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Ryan Holiday has infected me with habit of journeying daily. It is a way for me to breath.
Memento mori: Remember, you will die. how prepared are you for it? is there something you would have wanted to put down or plan out? Now is the best time. You keep postponing it. You can't be all prepared, but imagine if tonight was your last what will you do?
Let's delve into work.
Naval Ravikant, the philosopher and entrepreneur who founded Angellist, uses an interesting metaphor to describe the differences in the way we work.
In his book,"The Almanack," Ravikant likens our working preferences to Cows and Lions. Cows graze all day long,working steadily and constantly to keep themselves well fed and nourished. Lions on the other hand,rest all day long, until they see an opportunity to pounce.
While Ravikant argues that we are far better off working like Lions_ resting, reflecting, reading and ultimately reserving our energy until we see an opportunity worth pursuing. I'm not so sure there is a one size fits for approach to work(especially not creative work).
I think what's important is that you know whether you are a cow or a lion and that you would hold your self accountable to working like a cow or a lion.
creatives or folks in general seems to get themselves in trouble when they are either a cow trying to be a Lion or a lion trying to be a cow.
Vincent Van Gogh worked like a cow. he painted 900 paintings over the course of his lifetime (which averaged out to be a new painting every 36hours).
Jean Micheal-Basquiat was another cow. His profession painting career ran the span of just nine years where in this time he painted 600 paintings and 1,500 drawings.
On the contrary, singer and song writer Nick Moon worked like a Lion. He recorded his iconic album pink moon in two days. Jack kerouac wrote on the road in 3 weeks.
Paul Mccartney claimed to have written Yesterday in five minutes, " I have no idea how I wrote that. I just woke up one morning, and it was on in head. I didn't believe it for two weeks".
And so this is my point.....
how slowly or quickly or steadily or irregularly you do your creative works does not matter. All that matters is that you do your creative works.