The Theory of Inevitability

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. “
-Annie Dillard

The Theory of Inevitability is the closest thing to a core belief I have. And it works like this:

You will inevitably be drawn towards what suits you. Look at any professional, any master of any craft, and you’ll notice a subconscious level of dedication. These people habitually practice what they are good at, what they enjoy. 

If you’re sitting down on your day off, if you’re contemplating every choice you’ve ever made, you’ve probably found yourself doing something you love. You paint, you study, you work with your hands, you continually develop your ability to eat hot dogs really quickly, etc etc. No matter what it is, you put the time in. Not because you think, “this is what I need to do to be taken seriously,” but because you genuinely enjoy it and you want to be competent to your own definition of the word. 

If you give a shit about something, you practice like it’s not practice. And you probably do it damn near every day unconsciously.

To bring it to a personal level, I work hard most days to say something that speaks to me, and maybe somebody sees it and it means something to them too. I like to write because I have the opportunity to bring some genuine joy into someone’s life. I hope it’s something I always enjoy doing, and I wouldn’t trade that feeling for anything.


I think that’s how it is for most of us, and I hope you never lose the ability to love what you inevitably do.