Today was the first day that I tried free writing on my laptop. My goal was to write for about 10 minutes straight, no stops. Whatever thoughts popped in my head were added straight to the document. I noticed how I focused on one topic, left it behind, and then returned to it later. This writing method could be useful for identifying my raw, personal voice.

My hands started to fatigue when my word count was approaching 1000 words. I decided to cut off my writing at that point. I must have reached the 10 minute mark because I don’t quite type 100 words per minute. I am excited to keep up free writing and intend to incorporate it into my daily routine. I was surprised how much freedom I felt compared to how I normally write. I am usually a perfectionist in my writing, paying close attention to grammar and spelling. Writing anything much longer than a double spaced page can sometimes take me more than an hour. With free writing, I wrote an easy two and a half pages in a little over 10 minutes. The source where I learned about free writing encouraged writers to resist the urge to correct anything. I encourage you all to check it out and try it for yourself!

https://writingprocess.mit.edu/process/step-1-generate-ideas/instructions/freewriting

I couldn’t find the exact source where I first learned about free writing, but the above source has many of the same good points.

When I started this blog, I thought writing long posts would be an easy thing to do. I had so much motivation to sit down for a few hours and crank out blog posts every few days. Now the third month of the year has just arrived, and I have noticed my motivation for writing is lacking. I am determined to pick back up on writing with a new plan.

Make the posts shorter and sweeter.

I often fall into the habit of over-preparing for things or analyzing them until paralysis. This also happens when I start workout programs that consume large chunks of my time. To combat these issues, what seems to work is starting back on the ground level and working my way back up. For anyone who’s going through a struggle and wants to quit, don’t quit! Take some pressure off yourself. Go back to the basics. And build something greater than you had before.

For a lot of my life, I have wanted to be the person who found my own way. I always wanted to find solutions to my own problems, and if someone gave me advice, I would often look 180° in the opposite direction for an answer. Recently, I have realized the power of looking deeper into the advice from highly successful people and others I greatly respect. This could mean taking note of who they say has expertise in my interests/problems or reflecting longer on their suggestions. It has made my life noticeably better in a very short amount of time.

Beginning a blog was tough for me because I have never looked at other peoples’ blogs. How then, could I expect others to look at my stuff? However, since I started, I have noticed how other people have some very useful tips in their blogs. Also, other people have some great content on a lot of the same topics I am interested in. I now assume (and hope) they think the same about my blog.

New blogs haven’t been the only area of my life that I have taken new advice from. Before the New Year, my parents gave me the book Gorilla Mindset (book review coming soon) by Mike Cernovich. Around this time I was still in my “selfish self-help mindset” and was very skeptical before starting the book. I decided to take a chance on the book (partly because I am on a challenge to read at least 10 pages per day). This book has linked me to several other great reads, many through the recommendations of the author. I started to realize that there is a commonality between many successful instructors. Many, if not all, of them are very open about naming the people or methods that helped them become happier, smarter, more successful, etc.

I am striving to be more considerate of the suggestions trusted people are offering me. There are many reasons why I might have been resistant to get help in the past. My time was wasted, too much pride, or not enough personal care could have all been contributing factors. This ‘Why’ isn’t as important to me. The past is the past, and I am excited to keep learning from my growing network. I am thankful for all those past, present, and future who have given and will give great advice. Hopefully, you will get some from me too.