Living with Intensity

I follow several blogs that talk about the craft of writing and provide advice, inspiration, and prompts.  Some of them send out emails.  (I’ve mentioned some of them in previous posts.)

One that I get emails from is The Write Practice.  Each email provides some concept and then a writing prompt for how to practice using the concept.

Recently, the content focused on living a story in order to write a better story.  The gist of it was that we have to live in order to write.  If we never leave our safe little corner of the world then how can we write about fantastic adventures and danger in other places?

Well, it got me thinking.  I remember a while back I watched an episode of Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition with Chris Powell.  He told the subject of that show to workout with intensity.

Hmmm.  I thought a little more.  The only way to get results from working out is put intensity into the action and making it count.  Isn’t everything in life like that?  You get out of it what you put into it.  The greatest reward (and risk) comes from the greatest investment.

I started wondering if I’ve been putting that level of intensity in my writing, and living, and loving, and ……  You get the idea.

How would our lives change if we really invested ourselves into what we pursue and lived with intensity instead of half-assing everything?

Remember the movie Yes Man?  Silly concept but true in so many ways.  What would happen if we left the safety of our walls and started living?   What are we afraid of?  What are we waiting for?

My challenge for you for this week is to put intensity and passion into something you do.  I don’t care if it’s working out, writing, loving, or cleaning the toilet.  Just put everything you have into something and see what happens.

I dare you.

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