The Work Just Needs Doing

The first half of 2024 has been a journey

A lot of this year has been me grinding my teeth doing work that I don't want to do.

Why?

Because I promised myself last year that I would do whatever was needed to make the most out of this year.

And, surprise surprise… Most of that is doing shit I don't want to do.

I can't go into the details of everything I've done so far, but I will share the one thing I tell myself everyday to keep myself going:

The work just needs doing.

I learned the phrase from a friend I respect and admire.

The point of it being that everything that you desire is on the other side of work that you need to do.

Sometimes that means a little work, other times it means a lot of work – at the core of it, it's all work that you are required to do if you want to gain anything at all.

Avoiding the work is the pit most people fall into, myself included.

Now, I'm not perfect because there is still work that I've been avoiding.

But at the same time, there is a lot of work that I have done because, as I’ve said…

The work just needs doing.

What have I learned from this?

Well two things.

The first is something I already knew, and something that you probably already knew too:

I   Have   the   Ability   to   Get   Shit   Done.

It's such a confidence booster and at the same time an anxiety inducer.

Knowing that you have the capacity to do whatever you wanted if you simply applied yourself is so fucking empowering and simultaneously nerve wracking; a truly beautiful thing.

The second thing is another phrase I say to myself everyday:

Skill Issue!

We've established that everything you want is on the other side of work.

But the ability to get that work done is on the other side of skill. Or you can say it works hand in hand with it.

There's no human desire, no matter how improbable or impossible, that isn't a skill issue.

Everything is a skill issue.

You could win so much at life if you simply looked at everything as a skill, and then practiced.

There’s so much joy and victory on the other side of practice, you simply need to give yourself permission to try.

At the beginning of the year, I knew nothing about email deliverability for e-com businesses and others who sell online, now I’m a wizard at it.

The confidence I got from that experience gave me the permission to accept a recent opportunity with open arms even though I am currently terrible at it.

Why?

Because it’s a skill issue.

And as with all skill issues, I simply need to do the required practice to get better at it.

Here’s a more delusional example.

Let's say you're a man who desires to have 27 women at once who all love you and cherish you. All of whom are willing to be in relationships with you at the same time and take care of your needs. It's all consensual, you're not cheating and they're all dedicated to you.

Does that sound impossible?

Well, Fela did it.

In 1978, Fela Kuti officially married 27 women… and yet there’s you who cannot even find a girlfriend.

An even more extreme example would be King Solomon with 1000 women – all without plundering, killing or wars breaking out. Very impressive feat.

He was also the richest king to have lived in biblical times which makes sense because you need money to maintain women but that's by the way.

My point is, no matter how extreme, everything is a skill issue. It literally is just about learning and practice.

Live Your Life As A Practice

To live your life as a practice means to patiently figure things out, learn and try new things without fear and do the work necessary to ensure you get the results you want.

When you do this, you'll find that life is more meaningful.

Everything you want is within reach. You may need to prove to the universe that you deserve it, but if it's something you truly want, something the human mind can conceive and the human hands can make, then you'll get it.

And… Sometimes You Don’t Want It

The final thing I've learned in all of this is that sometimes in your pursuit of something you think you want, you will learn that you actually don't want it.

This is why doing the work is so important.

Because before you got into it, you were so sure you wanted it. You were sure that this would be the thing that brings you joy, but after getting in and doing the work, you learn that you don't really want to do it; that you don’t really want to sacrifice this much effort for a fantasy.

You learn that the idea of the thing is more appealing than the thing itself.

By learning the things you don't want, you slowly discover the things that you do want.

As I said earlier, everything you desire in this life is within reach. You only need to remind yourself that:

Welcome to the second half of 2024 my friend. Go crush it.

Until next time..

Stay easy,

Dave.

P.S. It is said that Fela married 27 women to save them from the hands of the law because they were accused of being prostitutes. It is also said it was to save himself from claims that he was kidnapping these women. I bring this up now because I don’t want to encourage fantasies.

It is possible to marry 27 women consensually, but the conditions may not be what you expect, so prepare accordingly.

As for King Solomon, I reckon he didn’t even meet all 1000 of his wives or concubines. Given his wisdom, the way politics operated back then, plus the fact that there were no wars during his 40 years of reign, it makes sense to think that some of the women came with peace treaties or as signs of allegiance.

I still do think he charmed quite the lot of them though. Songs of Solomon is a book included in the Bible for a reason. And given the account of his meeting with the Queen of Sheba, you can tell she was floored by him.

Moral of the story: wisdom is its own rizz. Rizzdom.