The Common Pencil

This post is inspired by cinematographer, artist and musician Brad Rushing. In this interview, he explains how he learned not to believe in himself but to “just do the work.”

More and more am I getting convinced that things in life don’t just happen. If you want to achieve something, you have got to work for it. It will require your own brain cells to wake up, to think about what you want, and focus on how to get it.

But wait, it is not that easy! All the feel-good-happy-lifestyle-sources tell you to ‘believe’ in yourself. What does that even mean?

Let’s discuss the brain for a bit here. The brain does not like change and it is actively working against you for the first weeks of your glorious change. Many of us give up during this time, feeling defeated and weak. However annoying this may be, you need to know that simply ‘believing in better days’ will not get you out of this state of mind.

It literately is focus that gets you (back) on track. In order to focus, you need to know what to focus on. Knowing what to focus on requires you to think about what you want to achieve. It means that you have to set goals! Write down the steps and follow them loyally, like a Golden Retriever follows his guardian.

You don’t need to believe in yourself, you just have to do the work. Follow the steps and the result will come, because it is the logical result of your efforts.

With love,

Heleen Charlotte.