of course, day one has landed and my inspiration has absconded, absent without leave. I sit typing, backspacing, rewording, deleting, nothing flows and eventually I think "why bother?". Have you ever had a day like that?
It can be so easy to give up at the first hurdle. Over the years I have learnt that often just beginning, just allowing the awkwardness of boring sentences, cliche and drivel, is enough for something to awaken. When I was at school I often wrote my essays in an odd order, the beginning often came last, I knew where I wanted to go, where I wanted to end, I just didn't know how to start. I couldn't flow in laying out my intentions or write something captivating enough for the reader to continue.
Why Bother?
Giving up at the beginning is a kind of skewed survival technique. Rather than 'if you never try you'll never know' we think 'well I knew I couldn't anyway, so best stop now'. We think that giving up stops us from getting hurt, disappointed or betrayed. When we give up we often try to justify it, do away with the hope we had at that moment where we thought 'just maybe I could'. I give up, often because I know it isn't perfect, so what is the point? The point is this, the begging is always hard!
Whether its picking which one of my 40 x 40 to do first, picking up a camera and vlogging, starting a writing challenge or walking into a gym for the first time; beginning (at least for some of us), feels like its own challenge in itself.
So what to do?
Firstly, remember starting is difficult and awkward, but that's ok. When we took our first step, it was difficult and awkward but we repackaged it as 'cute'! Repackage your viewpoint.
The unpack your hope! Remind yourself why you wanted to do this in the first place, remind yourself of the direction you were heading in and keep your vision emblazoned somewhere (even if it's scrawly writing at the top of your essay!)
Take one step. For me, it was always the act of turning off my radio and putting my pen to paper. Tonight it was putting down my phone, and opening my laptop; I guess that is the modern-day equivalent.
Allow yourself to start from a different point. As I said, I often left my introduction until the end! Suprise your brain into action by starting from a different place
and if all else fails... move! I hate to say it but it works, a simple 3-minute dance party or a brisk wintery walk never fails to stimulate my mind once again!
Until tomorrow - L
Comments