Choose to Take the Journey

So I had a conversation with a good friend last night.  I shared that I had been going to the gym consistently for the past 2 months.  He asked me how I got myself to do that.  I thought about my reward system of coffee and manga, about how I wanted to remain attractive to my girlfriend, about my health and longevity.  But really, I told him, I think it’s because I tell myself that if I just show up at the gym, I consider that a success.  Inevitably, I get in a good workout anyway, but that’s not what I tell myself in the morning when I’m tired and hating life.

He then shared that he had done his trampoline workout 112 days in a row.

“Today was your one hundred and twelfth day?!” I asked.

“Yup, 112 days,” he said.

“How did you do that?”

“Same as you.  I just tell myself all I have to do is crawl out of bed and onto the trampoline.  Then just stand up.  Of course, I’ll start bouncing a few times and then I’ll go for longer.”

So there you go, dear reader.  Like your work–creative or otherwise–all you have to do, no matter how lousy you feel, is just show up.