philbowell
philbowell

One thing about building discipline, particularly in the area of posting to a blog each day, is the need for ideas. There’s a similarity between ideas and discipline, in that the more you exercise those muscles the stronger they become.

|
Embed
patrickrhone
patrickrhone

@philbowell Much truth in that.

|
Embed
amit
amit

@philbowell I completely agree, especially with the last part. Longer you go without posting in need of an idea, lower are the chances you will get one.

|
Embed
kitt
kitt

@philbowell James Altucher has opinions on generating ideas. Having been doing this exercise for a few years now, I have lots of ideas. You let me know if you really need any. ;)

|
Embed
philbowell
philbowell

@kitt ha! Thanks, I’ll give it a read. The business of life often feels like the ideas slip away!

|
Embed
philbowell
philbowell

@amit totally, perseverance is essential to push through the early struggles.

|
Embed
adamprocter
adamprocter

@philbowell well said, hard to instill but totally true.

|
Embed
colinwalker
colinwalker

@philbowell Completely agree. I always say that we are our own inspiration, we just need to unlock it.

|
Embed
JohnPhilpin
JohnPhilpin

@amit and @philbowell - reminds me of wise words from my Mom many years ago ... (when the Royal Mail was the only written message delivery system in the UK ….)

Mom: “Remember … don’t forget to write to me at least once a week - even better - every day.”

Me: “Every day! There wont be enough to say every day!”

Mom: “You will find that the more you write the more you will have to say, because then everything is important. If you only write once a month, there will be nothing important enough to write about.”

|
Embed
SimonWoods
SimonWoods

@philbowell For me it's also important to consume other people's creations, written or otherwise. It can be both fuel for and a catalyst of thought.

|
Embed
colinwalker
colinwalker

@JohnPhilpin Now that is an awesome quote. I think I’ll save that. Thanks.

|
Embed
JohnPhilpin
JohnPhilpin

@colinwalker of course … and glad you liked ... as you can see - it has always stuck with me!

|
Embed
In reply to
philbowell
philbowell

@JohnPhilpin that’s a great quote! I’ll be hanging on to that one.

|
Embed
philbowell
philbowell

@simonmumbles absolutely. A sentiment similar to Austin Kleon’s Great Artists Steal. It’s no coincidence that reading around something we’re wrestling with helps us develop our own clarity and inspirations.

|
Embed
smokey
smokey

@JohnPhilpin Sage advice from your mother 👍 I remember back when I was in college, several friends and I would email back and forth every day or so—maybe short, but always something to talk about. These days, it’s far fewer friends and only once or twice a year, and sometimes it’s hard to think of things to write, because only the biggest events stick out at that distance.

|
Embed
JohnPhilpin
JohnPhilpin

@smokey 👍

|
Embed
colinwalker
colinwalker

John Philpin posted a very poignant quote from his mom and I just had to make a note of it.

“You will find that the more you write the more you will have to say, because then everything is important. If you only write once a month, there will be nothing important enough to write about.”

|
Embed