This is something I’ve wanted to talk about for a long time. I probably won’t nail it this time, so I’ll keep trying.
It’s a seven-word phrase that’s been running through my head for a couple of years, like a mantra, and I’m going to share it with you now.
You are what you do every day.
It’s a simple enough concept, but it works for everything in your life.
Stephen King
Let’s look at Stephen King. No one would dare argue that Stephen King is a writer. He’s a prolific and best-selling author with an incredible track record. In his book, “On Writing” he revealed that his writing goal was 2000 words a day. This is the pace he was on when he wrote his first published book “Carrie,” and it’s the pace that made him one of the most popular writers of all time.
You are what you do every day.
Jim Rohn
This applies to your health. Jim Rohn said, “Some things you have to do every day. Eating seven apples on Saturday night instead of one a day just isn’t going to get the job done.”
You are what you do every day.
Bruce Lee
How about martial arts? Bruce Lee told us, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10000 times.”
Bruce Lee knew that mastery of anything required you to repeat it over and over again. The process of repeating an activity until it becomes second nature to you, until it become who you are, is exactly what I’m talking about.
What Are You Doing Every Day?
Now is the time that I ask you to look at what you’re doing every day, and figure out who you are.
If you’re spending all your free time catching up on “Dance Moms,” or “Dancing with the Stars,” or “So You Think You Can Dance,” then that’s who you are. And by the way, someone’s watching those damn shows or there wouldn’t be so many of them. Is it you? Holy cats stop that! Use that time better.
If you’re choke-slamming Cheetos and washing it down with Pepsi every day, then that’s who you are. You’re the choke-slamming Cheetos monster.
Now, I eat the most ridiculous stuff, so I’m not throwing any stones here. Sometimes I should take my own advice.
If your relationships are filled with arguments, and drama, and backstabbing, then that’s who you are. You should be working towards filling your days with peace instead of war.
Make the Tough Call
Changing who you are, and being the person you want to be, starts with an honest assessment of how you’re spending your free time.
Most of us have to go to work, and have to take care of our family and friends. But the extra time you have is the fertile ground with which you plant the seeds of your future. It’s in that precious extra time that you create who you are and who you will be.
You are what you do every day.
That mantra is what encouraged me to start writing every day. After a long hiatus from writing I started producing regularly on Quora, or doing articles, or writing a few pages on an erotic novel. Over the course of several months my skills improved exponentially, and it became infinitely easier to create work. At this time, I’m producing about 1000 words a day. It’s not Stephen King’s level, but I have every right to call myself a writer. And it’s led to success in that field.
Hopefully, I’ve got that mantra running through your head now too. If you want to do something, or be something, then you should be working towards that goal, in some way, every single day.
Otherwise, you’re just lying to the worst person you can… yourself.
Dirk Hooper
Dirk Hooper is a professional writer who has done work for many high-profile online magazines, has won the Top Writer Award at Quora for the past two years, and a Moore Award for copywriting in 2017.