Writers write, etc.
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Notes
Identity –> action –> habits
Habits are “part of a practice,” which is the “single best way to get where you seek to go.”
“The only choice we have is to begin. And the only place to begin is where we are.”
Thoughts
I said earlier that I was probably overthinking what a practice is, but then I come across chapters like this. Habits are a part of practice, but they’re not the actual practice? What is, then?
Starting is a start, but a start of what?
We’re still in the “you don’t need permission—just choose to act” mode. Again, I’m probably running into this frustration because I’m taking this all so slow…
But what is “a practice”? If being a musician (identity) –> recording music (action) –> practicing the instrument, writing songs, programming drums, etc., and all that is part of the practice… then what is my practice?
An aside: one of the insights I appreciated from James Clear (Atomic Habits) was his argument that identity and habits are intertwined. Every time we do that habitual thing (sit down to write, play a scale), we’re “casting a vote” for the type of person we want to be. Like Seth, Clear is turning things a bit on their head: identity doesn’t simply lead to habitual action; identity arises out of habitual action (or, at least, is reinforced by it).
This series is meant to capture my thoughts as I work through Seth Godin’s The Practice. It’s a book with over 200 (very short) chapters, which I hope to work through and, I further hope, to implement over time.
If you’re interested in more of Godin’s ideas, or my thoughts about them, you can check out this collection of posts. Note that if you’re more interested in the former, you should probably get Godin’s book and read it yourself; my notes will be both incomplete and idiosyncratic, and my thoughts will relate to my own experience.
But if my thoughts resonate with you, or if you think I’m just silly, I welcome your comments.