What a beautiful question from James Clear in his latest newsletter. His weekly emails are the only newsletter that has 100% open and read rate for me, and it continues to be a source of inspiration for writing here on 200wad. 

But today’s question is starkly poignant precisely because it’s somewhat counter to writing. Or rather, a warning about words. Because words are easy. Or like they say, “Talk is cheap.” Writing here everyday about my goals, my aspirations, my experiments, my struggles, my products, my entrepreneurial journey, and making bold and convicted declarations here and there, can give the illusion that I’m making real progress. Maybe it does on some days. But most other days, nope. It’s easy to write something I want to do here, and get up the next day not thinking about how I should commit to my words, leaving it to the dark dusty corners of the internet. 

Not that writing daily about your goals is not useful at all. In fact, I’ll be the last person to say that, especially after having benefited from over 500 days of daily writing. It’s just some days, I find I got to be really careful. About being lulled into a false complacency of progress, when it’s all just words and no action.

Which is why James Clear’s question was such a stark reminder. Imagine someone who’s deaf and cannot communicate with you at all, and all he can see is your movements around the house, your actions for your work, the things you do and spend time on. No words, whatsoever. 

If someone could only see my actions and not hear my words, what would they say are my priorities?

Being introspectively truthful, I realised my priorities are not always aligned to my words. My goals are one thing, but what I do on a daily basis might not mirror that. Sometimes it’s due to distraction, sometimes laziness, other times, just life happening. And taking away from me being 100% congruent, in word and deed. If I mercilessly trimmed away every single thing that’s not congruent to those goals and priorities, what do I have left that I should be doing? 

What a reminder.