Intense, Dude.

I had a very busy morning.  And because it was Saturday, I didn't want to start it especially early.  Therefore, instead of rising at 6 to write a blog post, I got up at a quarter past 7 and ran financials before heading out to a planning meeting.  I had to duck out of that to make the first basketball game and left that game early to make it to the 2nd game -- transporting a player with me.

Now I'm home.  I've eaten.  I'm being wracked with guilt for wanting to just skip the post today, after all, it's past 3pm (2pm central).  But by golly, I'm going write.

Seriously, look at their eyes.  Intensity.

It's about intensity.  And building skills.  And knowing you can do it.  It's like basketball.  You get out on the court and it doesn't matter what time it is, how tired you are, or whether or not you feel like playing.  You have to play.  If you want to succeed.

I saw a couple of players who didn't really care about the game.  They sort of went after the ball, they sort of shot at the basket, and they sort of played.  Great for a neighborhood pick-up, not so much for the league.  Other players were intense.  Some more than others, some more skilled than others, some just plain lucky.  One really stood out during the second game.  But his stand-out performance didn't take away from the success of anyone else who was all-in.

Writing has a handful of superstars.  Great.  We won't worry about them.  Writing also has a whole lot of folks looking for a neighborhood pick-up game.  If you want more than that, you need intensity.  You need to be fully in the game.

And when you're not in the game, you need to practice.  That takes discipline.  If you're a writer, that means you attach your butt to the chair and write the blog post.  Even if that post admits that this thing is a bit harder and not always as much fun as everyone thinks.

Of course, I'd be lying if I told you that I don't check my email twice a day anxiously waiting for an acceptance letter on one of the 10 stories I've got out there.  That's the shot at the buzzer that goes in.  That's when all the practice is totally worth it.

I can't wait to tell you about it.