Tag / produce

by Nathan Coumbe

Show up because it’s the right thing to do

Show up.

Every single day.

Just do it. (Sorry Nike).

This may sound like I’m trying to get you to go crush it at the gym, but I am not.

Whatever you feel called to do, however you feel called to do it, it will not happen unless you show up and do the work.

That may mean writing blog posts every single day whether or not the muse speaks to you. It may mean coaching an employee even if it isn’t a requirement of your job. It might mean practicing your instrument or drawing a quick sketch, even if you don’t feel inspired or if you’ve drawn something like it ten times before.

Showing up, getting your idea out into the world, helping just one other person simply by being there…it isn’t just good for you – it’s the right thing to do.

You never know when your work will get noticed; you just have to keep producing.

Show up. Because it is right.

by Nathan Coumbe

It may not feel like much

It may not feel like much when it’s all you can physically do.

I’m speaking, of course, on producing, practicing, or creating when there just isn’t enough time in the day to get much of anything done. On those days, all you can do is all you can do.

And all you can do is good enough.

Write a few sentences instead of fretting over not writing a chapter.

Practice your instrument for 15 or 20 minutes instead of saying, “screw it” because you didn’t master an entire piece today.

Draw a doodle comic, not some magnificent portrait.

Go for a 10 minute walk rather than beating yourself up over the fact that you didn’t spend an hour at the gym.

Incremental improvement. Streaks. Baby steps. 5 minutes here; another 8 minutes there. This is how progress is made.

Change your mindset; realize that you are building mental fortitude and creating habits when you do just a little something each day rather than adopting an all-or-nothing mindset.

You might feel like you suck. You don’t. You’re doing a heck of a lot better than the person that decided not to show up today.

And if you can’t do anything at all, wipe the slate clean and show up again tomorrow.

by Nathan Coumbe

Do it.

Some people call it “The Grind.” Seth Godin calls it “The Dip.” There comes a time in just about every worthwhile endeavor when things get tough, or boring, or lose their original excitement. The words don’t come and the muse doesn’t speak. You get “writer’s block,” or your sound quality sucks, no matter how hard you practice your instrument. There is a secret to overcoming this:

Do it anyway.

If you are a writer, write something, no matter how short or how bad you think it is. Train the writing muscles.

If you are a musician, play something, even if only for five minutes. No matter how bad it sounds or how little progress you feel you are making, practice anyway. Train the music muscles.

If you are an artist, make something. It might be incredibly similar to something you’ve already done. You might hate it. Draw it or paint it anyway. Train the artistic muscles.

In this way you are also training your brain to get used to regularly producing in your field of endeavor. It’s mental exercise.

Sometimes you just have to do it.