๐ก The Big Idea
The Demons Hate Fresh Air ๐บ
I'm reading a book both my Dad and uncle recommended to me, Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity (what a title) by David Whyte.
I've started the book twice before only to have it really hit now (ever had that happen?) โ but there's a passage which has come up twice in the HeyCreator community that is applicable to anyone.
Multiple times this week, I've had community members share feelings of overwhelm, being distracted, and unsure about how to move forward with a task or project that is very important to them.
Quick aside: if you're a creator and you want to be a part of these discussions and not feel alone and overwhelmed, you gotta check out HeyCreator!
To tell the truth, I've felt a lot of those things this week too! I have business goals to hit, I'm trying to stay focused and attentive as a father and husband, baby is coming soon, it's a lot!
That's why this passage from Crossing the Unknown Sea hit so hard. It's on page 53 of the book, and I've made notes where I combined passages for the sake of brevity in the newsletter:
Joel had an irrational fear of failure that would lead to being homeless on the streets of Berkley. Never mind that Joel was very successful and would have people lining up to hire him if they had the opportunity (my interpretation) โ Joel had an unspoken fear that he had not yet explored.
โ
Joel realized that to be effective he had to take inventory of his own fears. But a crucial distinction was that he did not have to overcome them, he simply had to know what he was afraid of.
This reminds me of another passage in Keep Going by Austin Kleon, quoting writer Ingmar Bergman, who said:
The demons hate it when you get out of bed, demons hate fresh air.
Bergman was talking about it in the context of writer's block, but it's applicable in Whyte's recommendation to "take inventory" of your fears in order to be effective and move forward.
If you'll allow me to combine the two passages, it's through action and direction that we move past our fears. As it's said in Dune:
I will allow my fear to pass through me... then only I will remain.
Note: if you're a dad experiencing these things too โ you should hang out with us in Father Fire. Reply for an invite or read more at the end.
Creator Resource ๐
One quick reminder from last week. My friend Louis Nicholls put together a HUGE resource list of newsletter landing pages. There are over 300 examples, complete with screenshots, conversion rates, and filtering by topic.
โClick here to view everything โ it's an incredible resource and Louis has a lot more planned to help creators have the tools they need to succeed. As the Founder of Sparkloop, he has his finger on the pulse of what works!