We have an outdated approach to pronouns.

When you’re trying to become a master at your craft, some days can be more difficult than others. At times, you may feel like it’s all you can do not to throw your hands in the air in defeat and give up. It can be very tempting, particularly when you’ve faced some setbacks. During these moments, it might take an extraordinary amount of effort to actually get up and continue making progress in your work.

This is the default mode that most of us operate in, each day. The easiest behaviour is “autopilot” mode, since it requires the least effort. This is the behaviour you would do every day out of habit. For most, this means doing a whole bunch of nothing. For a few hard-working people, this means doing what is routine for them.

It’s appealing to think of ourselves as the result of a single choice to do something great, as if the best writers in the world suddenly decided “I want to be a great writer” and then became one. One choice, and then our path is set before us.