Don't do something every day

I wrote in a post just a few days ago, that because I had happened upon a flow that seemed to be beneficial to me (writing every day), that you should also explore the opportunity to challenge yourself daily, by committing to a fixed schedule where you produce some sort of item every day. And upon further reflection, this is total bullshit on my part.

There’s a certain self-help culture online wherein those who happen upon a productive nugget of truth or wisdom share it and urge others to also see things in this light. There’s nothing wrong with this, only that, it gives the illusion that this is the only way. It has the potential to make you feel bad about your life, because you’re not doing this thing that this other guy is doing who swears has done wonders for him. Prescribing something unto others, or doing something because someone else told you it would change your life, is in many senses dogmatic and reminiscent of other group-based identification systems that hypnotize you with mindless indoctrination.

All this to say, I find meaning and value in writing every day. And because I was happy with it, I urged anyone who reads along to find something they can challenge themselves with every day as well. I sort of prescribed it. But, I say now: do whatever the ƒ you want. There are trillions of ways to find peace and meaning, and to better yourself. It’s inconsiderate of me to recommend doing a daily challenge, when maybe you are already onto your own flow, your own rhythm, that seems to be working for you. Then I come along, theoretically, and have you second guess your actions and direction. The better way for me to have done it would be to just tell my story, without making a prescription. If you pick something up, cool, if not, cool.

If you want it bad enough, you’ll figure it out. Even if you never read a book or write a note in your life. Or, figuring it out might lead you to reading your first book. But that’s one and the same.