Overcoming Writing Obstacles

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...