The blurry line between practice and work

Creating something is hard work. It requires taking risks, uncertainty and emotional exposure.

At times, it can be a slog. Like this blog. Publishing one blog post per day. Day after day. It’s an ultra-marathon.

Truth be told, there are days I’m not in the mood to write. But I write anyway. Producing the best I can. The ironic thing is when I do create something I am proud of, I am more fueled to do it again.

So, what gives? When does practice all of sudden become work?

Lots of reasons. For one, we know when money is exchanged, you are now working. While no money is ever exchanged on this blog, there are many days it can feel like work. Motivation is a huge factor. It can wane simply because we didn’t get enough sleep the night before. If we didn’t do things we weren’t in the mood to do though, we wouldn’t make our bed in the morning. (Motivation is for amateurs for a reason.)

If we are going to pick a practice, liking being vegan or a grand chest master or religious, there is work involved.

The practice is work. The work is practice.

There is no blurry line between the two. Only how we are feeling.