I blogged but I started having all sorts of resistance toward it because of the Should Devils. I hated that.

Now I’m kicking off a whole new round of blogging. And this post is going to be half about Why I Stopped Blogging. 

Looking back, it’s simple. 

• I created a “should” and convinced myself I had to blog. This obligatory vibe surrounding the whole deal made me hate it. 
• I made up some dumb “standards” to blogging that I thought made me look good. Inathentic garbage. I wrote like a pompous idiot and pretended to be professional by writing articles I didn’t care about. I wasn’t writing with my voice and it sucked. This is way better.

I have this pattern with a bunch of activities. As soon as I establish a single “should,” I hate the entire thing. Every passion I’ve ever had was somehow temporarily destroyed because I convinced myself I had to do it. 
I have to blog.

I have to use this style when I blog.

I have to produce X value when I blog.

I have to seem professional. 
Gross. 

Me and blogging broke up for a while but after some time apart we’ve concluded that we’re gonna give it another shot. 

Except this time, we’re gonna do it however we want. Standards be gone. My blog will be an authentic expression of self that also produces value for you, dear reader—because that’s one “should” I’m willing to abide by most of the time. 

Hate Something You Used to Love? 

Take some time off. When you return, do it exactly the way you want. Don’t hold back. Fuck the shoulds and the have tos and the musts (that was the first time I’ve said “fuck” in a blog post). 

This is the first time I’ve blogged the way I’ve always wanted to and it feels amazing. I knew I loved writing. I can’t say for sure, but I imagine it’s infinitely more engaging than the uptight nonsense I used to put out. 

If you feel the way I felt about blogging, do this:

1. Do everything in your power to identify any shoulds you have toward this thing and find a way to dig into your skull and get them to vacate your mind immediately.