Good afternoon, friends and loved ones!
Oh, hi friends!
I think it’s pretty clear I enjoy little mantras or sayings or slogans or taglines or whatever you want to call them. I like them because the world is noisy and loud and distracting. A simple phrase cuts through that noise and, ideally, changes your behavior.
I used to judge simplicity. Why can’t my writing sound like X’s writing? WHY WON’T THE NEW YORKER LOVE ME?? And then I discovered that not caring what other people sound like is the quickest way to discovering your own words and the way that you use them matter. I began to think: Simplicity is good, too. Simplicity sticks.
Now I collect these little mantras or sayings or slogans or whatever you want to call them. A chemical rush happens when I hear one: Mine now!
So when a friend and I were debating the pros and cons of a decision the other day, and she said, “Well, the time will pass anyway,” I knew we found a winner.
My new favorite phrase applies to any situation, when you’re wrestling with a big decision, like quitting your job or breaking up or starting a new business, or a small one, like should I start my assignment now or respond to that email or apply for that fellowship even though I feel like watching Instagram Stories of strangers instead?
The time will pass anyway.
The end of the day will arrive. You will have done your work…or not.
June 27, 2018 will come around. You will have quit your job…or not.
Whatever you do, the time will pass anyway.
The point is this: Do you want to be in the exact same place you are right now…or not?
“What kind of book do you read and feel sad that there's only half of it left, instead of being impressed that you're half way through? That's what you really like.”
Paul Graham makes me feel less guilty about the types of books I enjoy. (h/t Emily)
Creative process is fascinating to me. Allison McNearney profiled an Austin-based collage artist for T. She’s creating new designs by ripping up her old watercolors and piecing them together. I’m tempted to try this with my writing…
Thank you for reading.
Love, Kara