Building a writing habit

It includes the ideas we have about ourselves and the world around us. 

These beliefs come from our innate dispositions, childhood experience and/or cultural/societal influence and are often entrenched.

If you believe you can’t learn new skills or change the way you work, look at the evidence that supports both your negative and positive beliefs.

This may not necessarily lead to a modification of those beliefs, but is an important start. You can use belief monitoring to keep track of your thinking.

There are two types of mindset: fixed and growth.

The first one can be met at individuals who believe that both success and failure are based mainly on innate abilities, which cannot be changed throughout one's lifetime, while the second mindset describes a person who is aware of the changes and improvements that the personal actions can bring.

Our mindset is said to be shaped by previous experiences as well as by a reward-based learning system.

Getting the necessary motivation while facing new challenges with a positive mindset can truly change your experience.

You need to have a beginning that builds to a middle and an ending, or at least an idea of where you’re going, as it is key to explore your themes and foreshadow things properly.

Another important thing is to revise your writings. Your first draft is likely to contain multiple errors, poorly phrased sections, and inconsistencies.

To do it, you must know what your audience expects from the type of writing you’re doing and then defy it.

Without the surprise, without the twist, if you don’t pull the wool over the audience’s eyes, then it’s unlikely you’re going to be memorable. It’s precisely the fact that things are not what they seem that makes a story interesting.

It's your daily actions that will change what you believe about yourself and the person you become. 

Focus on the process. Focus on showing up,  on sticking to the schedule, on “not quitting.”

Eventually, the results and the self–confidence will come anyway. 

They are the individuals that only entertain their existing viewpoints, not being receptive to new ideas and previously unknown beliefs.

Having strong beliefs is not an indicator of a closed mind. One can have strong convictions and yet be empathetic towards others who have a different viewpoint.

When a new piece of information that we learn from ourselves conflicts with our existing beliefs, and we are unable to deny the authenticity of the new idea, we experience Cognitive Dissonance.

If we are able to revise and update our outdated or incorrect belief patterns, we move towards learning and personal growth.

Knowing your personal values changes your behavior.

For instance: When you value health, you don’t have to wrestle with managing impulse control as much. If you know a particular food or activity isn’t good for your body, you don’t want it.

1. Start with a beginner’s mind, someone with no preconceived notions of what is.
2. Create your list of personal values. 
3. Chunk your personal values into related groups. 
4. Highlight the central theme of each value group. 
5. Determine your top Personal Core Values. Whittle your list down to 5 - 10 core values and rank them in order of importance.
6. Give your personal values richer context. Highlight values into memorable phrases or sentences.
   
7. Test the ecology of each value. Review your list a day later: Are they personal to you? Do you see any values that feel inconsistent?

Progress can sometimes feel like endless staircases where you climb and climb, but can never see the end.

A personal mission statement allows you to look back and see how far you've climbed.

A personal mission statement reminds you where you're coming from and puts your life in perspective. When you feel frustrated, you can go back and read how much you've progressed over a specific time.

Having a life plan makes one get past the distractions and focus on what matters.Set aside an hour to do this planning exercise:

• List 1: Jot down your lifetime goals, listing everything that comes to your mind.
• List 2: Ask yourself ‘How would I want to spend the next five years?’ and note down the unbiased non-judgemental answer that comes in your mind.
• List 3: Ask yourself ‘If I was to die in six months, how would I spend the time I have?’
• List 4: Finally, list your most important goals, finding the common goals and aspirations from the previous three lists.

Looking through the most important goals, find the common thread and draft a plan of action for your life, a compelling Mission Statement, taking as much time as you want. Let it sit there for a few days and do not think about it.

Review the statement after a few days, see if it carries the magic that can be a guiding torch of your life, making any changes if required.

Try to see your strengths in relation to what energizes you. Something is a strength if: 

• it makes you feel successful
• you're drawn to it
• it fully engages you
• after doing that activity, you feel energized and fulfilled.

It's difficult for us to see our own strengths, but people around us (friends, coworkers, family members, mentors) will most likely see them clearly.

The goal is to identify things that you wouldn't have thought of on your own—or to find patterns.