Writer's Block

Writing is a bit like exercise. If you don't write for a while, you get out of shape and it takes a while to get back into shape. It has been a couple years since I have put forth significant effort towards completing a new book, and I have been scared to get back to writing for the past two years. Writing a book is an incredible journey, but it takes so much energy to do that it can be as daunting as running a marathon.

Why am I starting over now? I am starting over because of where I am today. Thanks to the insights of friends and family, I know now that where I am today is largely a product of the choices I have made in life. There is certainly a component of chance and a component of God's providence to everyone's life, but out outcomes at the end of our lives are largely defined by our choices throughout. No one can choose the hand they are dealt, but everyone can choose to play the hand they are dealt to the best or the worst of their ability.

This past weekend, I chose to spend a lot of time watching YouTube videos. While I was entertained in the moment, I ended my time on YouTube feeling very empty inside. It was an odd feeling, but I have felt it before and it is similar to the feelings some of my friends describe when they describe anxiety; my chest was tight and it felt like the walls were closing in around me. I got on the Internet to feel better, but when I got off the Internet I felt worse. Why is that?

Today, I turned on an old TED talk with the late head of UCLA Basketball, John Wooden. I was not expecting to hear something new today, but that is exactly what happened. In the TED talk, John Wooden referenced an idea that fate is accurate more times than not, because fate is largely predicated on the choices people make in life.

Here's that TED Talk: