Franklin Taggart's Unconventional Life Blog

Willpower has always been an interesting phenomenon for me. Mainly because mine seems low. Most of the time. Some close to me know I can be very stubborn but when it comes to setting goals that motivate me and that have any real drive attached to them, I don't have much. While I can't say that willpower is something I have a lot of, I do have a deep appreciation for my will, and I see it as a different thing from willpower. My true will is a self-care feature of this being I inhabit. Willpower to me is most often a requirement to override my true will. The will I'm talking about serves as a monitor and manager of energy. It stays aware of the level of energy in my reservoir and it then directs the flow of that energy where I need it to go. It's a remarkable feature of being human. I have more to say about it in the Coffee Break. Thanks for listening. If you haven't subscribed yet, would you? Thanks! #will #energymanagement #creativity  

Some friends I know who are recovering from addiction talk a lot about the bottom, the depth of depravity and desperation that they had to reach before they were willing to admit the problem at hand and seek help. I wonder sometimes if for many creators that an equally terrifying place is The Middle. When I first get an idea that I'm excited about, I can't wait to make it happen. The hyper energized state is fun, and the initial productivity that comes through keeps my focus and consumes time in gluttonous bites. Momentum is effortless, and I'm driven to distraction in any activity that isn't related. It's all I can think about. This beginning lasts until the inevitable Middle shows up. The Middle is usually heralded by a complication, an interruption, on an unanticipated obstacle. If you've ever encountered barre chords in a guitar lesson, you've met The Middle. Playing a barre chord requires greater hand strength than the open chords that were...

When I look at the list of clients that I have worked with over the years, the most remarkable thing to see that they all have in common is that they all possess tremendous courage. Whether they are teachers, authors, artists, poets, designers, musicians, dancers, entrepreneurs, or any others of the hundreds of people I've worked with, their lives are shaped by the courage within them that won't settle for anything less than a path that they carve out for themselves. It is humbling to be in their presence. To them it doesn't feel all that significant; it's just something they are doing. They get embarrassed if I imply at all that they are in the least bit courageous. Courage in their minds is reserved for firefighters and skydivers, extreme skiers and daredevils. What they don't realize is that their courage sets them apart from a large majority of the rest of the world. The author who writes every day despite not knowing in the least whether what he's writing...