Why I Workout To Write - Training And Resilience
When it comes to writing, working out is heavily integrated into the process. At the minimum, I'll cut out time to go at least twice a week. Why?
Well, because health is wealth. Meaning that if I fall ill, my writing productivity will take a substantial hit. Something of which is an absolute no, no, if I want to continue pushing my ideas out into the world.
One thing that I'm acutely aware of from an almost hour to hour basis is my mortality. Ever since my deployment to Iraq in 2018, l've had a sort of psychological timer in my head reminding me that my days are numbered. Ill never forget the moment that it happened.
As I was getting off the plane in Al Asad, Iraq. The crew chief told me that he'd given my body armor to someone else by mistake, thinking that it was some important communications equipment that another squadron needed.
"Good luck at war!" He said, grinning as he headed back onto the plane.
Thus, for the duration of the deployment, people would tell me things such as, "just hide behind a friend," or "move fast if the base is attacked." In that moment, I knew in no uncertain terms that I was not a person, but more akin to a paper plate, or a disposable rag.
Something that could be replaced or substituted at any moment.
This mentality of disposability sticks with me to this day, and acts as a nuclear reactor which fuels my productivity in every second of everyday. I know the "productivity" word is a cliché on Linkedin, however, this is the truth as what the experience did to me.
So, since I know who I am, what I am, and why I strive daily towards the mastery of my various pursuits. I've been gifted with an eternal sense of purpose. A will so strong that I'll never need a new year's resolution, a motivation speaker, or a strange guru to guide me towards "the truth" of existence.
Thanks for attending my TedTalk.
Hello! We’re D.J. Hoskins
We are Davena and Jason Hoskins, co-authors of 30+ books and siblings who write under the pseudonym D.J. Hoskins. Three years apart and in our twenties, we have been fascinated by stories from a young age. Davena is a student attending Princeton University, and Jason attends Georgetown University.
