#111: because it fascinates you

Whenever I’ve tried to sit down and write, I can barely manage a sentence or two before I freeze. It’s easy to blame a lack of skill—and to be fair, skill is part of it—but I think the real reason is that I don’t believe I can write at the level I expect of myself. I’ve been stuck in a loop, where fear of not being good enough keeps me from practicing, and not practicing keeps me from improving.

I know that the only way to get better at writing is to actually write. So my plan is simple: write often, read more, and slowly improve until I reach a point where I can be proud of my work.

Don't pursue something because you "want to be great". Pursue something because it fascinates you, because the pursuit itself engages and compels you.

Extreme people combine brilliance and talent with an insane work ethic, so if the work itself doesn't drive you, you will burn out or fall by the wayside or your extreme competitors will crush you and make you cry.

You probably haven't heard of the Pauli Exclusion Principle, either, but you've heard the way it's expressed - "Two objects cannot be in the same place at the same time."

It applies to action, too. You can't both do, and not do. You can't get paid, and not ship. You can't build your reputation and never, ever risk it. It's not just a law of physics, it's simple logic.

But when it comes to creative work, it's tempting to hold off shipping in the hopes that waiting will somehow get you more. But the more is theoretical. And the more you wait for more, the less you will ever have.

Don't do it. Don't wait.

Don't conflate "money you could have made but didn't" with "money you lost."

Willingly choose to earn less now, so you can earn more in the future. Help people now, get out in the world, learn and grow from the experience. That's what makes you better in the future, not waiting.