Having Troubles Thinking Of What To Write About?

Some good wisdom here from my friend Huong Bui:

Lately, I’ve been finding it hard to show up here on LinkedIn. I feel unsure about what I have to say, and whether it will resonate. I feel unsure about the value that I have to offer through my words.

Today, I choose to practice what I preach, and find a way to reframe. So, instead of thinking, I have to create some thing good enough to share, here’s what I’m focusing on:

- I have the privilege of sharing my voice without fear for safety.
- I get to share my experience and my stories so others who are on a similar journey may feel less alone.
- I get to share my perspective and the lessons I’ve learnt so others can adopt what works for them.
- I get to be part of a community of people who care about the humans at work, and how we can improve the experience at work for everyone.

That feels pretty good to me. What about you? What do you get to do today?

Guys, you need to journal. You need to stop talking about not having things to write about. Write. Record. Share. Do that every week as you have promised and let’s see what happens.

Journalling With Intent

I wrote what I thought to be a very good comment on one of the team’s journals. Google not only did not post the comment but it also lost what I had written. So I am going to try and recapture it here.

When you guys are writing about your journey, especially if you are going to write about ‘breakthroughs’ and ‘insights’, — be specific. Talking about a seminal moment that has caused a stimulation and inspiration is not the same as defining what that stimulation and inspiration was.

Journalling is the most powerful tool you have in your mastery toolkit. Like every tool you have, how you use the tool is as important as the tool itself. A GPS is a fantastic tool to help you find your destination but if you decide to pound a nail with it, not so much anymore.

One of the best experiences of my life. Without more context, totally useless to the rest of you.

Some of you are incredibly disciplined when it comes to posting a weekly blog. That is the single most important aspect of the journaling requirement — discipline. So if that is your intent, fantastic! If that is your only intent, not so fantastic. You are missing so much more opportunity.

Think about what journaling does for you beyond being an important act of discipline. Recording your journey could leave breadcrumbs for you and others to retrace the steps you have taken on your mastery journey. The better you define these steps, the easier your path is to follow. Win-win for everyone.

If you want to maximize the value of your journal, then be specific about your journey. While writing “I had a fantastic week filled with insights and inspiration” is documentation of how your week went, it really does not provide any value or insight for your readers (or the future you) who wish to learn from your experience. Without the specifics of WHY and HOW you were inspired, and WHAT you did with that inspiration, you are basically only documenting WHEN you were inspired. Documenting when without any other information or insights is purely narcissistic because we’re talking about ourselves without sharing anything useful to anyone else. We’re providing superficial information without opportunity for anyone else to benefit. It is akin to sharing that you made a tonne of money with a stock market investment without sharing what that investment exactly was. Kudos for getting rich and letting us all know about it, but shame on you for not sharing more to give the rest of us the opportunity to benefit from your experience.

Always remember — the words you write should formulate and secure your thoughts. Your thoughts will fuel your actions.  Journaling consistently brings discipline into your life but journaling specifically creates opportunity in your life. We’re all missing out on the opportunity to grow from each other’s experience if we are not more specific. Expand the intent behind your journal and proceed boldly.

I Am Project - by Tom Callos

This project is simply an addition –and not a replacement –to regular journal writing. I’m calling this Directed Writing and Thinking as these ideas, in many ways, hold the keys to being a Master, to being successful in business, to being a great partner, father, friend, student/teacher, and human being.

In fact, I might be so bold as to suggest that these ideas are the only way to live; if you’re not living for these affirmations, then what are you LIVING for? To watch TV? To go shopping? 

These affirmations, these words, represent many of the best things in life, the things that inspire music and art and all that is best about being alive. The misguided pursuit of these concepts might very well be the reason people stuff themselves with food or alcohol or drugs or with endless walks through shopping malls buying “things.” There is a need to fill the void; there is a need to BE something that can’t be ingested or purchased. 

This is a mindset –a kind of thinking, understanding, and awareness. It is our daily mental training –our meditation.

As members of the I Ho Chuan, we seek to hold ourselves accountable to these things; to engage in thinking and activities indicative of awake individuals; people who recognize the intelligence and wisdom of pursuing this kind of thinking, being, and living.

This project, besides being a method to expand our vocabularies and look deeply at extraordinary ideas, is also about holding each other accountable to being dignified, intelligent human beings.

In the “ultimate” situation, a Master Teacher is a shining light –a vibrating entity –among so much plastic, illusion, and contrived “agenda.” We hold a responsibility to understand the difference between what is valuable –and what is fools gold. The exercise, this year-long investigation and practice, begins with this statement: 

I am affirming these things about myself. 

I am... 

1. exuberant
2. connected
3. a leader
4. an example
5. a student
6. a teacher
7. forgiving
8. an activist
9. humble
10. patient
11. an institution (responsibility, emulate these qualities)
12. proactive
13. resourceful
14. compassionate
15. open-minded
16. quiet
17. listening
18. participating
19. responsible
20. charitable
21. unencumbered
22. self-sufficient
23. thoughtful
24. discerning
25. rational
26. tolerant
27. spiritual
28. meditative
29. joyful
30. educated
31. intuitive
32. an athlete
33. disciplined
34. organized
35. courteous
36. honest
37. brave
38. a warrior
39. an artist
40. am a follower
41. explorer
42. at peace
43 collaborative
44. intrepid
45. excited
46. breathing
47. blessed
48. unburdened
49. receiving
50. a gift
51. conscious
52. engaged (participative)
53. loving
54. my business (I am my product)
55. community
56. in training
57. a beacon

Writing Instructions

Write about these ideas in any way you’re able. I don’t care if your thoughts are long- winded or short; it’s your job to put yourself behind your work in a way that teaches your followers how THEY should/could do it themselves.

The end result of this project is to explore and develop a NEW VOCABULARY of empowerment and philosophy for your school (and perhaps, for your life). The words most commonly used in martial arts schools, “courtesy, integrity, perseverance, indomitable spirit, honor, etc...) aren’t poor choices, but to adequately express and LIVE life, one needs an understanding of a lot of other concepts.

Here we explore the words and ideas behind a new kind of martial arts/life thinking. Do it right and you will have developed something unique to your experience, to your life and thinking and beliefs.

You may write about any of the words, in any order. There are, purposely, enough words to fill every week of the I Ho Chuan project. Members are required to make 30 (or more) entries using the words on this list.