Ta-Nehesi Coates mentions the approach he’s taking to learning French, and asks his readers not to argue:
I’ve found on the autodidact’s path, it’s much more important to “keep going” than to “be right.”
This is a deep truth, and not just for autodidacts. I’ve learned that in life, consistency is everything. If you want to get in shape, the best exercise routine in the world is the one that you can do consistently, right now. People spend too much time thinking about the “best” way to do things, or thinking about what will work for them in five years. Do what you can do right now, and when it quits working or you get tired of it, switch to something else.
In nearly every endeavor in life, “keep going” is pretty much the entire ball game.
August 17, 2011 at 10:30 pm
I have the text at this link printed out and tacked to the wall of my office.
August 18, 2011 at 8:20 am
You are so right….
August 19, 2011 at 12:35 am
I don’t recall which work he had translated that I was reading, I think it was a Vedic scripture. But, Christmas Humphries’ https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Christmas_Humphreys ‘author’s comments’ consisted of, “Begin, then continue.” Good advice, as is your post.
August 20, 2011 at 1:40 am
Have you seen “Meet The Robinsons”? If not, I highly recommended it (it’s one of my favorites) and it’s good for kids and adults. The movie’s main message is this (although phrased slightly differently).
August 20, 2011 at 1:12 pm
I believe it was Woody Allen that said 99% of life is just showing up.
August 21, 2011 at 5:41 am
Agreed entirely. Reminded me of Robert Maurer, and Jerry Seinfeld’s chain. But “If you want to get in shape, the best exercise routine in the world that you can do consistently, right now.” does not make sense to me. Don’t you mean “If you want to get in shape, the exercise routine that you can do consistently, right now, is the best one in the world.”?