Love is…

Have you ever found yourself putting off a task you enjoy and wondering why?

It might be a gym session, a run, a creative project or getting behind your mic for an hour to practice with some scripts and sharpen your skills. You love doing these things; they energise you and remind you what’s good about life. So why do you find yourself staring out the window, folding the laundry or (perish the thought!) scrolling for just another five minutes? 

The thing is that while all these tasks can be enjoyable (depending on your preference), they can also be hard. And they matter to you. And because they matter, you’re afraid you’ll fail. Maybe you’ll hate the way you sound today or you’ll not run as fast as you wanted or the words won’t flow when you open your keyboard. In other words, there's a chance that whatever happens will ruin your idyllic image of whatever activity it is and sour the experience. You’ll have been rejected. You might even stop loving it!

That’s when you have to remember the long game. Everything you do is for some result; finishing the race, writing the story, building the extension or making a successful career. And it’s all about the process. Each time you do that thing is just a data point on your journey. If it goes well, great – remember it, and be inspired. If it goes badly, learn from it and take the lesson to the next day. In fact, you’ll learn the most when it goes badly; screwing up has value.

But you can only screw up if you show up. And you’ll only show up if you make it non-negotiable. Divorce yourself from the outcome, and just do the thing you love doing. Sometimes that thing won’t play your game. Sometimes it’ll kick the sh*t out of you. But that’s a good sign – because the course of true love never runs smooth. It would be pretty dull if it did. And wouldn’t you rather ride the rollercoaster than stand on the sidelines wishing you had?