Day 16, Ah Day 16. Here we are. That’s slightly beyond 2 weeks. According to this article from the UK, that’s longer than most people’s adherence to their New Year’s Resolutions. The article sites a study by a running app called Strava (which I haven’t used), saying that by January 12th most people start to give up on their new commitments. Hence the term “Quitter’s Day.”
I have not been tempted to pack it in with this blog, but since starting this 365 Day Blogging Project there have been some weird thoughts supplied by my oh-so-brilliant brain. Here are a few of them:
- “You’re a musician. You should write about music. What is wrong with you? Why are you writing about all this other personal stuff that no one is interested in?”
- “Are you sure you want to bother people everyday with more thoughts of your briiiilliance? What makes you so special?”
- “What if somebody objects and thinks it’s stupid? Are you sure you want to subject yourself to that risk?”
- “Are you crazy? People going to see how crazy and neurotic you are? You really should just stick to teaching piano and performing, and putting out nice piano pieces like a good piano playing boy.”
That last one is especially grating. There’s nothing like being a full grown man living with a brain that can resemble that of a scared parent admonishing a five year old on his first day of kindergarden.
And yet, I persist. Here we are, Day 16.
For the record, I have outlasted Quitter’s Day before. New habits I have cultivated include reading in the mornings, exercising multiple times per week, composing daily, and even doing the dishes at night (Ah, the simple things. For the record, I’m sure I have failed from time to time to master new habits…maybe that’s why I value the ability to build new habits so much). What I have found is that the more you can cultivate a new habit, the easier it is to create others. You develop a track record of success in this area.
Here’s to cultivating new habits. I hope you too can outlast Quitter’s Day.