Vishal's Newsletter- Edition 25

4Cs of a Creative Endeavor

Hello friend

It is hard to believe that it has been almost 6 months since this invocation of new beginnings.

Looking back at all newsletters and feedback I got so far, the newsletters that received the most replies/initiated conversations were either deeply personal like this one on Shame & Yoga of Eating or the ones in listicle style like my 5 favorite books

One thing that was common in all the above newsletters was the excitement and the flow I felt while writing them even if it was at the last moment writing.

Perhaps, that is what matters at the end of the day.

This brings me to the article of the week and the first theme of this 25th special on 4Cs of a Creative Endeavor- Compass in Your Gut.

Article of the Week- Compass in Your Gut by Derek Sivers

Derek Sivers (yes, the same guy I mentioned last week!) wrote this simplest guide to follow your gut compass. Here is the gist of it,

Whatever excites you, go do it. Whatever drains you, stop doing it.

Note that he is not talking about the goal that excites you. He is just referring to the doing- the action.

He is not talking about immediate gratification either. Because any form of immediate gratification- alcohol, smoking, sugar, porn, junk food, sex- eventually drains a person.

I believe he is talking about the excitement that is accompanied by some fear or risk.

It is the fear or the risk of doing or taking the next step- facing your camera fear to start a YouTube channel, risk of quitting a ‘safe’ job to pursue your childhood dream, fear of criticism to start writing online- the list is long.

None of the above things offer immediate gratification. But they could be really exciting to do.

Read The Article Here

But what if you find something exciting but you are also an overthinker like me?

What if you cannot act unless you have an action plan laid out with vision, goals, tasks, metrics, headers, sub-headers, bullet points, etc.?

There is only one solution.

Just Take the Next Step, Consistently

This is inspired by an Instagram reel which in turn was inspired by a book called “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse”.

Translation for those who cannot read the image:

“I can’t see a way through,” said the boy.

“Can you see your next step?

”Yes.”

“Just take that,” said the horse.

Sometimes the path is not clear.

Sometimes the trek is too overwhelming.

Sometimes the only thing you can do is to take that one step.

The path will appear as soon as you take that step.

Soon, one step after the other leads to consistency.

Connecting the Dots

One live session in the Write of Passage (the course which led to this newsletter in the first place) was about finding the personal monopoly.

Many people including myself had no clue about it.

This is when one of the mentors in the course, Michael Ashcroft dropped this gem on the value of publishing prolifically.

Source: Write of Passage, Live Session-11, Cohort-7

Brick by brick, idea by idea, article by article- you collect the dots and look back to connect them.

Definitely, it is easier said than done.

That’s why you need a supportive community.

Find your Community

You need people who critique you, offer honest feedback, & support you wholeheartedly in your journey.

They can be your friends, family, online communities, loyal Twitter followers, newsletter subscribers.

They don’t have to be 1000s in number.

Sometimes 1 is enough to get started.

Sometimes 10 are enough.

Of course, nothing rivals the validation of 100s or 1000s or millions online!

But remember, 1 is also enough! 🙂

Pay attention to what they tell you and to what do they resonate with. It might lead to something exciting for your inner compass which will keep the cycle going!

So that was about it for the 25th edition!

These are the 4Cs for any creative project- be it a newsletter, new hobby, or, writing a book: