15 minutes

I've just finished a project in which I interviewed the top academic performers in the Wausau area.

It was illuminating. As I started interviewing these teens, I was impressed with their work ethic, their maturity and their optimism. I expected all that. You don't get to be a 4.0 student at any level without some belief in yourself and future, that it will someday all pay off for you. Most can see it pay off in tangible ways already, by getting scholarships, acceptance to schools such as Yale, etc.

But what surprised me overall was their intellect. Not at how sharp they were, but in really, how ordinary it was. I expected a sort of imbalance, which I have seen in the past in genius-level people. They have trouble relating to others, or lack sense of humor, or whatever. It's a stereotype, I know, and one that this project has basically shattered in me.

All of the kids were bright, of course, but they also were funny, interesting, curious. The one thing that set them apart, and some of them outright said it, was their long-term commitment and discipline toward studying. They had difficulty in some classes, but they worked at it, and overcame the problems they faced.

It's a lot different than what my approach to life. I've always sort of worked on the theory that what "I'm good at" comes naturally, and what "I'm bad at" does too. So I've always done enough to get by at the things that I'm bad at, and concentrated on what I'm good at, but in a haphazard sort of way. I've never really applied a specific kind of thoughtful discipline to anything, except maybe for running and journalism. I've also had a sort of Eeyore attitude toward it all.

These kids studied every night. Usually no matter what. If they didn't like something, they either powered through it or made some kind of game out of it to make it more fun.

I started thinking about that, and my approach to writing. I'm talking about my own writing, such as this blog, and other kinds of fun or creative type of writing that I've always wanted to do but never really have.

I need to take a more disciplined approach to it, which I always knew. I've started to do this by trying to write 15 minutes a day. I say try, because I haven't been too successful regarding it. But I plan to continue trying for that minimal amount of effort. The hope is to build on it, and slowly, the drip will fill the pail.