Tag Archives: Writing

Once you’re Spiderman, you’re Spiderman for life. Forever. The suit won’t burn, and it’s flame resistant. That’s the point.

You try being Spiderman.

You get crazy calls in the middle of the night. Calls from the Chief of Police asking to catch a burglar trying to rip off the new flat-screen T.V.

Spiderman doesn’t care about the T.V.

Yet he pulls on the suit. That stinking suit. Because he didn’t get around to washing it yesterday.

And it’s hot with those sucker cups on the fingers. The bundle of ropes and a little package of equipment is cumbersome. He puts on the suit, anyway, and it’s his job.

Only Spiderman can put on that suit.

Off he goes. He is flying out from his living room window, swinging from rooftop to rooftop.

Until there is the poor, dumb burglar, the Chief called about. He is humping the T.V. on his back to the get-away car.

So Spiderman does what he does. First, he falls on him. Wrestles him, and just enough to whoop him. Then tie him up—no big deal.

You might think something big will happen to you when you’re Spiderman. That’s only in the movies, and it doesn’t happen that way – not even for Spiderman – in real life.

Nothing happens.

The Chief calls, and he goes.

The burglar gets an ass-whooping. Spiderman leaves him for the police.

The Chief calls again. Same story, different day.

Once Spiderman considered something different. He thought he might try something exciting like racing cars and something to make his heart beat at a different rate.

But once you’re Spiderman, you’re Spiderman for life. Forever. No turning back.

The suit won’t burn, and it’s flame resistant.

Maybe that’s your problem. Who knows. Perhaps that’s the entire problem with everything. But really, it’s an unknown blessing. Who you are is the best part once you figure it out.

Nobody can burn their suits, and we’re all flame resistant.

Picture this: You find yourself mindlessly munching on a bag of sunflower seeds. Before you know it, you’ve eaten 200 of them.

Those 200 sunflower seeds could have turned into 20,000 in just a few months if you had planted them instead.

This analogy illustrates the power of investing in the future.

I am thinking about the tough in-the-moment choices I have to make to invest in my long-term growth. This is often uncomfortable, even if it’s obvious.

I say no to short-term pleasures to say yes to my ideal future. Not my ideal “now.” This means being intentional with my time and energy.

Especially now. My day job is busy, and my freelance marketing and writing hustle is growing. I am making sure that my actions align with my values and aspirations.

It’s easy to be caught up in the day-to-day and lose sight of the big picture. Worse than that is to be caught up in the day-to-day, aware of the big picture, but missing the follow-through.

Day after day, of focusing on the sunflower seeds in front of us, instead of planting them and nurturing them to grow into something more significant.

I want to achieve my goals and positively impact the most important people in my world.

The uncomfortable choices are the most obvious. Give up the instant gratification of eating sunflower seeds now to plant them and wait for them to grow later. The rewards of delayed gratification are much more significant. Sacrifice in the short term reaps much greater rewards in the long term.

Again – the uncomfortable choices are apparent. Are we following through on the obvious?

So, rhetorically, I’m asking you because I’m asking myself, Who are you saying no to, and who are you saying yes to when it comes to the time you want to invest in your ideal future?

I won’t be afraid to make uncomfortable choices and invest in the future. The seeds I plant today can grow into something extraordinary tomorrow.

Yoda said, Do. Or do not. There is no try.

I have an idea I could pursue, and I’m sharing it here to put it in writing for
1). to remember this idea for myself and
2). for you to have it and run with it.
3). to practice writing a script, which I’ve seen advertised on freelance job boards.

This would look like a video or an audio short.

It’s called Barefoot Grateful, and the idea is to replace an unhealthy habit (marijuana smoking) with a healthier habit (grounding, gratitude, and breathwork).

[Eric is standing outside, with bare feet on the grass]

Eric: Hello, this is Eric L. Walker, and welcome to day 2 of my 60-day journey of not smoking marijuana. As part of this journey, I’ve decided to trade my habit of smoking marijuana for a healthier practice.

[Eric takes three deep breaths]

Eric: Instead of smoking weed, I’m grounding myself by putting my bare feet on the earth and taking three intentional deep breaths. Doing this allows me to connect with myself and nature and appreciate the fresh air around me.

[Eric pauses for a moment to reflect]

Eric: I’d like to share something positive with you. Today, I’m grateful for my health and the opportunity to make positive changes in my life. I pray for strength and determination to continue this journey, and I’m excited to see where it takes me.

[Eric smiles]

Eric: If you’d like to join me in this practice, all you need to do is kick off your shoes and put your bare feet on the earth. Take three deep breaths and share something positive with yourself or someone around you. It’s a healthy practice that can bring you closer to yourself by doing something intentionally and helping you cultivate gratitude.

[Eric takes one last deep breath]

Eric: So until tomorrow, I’m Eric L. Walker, sky-gazing, sunbathing, grounding in, growing in gratitude and grace. Thank you for joining me today, and I hope to see you again tomorrow.

Not a text, not a DM on social, not an email. Not even a phone call. This is an envelope with a stamp the delivery person brings to your mailbox.

Imagine the recipient of said note when they check their mailbox. Unsuspecting of this remarkable communication they are about to receive.

Typically, they would sift through credit card offers, coupons, and ads. Nothing unusual or exciting. Nothing to take notice of.

Yet on this particular day, mixed in with the junk mail, is the envelope from you. Something different.

You now have their attention.

The pull of this envelope is more potent than a 15-second Tic Tok video and more urgent than scrolling news headlines. Almost nothing on a screen can compete with your note.

They will even put their phone down. Opening the envelope requires two hands.

Congrats, you have cut through the noise. And you’ve done so with the most authentic intentions.

Curious. They waste no time opening the envelope. Then read something you wrote just for them, which feels positive and uplifting, and they feel appreciated.

In that moment of appreciation, they have zero negative feelings. They are filled with goodness. You have just made their moment.

This gesture may cause the grateful recipient to perform a similar act and pass it forward.

The simple act of following up on your kindness promptings will change the world.

Imagine if you made this five-minute habit a daily practice and wrote something worth sending daily for a year. One person at a time, day after day. It compounds.

• Would this make a positive difference in the world? Your world?
• Could this be the righteous act that conscientiously objects to taking sides, joining tribes, or making others wrong?
• Could this be the path of positive resistance you’ve been looking for?

I believe it’s worth a try. I have started and stopped and started again with this practice.

I can report that this happy habit won’t just rock the world of others but also your world. With consistent practice, your attitude, your ideas, and your entire trajectory will begin to improve.

Before you know it, you’ll be looking for the good in your daily encounters, and when you’re looking for the good, it’s impossible to be looking for the bad simultaneously.

If you’re the type of person that looks for the good, the good will find you. You become more “attractive.”

Let’s say you decided to try this for a week. Seven consecutive days. Who would be the first recipient, and what would you communicate?

Progress doesn’t arrive if I retreat into isolation to perfect my work. I never emerge with a masterpiece. Instead, I evolve in public, which means showing up and being prepared to deliver. I don’t find it comfortable to think aloud or persist through failure to produce “good enough” work. Yet that’s how I’m getting better. Day by day. Assignment by assignment. Client by client. Blog post after blog post. Drip, drip, drip. I show up ready to my home office. In doing so, I refine and deliver – through personal practice, collaboration, mentorship, and ultimately the market. This awareness is part of the work. The idea lends itself to anything worth pursuing.