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You ever lay down and think about death?

Kind of like a creeping rot…

That’s what boredom is. It’s not harmless but it’s akin to death.

It’s the kind of thing that turns your brain into mush and makes your soul feel like it’s been left out in the sun too long.

(Obviously not here in England though cause it looks like it’s about to piss down tonight where I am)

But yeah. Nobody likes their soul feel brittle, cracked, and useless. That’s what boredom does before you inevitably want to crawl up into a ball and die.

But there is a cure. There is an antidote and it’s simple.

Will it cost you $997 to discover? Nope.

Just learn something.

Anything. Pick up a skill, dive into a topic, chase after something that sparks even a flicker of curiosity.

It doesn’t have to be related to what you do for work, or even what you think you’re “supposed” to care about.

I’ve just gotten back into music production and switched from using one piece of software to another. It’s hard because they work completely differently from one another. But the thing is I’m learning.

I mean you can take up woodworking. Learn to bake bread. Watch documentaries about black holes or ancient civilisations or competitive sheep shearing (yes, that’s a thing). It doesn’t matter.

What matters is that you’re feeding your brain, giving it something to chew on, something to stretch and grow with.

The cool thing is…

Whatever you learn will bleed into what you do. Always.

Bake bread, and you’ll start to see how patience and precision changes everything.

Study black holes, and suddenly you’re thinking about the vast, terrifying beauty of the unknown and how that applies to your own work. Even weird shit like sheep shearing teaches you something about focus, skill, and the weirdly satisfying joy of a job done well.

Learning keeps you sharp. It keeps you curious. And curiosity is the magic sauce for everything.

Without it, you’re coasting. And coasting is another word for stagnation, and stagnation is just boredom dressed up in a slightly fancier outfit that covers your own flesh vessel.

So, what are you learning today? And if the answer is “nothing,” then here’s your sign to fix that. Go pull on a thread. Follow it. See where it leads.

I mean the more you learn the more you become or whatever it is the fancy identity and belief shifting guru’s try sell to you.

And if you want to see competitive sheep shearing in action this is the type of shit that pops up on my youtube at around 2-3am

Stephen Walker

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Stephen Walker
Unit 146317
PO Box 7169
Poole
BH15 9EL
United Kingdom

It’s almost become a thing for me to do micro book reviews or give recommendations and why…

So if you’re wanting a little break from my madness then check these out.

The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus

Why read it?

Because life’s an absurdist joke, and Camus hands you the punchline like a swift punch to the face.

Should you off yourself in a world without meaning? The answer is no but if you’re a writer. It’s basically gasoline for stories about characters grinding their teeth against the world and what is going on.

The Conspiracy Against the Human Race by Thomas Ligotti

Ligotti’s nihilism has been likened as a cheese grater for your soul.

Existential horror so sharp it’ll make Lovecraft cringe.

I’ll admit that I had to read this one a few times to unpack what was inside, but if you look at it. It’s like the series Black Mirror but for you as a writer.

SJWs Always Lie by Vox Day

If you want rage-bait before rage-bait was a thing. Read Vox’s stuff. It’s pure culture war paranoia. Which is flawed, furious, and fucking polarising. If you want a masterclass on rhetoric, this will show you how it all curdles into dogma.

Shout out to https://bensettle.com/

He put me on to his stuff years ago.

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie

Sometimes you wake up and it feels like your brain is on a meth binge and you’re everywhere in thought. Nothing good, nothing bad but it just sits there.

If you’ve ever wanted someone to chill you out and set you straight again…

Carnegie’s the grandpa slapping it with a newspaper full of common sense.

In the creative world. Anxiety is the enemy of the muse.

On that note. After spending a few hours out in the sun (Which is rare here in England)

I’m gonna go enjoy a nice pint of the black stuff.

Stephen Walker

If you’re not diggin’ these tasty little emails anymore you can hit the unsubscribe button right here >>> unsubscribe

Stephen Walker
Unit 146317
PO Box 7169
Poole
BH15 9EL
United Kingdom