Click

This is Western Coffee—notes on building the creative body. Last time: Reconstituting. The whole series is here. Please share this email; you can sign up free below.

I had a moment this week that I’m so proud of: I finished the swim at a half-Ironman in the top eighth. Swimming is not my strong suit, or so the internal narrative goes; I’m used to straggling onto the beach long after most of my rivals have shed their wetsuits and zoomed off on their bikes. But a few weeks ago—after many hundreds of hours of dutiful practice, and a few good coaching tips in the free swim class at my gym—I felt a new understanding click into place in my body. Literally in the course of a single lap, I could feel myself taking command.

So keep doing the thing you’re not good at. Locate some satisfaction in doing it anyway. And see what happens.

Kindly send me your thoughts, questions, and provocations: dmichaelowen@gmail.com. And say hi on Instagram.