Tag: gratitude

Day 17: Creativity Isn’t a Lightning Strike (It’s Showing Up When You’re Tired)

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

Ninety-four chapters revised. Eleven to go.

I’m tired. My brain hurts from thinking about series setup, sequel planning, and whether this YA superhero story can actually be different from every other superhero story out there.

But I still protected my creative hour tonight. And that’s what I want to talk about.

Creativity Isn’t What You Think It Is

For years, I thought creativity was this mystical force that descended when inspiration struck. Lightning from the sky. The muse visiting. Magic.

Nope. That ain’t it.

Here’s what I’m learning on Day 17: Creativity is problem-solving. That’s it.

Sometimes it’s inventing brand new things where there’s a need. When I was drafting my novel originally, I had to create activities, scenes, dialogue from nothing. That was hard. That required imagination and invention.

Sometimes it’s taking something established and making it better. Now, in revision, I’m refining what’s already there. I’m solving the problem of “how do I set this up for a potential series without losing the current story?”

Both are creative. Both require showing up. Both feel completely different.

The Real Reason I Protect This Hour

I dedicate an hour to creativity every night for two reasons:

One: I want to inspire 1,000 people who are stuck. Sometimes you need to see somebody else in the trenches working through similar problems. You see them finding success, and you start to understand that you can have success too.

Two: I love the superhero genre, but it’s inundated with the same takes. I’m trying to write something fresh, accessible, clean – a YA story that doesn’t make parents nervous. That requires solving creative problems every single day.

These projects aren’t just about making stories. They’re about answering my larger questions: How do I make a contribution to the world? How do I make myself better?

Day 17 Reality Check

Today was harder than Day 16. I’m at that point in the book where critical thinking about series setup slows me down. Am I still in the honeymoon phase? Probably. Has this gotten brutally hard yet? Not really.

But I’m close to the finish line (11 chapters left), and that’s giving me energy. The ebb and flow of the creative process – some days flow, some days grind.

And I still showed up.

For Everyone Thinking “I’m Too Tired to Be Creative Today”

Here’s the truth: You’re always going to be too tired. You’re always going to have some excuse that comes up.

What’s one problem you need to solve right now? How can you think outside the box to solve it?

That’s creativity. Not waiting for lightning. Not waiting for inspiration.

Just showing up and solving problems.

Day 17 Scorecard: ✅ Bible study ✅ Exercise ✅ Reading (finished Made to Stick, started Your Best Year Ever) ✅ Calories ✅ Water ✅ Gratitude ✅ Creative hour (chapters 91-94, 89% complete on first revision)

Seventeen consecutive perfect days. Creativity isn’t magic. It’s showing up tired and solving problems anyway.

The best time to start is now. Not when you’re inspired. Not when you feel creative. Now.

See you tomorrow for Day 18.

Day 16: Truth vs. Projection (Why Transformation Fails Without Honest Data)

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

When we’re trying to make transformative progress in our lives and we don’t live in truthful capture of what we do daily, we set ourselves up for frustration, failure, and disillusionment.

The transformation either takes longer than we expect or doesn’t happen at all. And we start believing—falsely—that transformation isn’t possible.

But here’s the truth: the issue isn’t that transformation doesn’t work. The issue is we’re projecting instead of capturing reality.

My Weight Struggle: A Case Study

Weight has been a struggle most of my adult life. It’s not that I haven’t known how to lose weight. The formula is simple: take in fewer calories than you burn. Basal metabolic rate plus exercise minus food intake equals weight change.

I’ve known this for decades.

But knowing and doing are different things.

I wasn’t doing the actual math. I wasn’t tracking my basal metabolic rate. I wasn’t calculating calories burned through workouts. I wasn’t logging every bite that went into my mouth.

I was projecting what I thought I was eating. “I’m being pretty good today.” “I didn’t eat that much.” “This is probably fine.”

And the scale didn’t move. Or it moved the wrong direction.

So I’d get frustrated. I’d feel like transformation was impossible. Like my body just didn’t work the same as other people’s.

The brutal truth? I was lying to myself.

What Changed on Day 1

When I started the 7-40 Challenge, I committed to tracking every calorie in MyFitnessPal. Every single one. No guessing. No “close enough.” No projection.

Capture. Truthful, unvarnished data.

By sticking to a calorie threshold every day and logging my daily exercise, I’m being much more honest in this challenge than I would have been otherwise. Because I know I have to watch what I put in my mouth much more rigorously.

If I don’t, I’m just lying to myself—and to anyone else I tell this story to.

The Truth Creates Clarity

I got into a conversation the other day about truth—in regards to current events and politics. My response to the person I was talking to: there’s the truth, and then there is what both sides want to call the truth.

Many times, neither side is actually reporting what actually happened—just their version.

Sherlock Holmes had it right: “It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data.”

Give me the data. Give me the facts and patterns. Let the truth emerge from that—not from what I want the truth to be.

The Mirror Moment

So here’s the question I’m asking myself on Day 16—and the question I’m asking you:

Are you being truthful about the things that matter to you?

If you’re not seeing the change you want, are you projecting instead of capturing factually?

What will you do to change that today?

For me, it’s MyFitnessPal. It’s the scale on Friday mornings. It’s the daily blog post that holds me accountable. It’s the unvarnished truth that I’m 16 days in, 90 chapters revised, and the weight hasn’t moved as much as I’d like.

That’s not failure. That’s data. And data tells me what to adjust.

Day 16 Scorecard: ✅ Bible study ✅ Exercise (Workout B + Walking) ✅ Reading ✅ Calories ✅ Water ✅ Gratitude ✅ Creative hour

Sixteen consecutive perfect days. Projection eliminated. Truth captured.

The best time to start being honest with yourself? Now.

See you tomorrow for Day 17.

Day 14: Two Weeks In (The Power of Documentation)

~ David Willis ~ 5 Comments

Welcome to Day 14 of the 7-40 Challenge. It’s hard to believe two weeks have gone by with perfect execution every single day.

I’m excited about this for reasons I didn’t fully expect when I started.

The Accountability I Didn’t Admit I Needed

By forcing myself to blog daily about this challenge, I’m holding myself accountable to actually completing these tasks every day. And I hope I don’t offend anybody when I say this isn’t because I assume you’re all reading these words—although I’m grateful when you do.

Instead, I know I have to write them as part of my daily commitment to what I said I’d accomplish.

That’s accountability. And it was greatly missing from my daily life before this.

This format—public documentation in real time—creates a pressure I don’t have privately. There’s no hiding. No glossing over. No “I basically did it.” Either the seven habits are done, or they’re not.

And that accountability keeps me moving forward.

The Compound Interest Reality

If you get 1% better at something every day, you’ll be 37x better in one year. That’s not motivation speak. That’s mathematics.

Being that much better at something in just one year? That’s fantastic.

But here’s what terrifies me about that number: I could have been doing this for years.

All that potential growth. All those compounding days. Gone because I kept waiting for “someday.”

So yes, it excites me. And yes, it terrifies me. But most importantly, it reminds me: the best time to start is now, so we keep moving forward.

The Evidence Log

I’m a data person at heart. And data tells the story much clearer and truer than we want to tell it ourselves.

If I were telling you how I was doing without the data, I’d want to paint it in rosy fashion—glowing reviews, glossing over the harder parts. But when I look at the details I’m documenting in this blog, in my journal, on the scale, I know if what I’ve set out to do is actually working.

I can see it in real time.

The scale? Essentially the same as Day 6. That tells me something: if I don’t see movement in the next week, I need to tighten up my diet even more. That’s not failure—that’s feedback. That’s data steering the strategy.

The novel revision? 65 chapters done. Over halfway through 105. That tells me the creative hour works.

The blog posts? Fourteen consecutive days published. That tells me daily writing isn’t just possible—it’s sustainable.

This is the beauty of the process I’ve set up:

I’m not trying to eat an elephant all at once. I’ve broken it down into small chunks. I know what I have to do every day. I’m documenting it. And I can see the data actually showing me where I’m going—versus where I would want to say I’m going in my head.

If I’m honest and pay attention to the data, I can course-correct and keep moving forward.

Two Weeks Down

These past two weeks are something I’m very proud of. And I will continue to build on them as I keep practicing the 7-40 Challenge.

Day 14 Scorecard: ✅ Bible study ✅ Exercise (Workout A + Walking) ✅ Reading ✅ Calories ✅ Water ✅ Gratitude ✅ Creative hour

Fourteen consecutive perfect days. Data collecting. Evidence building.

Where are you in the goals you’ve set for yourself? Have you laid it out in a way that’s incrementally achievable? Drop a comment—let’s encourage each other.

See you tomorrow for Day 15.

Day 13: One Brick at a Time (And Why Compound Interest Changes Everything)

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

One of the things I’m learning most on the 7-40 Challenge—and what excites me most—is seeing how daily goals turn into long-term progress.

Here’s the math: A 1% improvement every single day compounds to a 37x return in a year. That’s not motivation speak. That’s mathematics.

You can erode a foundation one brick at a time. Well, you can also build one brick at a time. The principle is the same—small, consistent actions create massive results over time.

The Thirty-Year Dream

I’ve wanted to write a novel since I was fourteen years old. That’s over thirty years of “someday I’ll do that.”

Thirty years of wishing. Failed attempts. Abandoned drafts. Good intentions that never materialized.

In the late 2000s, I wrote a small children’s Christmas book—about ten to fifteen pages. I was proud of it. I think it sold two copies. But that wasn’t the dream. I wanted a full-on, full-length novel.

Last year, I finally decided I was going to do it.

It didn’t take nearly as long as I thought.

How It Actually Happened

Here’s the thing about writing a novel: you write a scene. You read it over. You write some more. The story keeps building. You have a decent idea, you turn it into a better idea through revision and notes. And gradually, something really cool emerges.

But it still follows this principle: you have to have repeatable daily goals and tangible milestones you can accomplish every single day to build toward larger goals.

They don’t just happen. You have to actually make time for them.

I started small. One scene at a time. One chapter at a time. I kept building, and before I knew it, I had a complete first draft: 105 chapters.

Where I Am Now

It’s a YA novel about teens with superpowers in the nineties. I’m not going to tell you more than that yet—I’m in the editing process and want to roll it out properly. But here’s what matters:

I’m currently revising chapters 61 through 65. That means I’m over halfway through the revision process on a 105-chapter manuscript.

Thirty years of “someday.” One year of actual work. And now, halfway through polishing something I’m genuinely proud of.

Why The 7-40 Challenge Made This Possible

This is why the 7-40 Challenge has been perfect for this season. I work on seven daily habits. I’ll keep working on these seven daily habits. And in my creative hour, I continue to refine and revise this novel.

One chapter at a time. One day at a time. Compound interest in action.

By early this year, I’ll be working on getting it submitted for publication or publishing it myself. We’ll see what unfolds.

But what I know for sure is this: the dream didn’t change. My daily actions did.

For thirty years, I talked about writing a novel. Last year, I started. This year, I’m finishing.

That’s not luck. That’s compound interest. That’s one brick at a time.

Day 13 Scorecard: ✅ Bible study ✅ Exercise (Walking) ✅ Reading ✅ Calories ✅ Water ✅ Gratitude ✅ Creative hour (chapters 61-65 )

Thirteen consecutive perfect days. One brick at a time.

The best time to start building? Not looking back to what I should have done thirty years ago. Not someday. Now.

See you tomorrow for Day 14.

Day 12: More Than Just Checking Boxes (Why This Challenge Is Emotional)

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

I’m in the Emotional chapter of “Made to Stick” this morning, and something caught my attention.

The Heath brothers tell a story about a soldier cook. He had retired, but when offered an opportunity to cook for soldiers in Iraq, he jumped at the post. When asked about his job, he didn’t say “I prepare food.” He said: “My job is morale.”

He understood something deeper than the task list. Yes, he cooked meals. But his real job was building the strength soldiers needed to keep fighting, to survive, to stay mentally sharp in war.

That hit me hard. Because the 7-40 Challenge can’t just be about checking boxes.

The Real Job

Bible study. Exercise. Reading. Water. Calories. Gratitude. Creative work.

Seven habits. Forty days. Repeated seven times.

On the surface, that’s what I’m doing. But here’s the truth: my job is to be living proof that change is possible.

I was made to help people. To make their lives better, easier, more purposeful. I feel that call deep inside me—the need to take care of people, to build them up, to show them what’s possible.

But I can’t do that and ignore myself.

I have to fill my cup so I can fill others.

Why This Is Emotional for Me

This isn’t self-improvement for self-improvement’s sake. If the goal were just about me, it would be much too small.

I’m doing this because:

My family needs me healthy and strong. Fewer illnesses means less stress on my wife. More energy means I can be active, do the home improvement projects we love, spend time doing whatever activities we choose. Better mood means better interactions with everyone around me.

My son needs to see this. Not hear about transformation someday—watch it happen in real time. So when life gets hard for him, he knows it’s possible to choose differently.

The 1,000 people I want to impact need proof. By clearly defining the transformation I’m undergoing and letting people watch it play out in real time, I’m demonstrating the courage they need to name their own transformation—which may be completely different than mine. But watching mine unfold might inspire them to face theirs.

The Ripple Effect

When I’m healthy, strong, and energized, my world improves. And everything my world touches improves.

My marriage gets stronger. My parenting gets more present. My work gets sharper. My ability to help others grows exponentially.

That’s not narcissism. That’s stewardship.

I can’t pour from an empty cup. And at times over the past twenty+ years, I’ve run on fumes, talking about “someday” while my cup stayed empty.

Not anymore.

Motivation and Movement

The soldier cook understood: his real job was giving soldiers the strength to keep fighting.

My real job? Giving people stuck in “someday” mode the courage to actually move. To break from routine’s gravity. To start now instead of waiting for perfect.

And I can only do that if I’m doing it myself.

Day 12. Twelve perfect days behind me. Not because I’m special, but because the mission is bigger than me.

Day 12 Scorecard: ✅ Bible study ✅ Exercise (Workout B – back, biceps, legs) ✅ Reading (Made to Stick – Emotional chapter) ✅ Water ✅ Calories ✅ Gratitude ✅ Creative hour

The best time to fill your cup? Now. Not for yourself alone. For everyone who needs you at your best.

My job isn’t just the habits.

It’s to be living proof that change is possible.

See you tomorrow for Day 13.