Life & Happiness

Indexing

Create a library of written works.
It will unfold into a timeless asset.

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Reading helps us understand the world.
Writing helps us understand ourselves.

Imagine if you had already started writing. You would have articulated thoughts into a collection of organized ideas. You would have also felt the energy that comes from writing about something you care about.

Now, imagine you moved past fear and began sharing your writing with others. With a growing library in place, even if traffic is uncertain, your future self can access an index of thoughtful goodness any time. This treasure trove becomes a handy reservoir for adding thickness to any interaction.

Along with helping to maintain intensity, our writing connects heart into what we think, talk, and build around. Does writing take time? Yes. Does publishing your writing online spark hesitations? Yes. Will writing welcome a creative release, help you think, and potentially deliver more art for you to ship?

Also yes.

Along this path, writer’s block is a tempting distraction. Life is busy, we’re oversubscribed, and writing requires the privilege of time. Even with all we take on, writer’s block is an illusion, an excuse not to ship the art. This paralysis is a symptom of low prioritization in our creative practice.That’s okay, provided we recognize the dip, preserve topics to revisit, and reprioritize writing when necessary.

Whether you listen to yourself in private (journaling) or share your heart in public, when you know you’re going to get something done, you become consciously introspective. You stay in-tune with what needs to be synthesized, while recursion and this indexing effect help sustain a healthy obsession. Even when a thesis is not obvious, you’re strong enough to explore what needs to be said. This becomes a habit that invites anyone to reach higher.

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Don’t wait for inspiration.
Let the work inspire you.

As with writing, the mainspring behind creative acts may not seem obvious, but trapping time is advantageous when the theme of this moment is referenced in the future.

A creative act is a wide-open construct with a kabillion examples. To throw one in for context, let’s use this book you’re sharing time with. For no reason, take a cool photo or video of the book in a creative setting. This is not a required action, but now it exists.

Seconds to years later, imagine texting a friend and this book is mentioned in conversation. The option to easily respond with a related and creative asset is now yours.

These creative acts require a quark of attention, but this practice earns intriguing depth that can be randomly included in planned and unknown ways. You won’t run out of film and these assets may go untouched, but we can’t use what we don’t have. From funny additions to a profound surprise, this type of b-roll adds flare to your writing and helps glue our stories of life together. Could you create supporting content later? Maybe, but then it’s work. The ease comes in our consistency. Having fun with b-roll ends up providing a supportive cast that extends your writings.

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When it’s natural, it’s nothing.

For now, get back to thinking by writing (again), then be generous with time as you creatively share it with us.

Brewed From Within
#91 📖 Life & Happiness

By Ben McDougal, ago

Pebbles

If we keep building, everything eventually connects. Imagine another live concert experience The melodic arrangement is not random. It’s a story that builds.

Before any set starts, everyone hopes the popular hit will be played, but when? Seasoned pros deliver their classics, but know how to stack tiny pebbles to keep the crowd teeming with anticipation. With each hint, the crowd goes nutty, and as the hammer drops, the place shakes. We’ve all enjoyed live music where sequenced sound brings everything together. Impeccable build ups remind us how to stay juicy.

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Turn up the volume.

When delivering your best becomes a habit, it’s easier to remain consistent. Persistence deepens loyalty, connection leads to more connection, and trust leads to more trust. Within such abundance, an appreciation remains on tap for what you’ve achieved in the past, while also brewing intrigue for whatever is next. This converts work into play, and as we dance to our own beat, more individual notes merge to define our song. Over time, we play more songs that become the pebbles in a wall that’s unmistakably you.

Brewed From Within
#105 📖 Life & Happiness

By Ben McDougal, ago

Recursion

Recursion is a computer science term for the process of defining a problem in terms of itself, then dividing the problem into smaller parts of the same type.

After blogging every week for two years, it became clear how writing helps us think, translate, and index thoughts. This creative act was a commitment to contemplation and required discipline to be consistent.

Even with all the nourishing benefits, toward the end of the second year, was it time to take a break from this ambitious frequency? Indexing less would add ease, and the audience may not even notice.

Personal bandwidth and self-doubt aside, a proficiency in writing had developed, and a solid distribution system was in place. Publishing these ideas felt significant, each week’s topic guided conversations, and the timeless theme was growing a library for readers who may find lasting value long after a life well lived. It was still hard to know if this was time for a hiatus or time to double down.

By talking with mentors and considering different variables, a decision was made to double down. By continuing to write each week, a form of recursion set in and new ideas were unearthed. Each writing kept provoking more writings. The original problem was being divided into smaller parts, which made it easier to keep building without skepticism.

As more new writings shipped every week, an expanding web of thoughts fed an intrinsic motivation for perpetual learning. Along with personal growth, each piece was gratifying to share and thickened a library for leaders. After another full year of writing every week, new creative opportunities made the decision to push pause feel natural.

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It’s not a rainy day. It’s free water.

Sacrifices were made to stay consistent, but the beauty of this recursive exercise was that it strengthened my own understanding while also stretching the scaffolding that would continue to support even more vigorous art.

Action inspires action. What could you divide into smaller parts, then solve by doing more of the same?

Brewed From Within
#94 📖 Life & Happiness

By Ben McDougal, ago

Intrinsic

We all have bad days. When they string together, the stress gets heavy. This mental weight becomes especially unwieldy when the cause is unclear. If down days stack up, searching for the origin can lead to liberating awareness.

This is not a simple pursuit. Emotions are transient, external factors remain in flux, and the labyrinth of life is winding. General therapy is helpful, but well-being within the entrepreneurial lifestyle is a moving target.

To start, destigmatize the circuitry between leadership and mental health. Be content knowing it’s not always rainbows and unicorns. This is a lonely rollercoaster with highs and lows at every turn. Recognizing this helps us appreciate the impermanence of emotions.

Leaders thrive on being exposed to new things, interesting problems, stories from different people, and building into whatever we care about. When there’s a lull in the action, it’s easy to think the ride is over. While this thought may be misguided, it’s disheartening and can lead to an isolating absence of joy. Identifying intrinsic motivations help leaders navigate and go beyond temporary despair.

As the highs of a milestone moment start to fade, be honest with your situation and don’t shy away from what got you there. Intrinsic motivators—like the love for family, fun with friends, helping others, thinking big, physical activity, and perceptual learning—guide us back to peace and happiness.

Along with internal observations, lean on peers who understand the realities of an entrepreneurial lifestyle. Welcome sincere conversations loaded with listening, and you’ll soon have others wanting to help you in return.

Here are a few more effective ways inquisitive leaders can actively maintain their mental fitness:

  • Try new things.
  • Reconnect with nature.
  • Travel to expand the mind.
  • Link teaching with learning.
  • Create more than you consume.
  • Stay centered with physical/mental exercise.
  • Avoid isolation; don’t be afraid to ask for help.

    Strength does not come from ignoring pain. Within the crucible of an entrepreneurial lifestyle, hardship is inevitable, but storms will pass and self-inquiry keeps leaders aware of their own fortitude. This reveals more stepping stones that illuminate fresh motivation to help leaders transcend momentary setbacks.

    Brewed From Within
    #121 📖 Life & Happiness

    By Ben McDougal, ago

    Winterizing

    As temperatures drop, those who live in seasonal climates prepare for winter. There are chores around the house and year-end tasks to wrap-up in business.

    Transitional times can be uplifting, but the coming chill can also freeze progress. A temptation to coast makes it easy to push action into the future, but in doing so, a message that once united momentum can start to feel dispirited.

    The team has earned a relaxing break, but what goals were not accomplished? Instead of putting progress on ice, reverse engineer past goals to determine whether a few final acts might move the needle. These sneaky achievements add closure and a positive boost for initiatives after the break.

    Doing what’s easy delays hardship, but this resistance causes suffering. Winterize your world by attacking hardship. This demonstrates commitment, and the cold will feel more like an elegant refreshment that conditions invincible warmth.

    Brewed From Within
    #102 📖 Life & Happiness

    By Ben McDougal, ago