Committing to the 365 Day Medium Writing Challenge When You Can’t Stick With Anything
Motivation for overcoming the plateau
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I have never been good with routine. So if I manage to do this, anyone can.
Growing up, my mom always told me I had been lucky I didn’t inherit her strong memory. I didn’t have her ability to only hear a lecture once and have it etched in memory straight away without picking up a pen to take a single note. Back in school, she had been one of those students who could recite back — word-for-word — what the professor taught in class. She would get straight A’s without even trying.
I, on the other hand, always studied hard to get the grades I did. I would record lectures and listen back to them at home. I would write out everything from the recording I missed in class and study it over and over until it stuck in my brain. And this took time. A lot of time.
Why did she tell me I was the lucky one?
I never understood how she could view her superpower in a negative light. Time is the most valuable thing in the world, and I spent a lot more of it. I never understood her perspective on this.
That is, until recently.
Throughout my life, I have experienced the phenomenon of being naturally good at most things the first time I tried them out. Call it beginner’s luck. This has been true for a lot for games and high intensity physical activities (such as climbing and snowboarding), as well as for writing and making music. I jump into something, and I can adapt. I have a feel for most things and I can easily tap into that on the first run of it.
But there is a downside to this. Where others seem to get better as they practice doing things, I seem to stall.
Usually, when I first try something, people are surprised. “I didn’t know you could do that,” they say. I didn’t either, so it feels good. I get validation and satisfaction from knowing I can do something that usually takes others time and effort and many…
