Have you ever become stuck when you were writing and haven't known what comes next? Have you tried to get into the habit of writing but found that all of a sudden there are way too many demands on your time and your writing time seems to get sucked up? Well, I have struggled with both of these things this past week.
There are always obstacles to overcome when writing. My biggest challenge is that when I determine to write before doing anything else there seems to be urgent issues that need to be dealt with, or distractions that I allow to take over my time. But then I find the day flies by with busy things and I find that I am too tired to be creative, or I slip back into the habit of putting myself and my creative goals last with the least amount of energy to give to my own dreams.
I am learning this lesson the hard way - You will never FIND time to write. You must MAKE time to write. It must be a priority where the most energy and best effort is applied.
This past week I actually didn't write at all. I allowed all of the other things in my life to take precedent. However, today I am recommitting to myself and my dreams. I see how easily I can slip back into old patterns and putting others' goals and hopes and dreams above my own. I see how my time can get used up by so many other things unless I make the decision to not allow that to happen. Of course there are exceptions to the rule and I can look back on this week and see why I chose other priorities. It has been a very good reminder and it is okay - because I have learned the lesson again and am determined to do better. Thus, I am writing today!
If you find yourself slipping back into old patterns, in putting yourself and your writing at the bottom of your list, take a deep breath, realize that it is a lesson to be learned, and then figure out strategies to create success rather than allowing life to continue to pass by without living your dreams. (How is that for a very long run-on sentence?)
I am learning acceptance of myself, of my imperfections, and my desires to continue moving forward even if it is slow and I stutter or fall once in a while. I just pick myself up, sit back down at the computer, and begin writing again. Life is good. And actually I had some very deep insights this past week that will help me become a better writer, even though I wasn't physically writing. The writing begins again...
