to your own situation.
We're All Afraid. It's How We Act In Spite of Fear.
I just turned 25, and I’ll admit it. Like every other person, I have tons of fear. I’m afraid of what people will think of me. I’m currently terrified of the dreaded “what do you do?” question, I’m afraid that I don’t know what I’m doing. Up to this point, my whole life seems to have been defined within a “student-athlete” identity. I was a hockey player, and my entire life revolved around the sport. Never really seeing anything in life beyond being a hockey goaltender, I stumbled out of the gate after graduating from playing college hockey and failing to continue as a professional (more about this to come). But it's been an incredibly important transition for me. Regarding fear and resistance, I’ve come to realize that there is no such thing as certainty. No matter what you do, everything is fleeting, in a constant state of change. Success never lasts, and failure is never permanent. I'm a huge fan of the Stoic philosophy, and my past year has been brightened by a book called Meditations by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (much more on this to come).
Do You Know What Really Scares Me?
Thinking of turing thirty in five years from now and having nothing to show for it. Letting fear and resistance continue to keep me from starting, somehow ending up in my thirties without any recollection of how I got there. I know this is something I have to start. If I'm 30 and I look back, I will be extremely disappointed in myself if I let another 5 years go by with little to show for it. This is important to me, even if the only person I end up helping is myself. Imagine what I can build in 5 years! Imagine what I could have built by now if I had stopped putting this off years ago, continually pushing back, not feeling ready. No more wandering, no more wondering. This is where I start. Like it or not. I have to be satisfied starting from scratch, a nobody. But I know I have lots to offer, and if I can help one other person, I see my writing as a success. Even if that person is me. Writing is one of the best tools to hone and refine thinking. Thoughts tend to be scattered, unfocused at times. Writing condenses, forces coherent expression of thoughts. I have made so many break throughs in my early twenties, many I should have shared with you at the time. Not world changing insights, but little adjustments in thinking, in the way I view the world that may have been useful. I hope to do a better job of sharing my journey.
Where Do We Go From Here?
One of the unique abilities that we possess as humans is the ability to bring ideas together, to pull from a variety of widely different areas and apply those concepts in new and unique ways. I know that everything I will discover has likely been done before. What makes it special is that it is brought into this moment, into this particular experience. Our talent lies in the interest of life, of learning, the ability to perhaps create something unique from the connection and application of diverse ideas. I’m so happy to have finally gotten things going, and I can’t wait for you to see what’s next. I appreciate you for joining me on this journey through my 25th year of life. I don’t know where it will take me. But I do know that if I continue to stall, to hide behind my insecurity, it gets me nowhere. Even as I come to the end of this post, I feel great insecurity. I’m feeling like there is still so much I can refine, add, change, improve on. But at some point, you just have to start. To get your ideas out as best you can and expose them. You never know where sharing them might lead. I also encourage you to check out my list of projects, as I am constantly updating it with things I am working on, and my progress to complete things that are important to me before life is over.