Finding Inspiration: How to Make Time for What You Love...
I wear many hats. I’m a Christian, a wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, a teacher, a blogger, a YouTuber, an author, an at home chef, a housekeeper, a friend, and the list goes on and on. I don’t know about you, but I get tired of doing all of the stuff and things. Sometimes, okay oftentimes, I feel like I’m spinning too many plates at once, and the thing I love the most, writing, gets pushed to the wayside. There have been many days where I don’t feel like writing. Many days when I’ve felt too overwhelmed, too exhausted, too anxious, too (insert emotion here). Once again, this list goes on and on.
So, how do I carve out those precious moments to put pen to paper, or in this case, fingers to keyboard? I wish I could tell you I’ve found a way to extend the day to twenty-five hours. I wish I could give you some miraculous solution, as though I took a magic tonic and BOOM… all the words came to me in a flash. But, then I’d be lying to you, and I don’t want to mislead you in any way, friend.
The fact of the matter is there are moments when I force myself to write. There are moments where I sit at my computer and just type words. Today is one of these moments. I wish I could say that once I get in the groove, brilliant words emerge from my thoughts, but that’s not often the case. Most of the time, I ramble on and on in some nonsensical manner, and I go back through my blog posts and edit the crap out of them. (Well, isn’t that a fine picture to behold.)
The same goes for my books. How do I write with such a jam packed schedule, especially on the days where I don’t feel inspired to write? I’m afraid the answer isn’t at all inspiring. In fact, all I do is write. The practice of writing a little bit every day (at least 500 words) puts me in the habit of writing. I remind myself that it's okay to have an off day, but it isn’t okay to give up on my dreams. It isn’t okay to push my happy place aside because I have “too much to do.” Sound familiar?
What is it that you dream about, Dear Reader? What is a goal you have been pushing aside because you lack time or inspiration? What if I told you the best way to start is to START? Just do it. Inspiration doesn’t come to us like a butterfly fluttering around our heads. That’s a fairytale. Inspiration is more like an angry toddler who refuses to take a nap. You just have to be consistent with it, regardless of how hard it kicks and screams, and voila, a habit forms.
It really is that simple, or difficult, depending on your mindset. So, how do I complete books with all of the chaos spinning around in my life? I sit down in front of a computer, and I type words onto the blank screen. Some of them are great, some of them are terrible, but all of them are necessary: the good, the bad, and somewhere in between. Yeah, they all matter because writing matters to me.
In closing, make it a point to carve out time for yourself. Start at the beginning. Take small steps toward your goal. Just keep swimming, as Dory would say. Time will pass by, anyway. You may as well do something you love while you wait.
