Begin Again

Hi, All!

How are you? 🌬✨

Last month, I did a writing challenge and wrote twenty minutes a day for thirty days.

I wrote when I was tired, scared, and stressed, and stressed, scared, and tired.

I wrote when I had already written code for ten hours, and my eyes threatened to go on strike.

I wrote when I had drunk a glass of wine too much.

I wrote the day after I had drunk a glass of wine too many.

And at least twice, I wrote twenty minutes to twelve.

It was rarely easy to begin, but it sure wasn’t as hard as not beginning, which is what I’ve been doing mostly since the challenge ended.

That’s until three days ago when I decided to begin again and to keep beginning again.

Yesterday, today, tomorrow–again.

But this isn’t a new writing challenge. No, it’s more like a mantra that I’m adopting. Perhaps even something of a movement, I’d like to say.

Getting nothing done? Begin again.

Had a rough morning? Begin again.

Said something hurtful? Begin again.

Lost in thought? Begin again.

Lost in thought again? Begin again.

Begin again.

Note

To remind me that I can change any habit or thought pattern that doesn’t serve me well throughout the day, I created a background with the words “begin again,” which I now use on my phone’s lock screen. I uploaded the design here, so you can download it if you like it.

I was inspired to experiment with this idea of beginning again after listening to Sam Harris’s 3-minute meditation lesson, “Begin Again.” You can find it on his app Waking Up.

Current Favorites

I haven’t done a Current Favorites in a while, which is silly because I quite enjoy sending them out, and so I’m bringing them back.

Artist I’ve Been Playing on Repeat

🎸 Holy Holy
For my latest artist date, I listened to Holy Holy’s album When The Storms Would Come, back to back, lyrics in hand. One of my favorite songs on the album is Sentimental and Monday. Love to Mr. G for discovering this band.

Audiobook I’m Listening

🎧 Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin
Seth’s book has been making me feel uncomfortable at times. Like I’m responsible for my life. Which is good. It’s also helping me embrace some of my quirkiness and tendency to swim against the current.

Recommended to me by my friend Silvia

Exercise I Recommend

🔮 Your Ten-Year Plan
In the same week that I did this exercise, and wrote down what I’d like my life to look like in ten years, I noticed I had already begun to work towards making some of these wishes come true. The exercise is like a practical guide to the wish-making aka plans-in-disguise I talked about in my last letter.

I learned about Your Ten-Year Plan from the interview How to Design a Life with Debbie Milman. I highly recommend listening to it.

Project Idea I Adore

👩🏻‍🎨 Inside the Head
A collaboration like this has been on my mind for a while. I love the idea of splitting up a project into different creative disciplines, like in this case: words, design, code, and animation, and having different creatives each work on a part.

Thanks to Anand for the hat tip.

Quote I’m Pondering

Real artists ship. –Steve Jobs

With all my love,
Mirha
❤️