Hey! It's me!

Post 2, Writing

I am back for more, two posts (3 days spending some time writing) does not make a writer, but I can't become a writer if I don't start somewhere.

I posted the first in this series as a link on the No Agenda Social Mastodon instance (follow me on the fediverse @Salyer@noagendasocial.com - this is not an email address!), and was very excited to get some feedback and a lot of support! I mentioned that I should have probably mentioned in my first post that the No Agenda "community" is part of my inspiration in learning and working towards being a better writer. The hosts John C Dvorak (@Johncdvorak@noagendasocial.com) and Adam Currey (@adam@noagendasocial.com), as well as so many producers on the No Agenda fediverse are a part of my inspiration. I will learn a lot and will hear some well thought out discussions about a plethora of topics, while being entertained!

So onto the the next installment of my work through of Jordan Peterson's essay on essays. I am working through the section of his entitled: "A note on use of time". Peterson's ideas on time are simple and straight forward. In my mind, what sticks out is that of writing daily, "your mind will rebel", and don't wait for a "big chunk of time".

Although I think Peterson's idea of a "big chunk of time" and mine are very different, with mine being a lot smaller.

Simple enough, straight forward, but I know it is not easy. How do I know that?

I have "started the journey to write regularly" or even "daily" more times than I can count over the years.

I have recently discovered something that may help in this regard.

Enter Andrew Huberman.

I don't know how I discovered this guy, but I would guess it was from someone posting on No Agenda Social. I have watched a few videos of him and what he talks about really resonates with me. I already posted about the idea I am going to introduce at: https://carlsalyer.postach.io/post/where-i-am-starting-or-probably-i-should-say-re-starting

It is a short post, but you really don't need to go there because I will basically include it here.

Huberman talks about how to use dopamine in a deliberate way. Dopamine is already being used to reinforce the bad habits in my life. Let's use it to help form the good ones!

If I can get the Dopamine system to trigger with effort, then that effort would be pleasurable and reinforced and will help build the habit, in this case the habit of writing daily. Huberman loosely says in the video:

In the moments of the most intense friction, tell yourself this is very painful and it will evoke an increase in dopamine release later. But you also have to tell yourself that in that moment you are doing it by choice and you're doing it because you love it, you want it to feel better you want it to feel even pleasurable.

This makes so much sense to me, and I have used this to my betterment in the past. An easy example was when I played water polo. I loved playing water polo, I was pretty good at water polo, and was lucky enough to have some great coaches and be on some great teams. I got a lot of Dopamine payoffs with winning tournaments, awards and even championships at a couple of different levels. But I loved practice. The idea of missing a practice was not even an option. Even when I got a little older and I was screwing my life up with addiction (I didn't realize it at the time), I would still go train to be ready to practice water polo. I even showed up for practices that I was not invited, to practice water polo (a story for another time). My point being, I didn't know it, but I used the dopamine system then.

When you hear stories of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant (and others!) working harder and longer than anyone else, I think now it is because they built up their dopamine system for the "motivation" to out work everyone else.

So now I have a basic structure to start with my desire to learn to write better, well, and more.

Step one, write everyday.

But more importantly, as I am sitting down to write, know:

1) I will have some rebel mind antics to work through, and as I am doing that,

2) I can remind myself: this is going to be very painful and it will evoke an increase in dopamine release later. But I am doing it by choice and I am doing it because I love it, I want it to feel better and I want it to feel even pleasurable to write.

How well will this work? Stay tuned.

P.S. I have mentioned No Agenda a lot, it is a podcast, and more! You can find out about it at: noagendashow.net (Consider this a punch in the mouth, a metaphorical insider's way to introduce the show).