What The Hell is Daily Action?

Ben Greenman

Mar 12, 2021

Hey, friends,

I didn’t post a new piece of writing this week.

I think it’s the first time that has happened this calendar year.

Part of me feels gross about missing the mark; part of me feels proud for setting the bar a lot higher this year…

But another part of me is thinking about why I’ve been doing it in the first place.

There are a million different reasons to why I strive to write and take action on a consistent basis (I’m going to be writing something about this soon with a few friends of mine).

Some of them are practical steps that make a lot of logical sense…

Some of them are just nonsense…

But the big reason is that I believe that action is almost always better than it’s opposite counterpart.

If you work really hard at something, eventually SOMETHING is going to happen. It may not be as big or as cool as you initially hoped it would be, but if you compare it to what would have happened if you did nothing, consistently taking action might be one of the more sure guarantees that we have in this unpredictable game we call life.

So what is consistent action and why do we have to do it on a daily basis?

If you’re anything like me (and the majority of the world), this question might trip you up a little bit - not for the reasons you might think though.

I was talking to a friend on the phone the other night and we agreed that we both feel like lately everyone and their sister is talking about “habits” and all that they can do to fix your life.

I swear, if I hear one more person quote James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” I’m going to break your shit…

Don’t get me wrong, I love the book and I think it’s a Godsend…I’ve read it twice.

But the theme might be overplayed.

It’s easy (in theory) to choose a task that, if completed everyday, will for sure get you to where you want to be.

That’s what a habit is right? An action that you make easy to complete that will help you be the type of person you want to become.

That’s why you see all these people flocking toward the nighttime/morning routines of successful CEO millionaires and all these MOFOs who suddenly care about meditation…

All these practices are great. I don’t want my terrible sense of humor to miscommunicate that I actually love to see people pursuing things that better themselves. Even better, I love to hear the excitement in their voices when they tell me about it.

It makes me think about all the times when I have started new practices.

When I started writing regularly…

When I went through my various phases of waking up really early…

When I went through my various phases of staying up really late…

When every 6 months I go through a phase of getting excited about working out so I go to the gym 5 days a week for 6 months only to spend the following 6 months on the couch eating Pop-Tarts and drinking Mtn. Dew.

These periods all resonate with me because they’re filled with excitement for the untapped potential that I’ve seemingly uncovered.

But that excitement wears off and then it’s on to find the next thing that will fill the void.

I’ve spent my whole life thinking that this was the wrong way to do things. That I should be embarrassed of my diversity of pursuits and phases. That they make me seem weak, unfocused, and un-disciplined. So I’ve been ashamed.

But I’m realizing that these experiences are actually pretty badass.

I can write everyday for 2 months and then stop…

I can draw everyday for 4 months and then stop…

Hell, I can bake a cake everyday for 6 months and then never bake a cake again in my life.

I don’t want to pick habits that I’m going to do everyday for the rest of my life because that sounds kind of miserable to me. I’m a person who’s taste changes with the wind. I like to take in a lot of life and try as many different things as possible.

But this doesn’t make me flakey or inconsistent (at least not this alone).

As long as I’m not falling into inaction, I think I’m fine.

I know the type of person who I want to be (competitive, caring, creative, fun) and I can figure out the types of actions that will facilitate that type of behavior.

What I choose to pursue today won’t be the only way to get there either.

In two months I’ll pursue something different, and 3 months after that I’ll switch it up again.

But they’ll all be working towards the same goal.

And that’s what daily action is…

It doesn’t matter what shape, size, or format you choose.

As long as you’re doing something everyday that aligns with your values…as long as you’re progressing just a little bit each day…

You’ve got nothing to worry about.

My recent obsession has been drawing animals…

Please observe here: