Sometimes it feels like my goals are slipping from my grasp.
Life comes along and bites me in the….butt.
Yep, sometimes life sucks and when it does, it’s tough to
stay the course.
This is what I do:
1.
Remember why I write? I love it, I can not write.
I’ve never gone through anything without working with pen and paper. Mostly poetry,
but those times are when the best poems come. It is what gets m through.
2.
I list priorities and goals. Writing them down
helps me focus. I reread them often. It
is a rudder to reset my direction and remind myself my direction.
3.
I break the goals into the smallest manageable
step. Sometimes all I expect of myself is to read through my poetry notes.
Always, always I find the shadow work for a new poem. I celebrate each
accomplished step, too, if only with a pat on the back. Breaking things down to
such small steps seems slower, but I find it actually is a faster way to my
goal.
4.
I take care of me. That is more important than
anything else I can do. When life comes at me hard or sad or fast I acknowledge
it and look at what I might need. Do I need down time, fun, rest? A friend to
talk to, a time out. I try to eat well, good, healthy food and I exercise.
Favorite thing to do is walk. Walking never fails to clear my head, help with
my writing and stress. I treat myself to chocolate, 1 oz. a day, but I savor, savor, savor.
5.
I take that leisure time.
Remember life doesn’t stop just because I have writing I want
or need to do, so I try to use life. If
life sucks, I write through it, write down my thoughts, feelings, decisions. Feel
each fully and put on paper what I can’t say out loud. I try to remind myself
that I can’t possibly write about emotion, events, happenings without
experiencing them. I try to treat myself as if I’m my best friend. I do what I
can. After all, writers write about life and firsthand knowledge is truth.
Truth is where the best writing comes from.
