If you want to be a surgeon, a concert violinist, an artist, an engineer, a baker, a writer… there are specific skills you must learn. Some of those skills take years to master, requiring hours of “deliberate practice”. People who excel, typically put in the time and do the work.

How many times has Yo-Yo Ma practice scales? How many jump-shots did Michael Jordan practice? How many math problems did Einstein solve? Deliberate practice requires you to be fully engaged in the skill you are trying to learn. You also minimized distractions. Dave Grohl is on to something here.

What are you doing today to learn your craft?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I know many of you have your heads down concentrating on fulfilling the resolutions you made for the new year. Remember, it is a marathon, not a sprint. Pace yourself. It is perfectly okay to change your goals, slow down if you need to, and enjoy the journey.

A marathon runner doesn’t enter a race and expect to finish without training. If he is serious, he has been running consistent base miles for over a year before training begins.

In the training phase, he concentrates on building upon his weekly base mileage. He pushes himself with long runs every seven to ten days. He practices interval and tempo runs. Importantly, he rests and recovers to prevent injuries and mental burnout.

Have you planned for rest and recovery as you pursue your goals?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Gretchen’s quote is brilliant. There are days I don’t want to write, or the day has been cray-cray, and it is late, and I want nothing more than to go to sleep. The magic happens as I write my one sentence, and suddenly I have written a paragraph or a few hundred words. They add up, fast.

Even if it is late, I try to make time to write. Sometimes I nod off and wake hours later with a glowing laptop screen and my face bearing the impression of the keyboard. It is a good thing I love writing.

How do you keep your writing habit strong?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Take Hemingway’s statement one step further. Treat each day as a brand-new book of blank pages waiting for a compelling story. Your story. Each new day is a new reason to push yourself further along the path.

I have set some audacious goals for myself this year. Perhaps you call them resolutions.  I have done the pre-work, the planning, the dissecting. Today my goal is smaller, much simpler. Today, my goal is to write words. Hundreds, hopefully, thousands of words. They needn’t be beautiful, written words are satisfaction enough. I can edit tomorrow. By writing every day, I am convinced, I can reduce the luck needed to succeed.

What can you do today to move toward your goals?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer