I don’t like writing

But I like having written.

I don’t like reading, but I love having read. 
I don’t like working out, but I love having worked out. 

The blank page is intimidating to a writer. Waking up at 4 or 5 to get to the gym hurts. Slowly reading a book is tough when I could be thumbing through Facebook. 

But there nothing like seeing your pump in the mirror after grinding out your last set. Nothing like knowing that you created something in the world with writing. Or the feeling of knowledge found in an old and half-forgotten book. Or the moment where the story you’re reading goes from chore to crack that you can’t put down. 

Listening to a podcast, I heard someone mention the idea of I don’t like writing but I like having written, and it was beautiful. More than being poetic, it resonates with all productive activities. It helps embrace the pain that leads to the reward. The next time I don’t want to do dishes, meditate, or go to the dentist, I’ll remind myself that it’ll be over soon, and I’ll enjoy the reward of having done it. With enough practice, I might even start enjoying the process itself (except the dentist).