All posts
Self-Improvement

Chase More Of What Lights You Up Inside

Ev Chapman
May 5, 2022
•
2 min read

I have a decent library of books that sits in and around my desk.

I designed it that way. Literally, my desk is built into my bookshelf. Every book holds a significant moment or memory or reason for being on that shelf.

The Stationary Shop of Tehran, Musicophilia, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, The Name of The Rose, On The Road, Infidel, Churchill, Branson, Clinton, Kennedy, Da Vinci, The Wild Things.

I choose to surround myself with the things that light me up and inspire me the most.

Books have always lit me up in that way. My earliest memories at school were in the library talking to the librarian. I would go in weekly and ask for recommendations for new books. This is how I discovered The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton.

Later as a teenager, you could find me down at our local library wandering around the shelves looking for something that sparked. That's how I discovered the Redwall series by Brian Jacques & Lord Of The Rings (the books, not the movie).

Books light me up inside. But I'm also aware that books don't light everyone up.

I have a friend who is a professional video editor. And I watch his eyes light up when he watches a great movie. He doesn't love books in the same way I do, but he does love movies in the same way I love books.

I have another friend who lights up in a good conversation. It could be a room full of people or it could be one person over coffee. He can't help but light up inside when he experiences the energy and exchange of ideas.

So my question is what lights you up? What creates those sparks in your life? Do more of that.

Liked thIS? Then You Might Like My SPARK Newsletter...

My best content in your inbox each Sunday.
Learn How To Build Your Unique Personal Knowledge & Share It With The World

Join 1200+ other creators building a magnificent obsession around their their unique ideas.
Or Keep Browsing More Posts Like This...

Stop Cruising Through Life On Auto-Pilot & Open Up To New Possibilities

Most of us go through our lives literally just running on a hamster wheel.We wake up, we do the same things, we drive the same way to work, or eat the same meals, and we put things back in the same place.
Read post

Why You Probably Don't Need To Be More Consistent In 2023

Consistency. I bet it's on your list of 'want more of it' in 2023. After all, it's the holy grail of productivity & self-improvement. And yet most of us feel like we're failing at it most of the time. But what if locking yourself into a rigid view of consistency is actually hindering you rather than helping you?
Read post

3 Lessons Strength Training Taught Me About Consistency

Strength training has taught me more about consistency than any other thing I've done in life (including growing as a creator). The other day my trainer programmed inverted rows (under a low bar and pulling/rowing up). Every time I've attempted them before I have had to do them in batches. So when she said 15 reps I yelled an expletive in my head.
Read post

Want To Accelerate Your Results? Find Ways To Show Up Daily

When starting something new you should probably find a way to do it daily. For years I thought the way to become a creator was to write two blogs a week (or 2 podcasts or two vlogs). After all, that seemed like a reasonable amount of writing each week.
Read post

Three Ways To Finally Do The Thing You've Been Putting Off

I almost signed up for an 8 week summer book writing bootcamp this morning on Instagram. I don't need another Bootcamp or mastermind or course to actually write my book. I have an outline, I have half the content for it already! But I thought maybe this is what I need to get this thing finished.
Read post

You Don't Need Another Guru To Tell You How To Live Your Life

Reminder: You are under no obligation to play by anyone else's rules. Most of us don't remember a time before the noise of the internet (& Twitter) meant every time you scroll you see another influencer or person with a social media account telling you how you should be doing everything in your life.
Read post