So I read a blog by 33 Unusual Tips to Being a Better Writer by James Altucher becayse I read about him in a book I liked and I don’t want to totally suck at blogging. Tip number 1; take out the first and last paragraph. Tip 2; “Take a huge bowel movement every day.” No joke, that’s tip number 2. Technically they aren’t numbered but that is the second one and if you think about it, its really tip 1 after we remove the first paragraph. More on this in a minute because tip 3 is the crux, “Bleed a little in the first line.” Let’s assume that I’ve already taken out the first paragraph and this is the first line.
Ok, here I go.
I’m afraid to do what I need to do in order to avoid my fear of failure but I’m even more afraid to stay right where I am. I’m happy to share my ideas with those closest to me yet so afraid to put myself out there into that proverbial abyss that is what everybody thinks. One of the tips is “Don’t be afraid of what other people think.” Ha, according to Altucher, you lose 1% of the quality of your writing for each person you worry about. Ok, maybe that’s a “fraidy cat’s” way of bleeding because I don’t feel over exposed.
Take 2; I’m a personal trainer. I’m an expert with certifications to prove it. I know the secrets of how to be “healthy.” Believe me, its not really a secret, its just hard to do. I guide, coach, listen, care for, remind people all the time to take care of themselves and I do it well. Here’s the blood, I have stopped doing that for myself.
Previous habits that helped me finally win my lifelong battle with obesity have become a challenge and I am tired of it. In his book “Love Yourself Like Your Life Depended on It,” Kamal Ravikant calls it coasting. We work so hard to achieve something and once we feel better we have a tendency to think the good feelings are there to stay. We conveniently forget what we had to do to get there. We lose weight and suddenly decide to go eat ice cream to celebrate. Huh? What’s up with that? A friend of mine gave up drinking for a while and repeatedly told me how great she felt during that time. In a recent conversation, over drinks, she told me how much better she felt when she wasn’t drinking?
I hear things like this all the time and I know what to say. I can help people set and achieve goals, I know mobile apps they can use to help them, I’ve read countless books, articles and taken classes on motivation. Yet, I’m overworked, not getting enough rest, not making enough money, not eating as well as I would like, having a hard time with relationships and I’m the coach. I felt so much better before I became a trainer.
That said, I love my job, I love myself, I love my life. If it was easy, everyone would be good at it.
What tip number 2, (take a huge bowel movement every day) means to me is that it’s important to unclog yourself. From childhood we are trained by everyone what’s ok to do, think, eat, wear, play. Spend a little time and watch a young child stand in front of an audience and sing and dance proudly. A lot of us have forgotten how to be a small child yet revel in the joy of watching the song and dance. Regardless of what you choose to do, don’t forget to sing while you’re doing it. Free yourself from the prison in your mind.
That’s how I’m going to become a better writer.
On Health 