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Archive for the Fine 'n Feathered Articles Category
How to “Eureka!” More: 4 Scientific Tips for Turbo-Charging Your Creative Breakthroughs
September 8, 2007 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.
Last fall I was in our town’s public library. An unlikely magazine cover jumped out at me.
It was the cover of the October/November 2006 issue of Scientific American Mind, and it hailed the following innards:
- “Flashes of insight in a BRAINSTORM”
- “Tap Your Creative Powers”
And the feature article…
- “AHA! The Eureka Moment” !!!!!!!
As the co-owner of Epiphanies, Inc. – a content strategy team powered by a mission, logo, and tagline that says, “A-Ha Yourself!” – such innards are priceless.
The article kicks off with Einstein flipping the concept of time and space with one of his bold flashes. Though we non-genius types may fall short of such humanity-shaking breakthroughs, we DO have mega-important insights that rock our own worlds, creative journeys, personal missions, and businesses.
As authors Buenther Knoblich and Michael Oellinger put it:
“We all know how it feels for a solution to a tough problem to suddenly appear in our mind. The chips fall into place, the lightbulb goes on - and the answer seems so obvious that we are amazed we had not noticed it sooner, which is what creates the ‘Aha!’ feeling.”
Want more breakthrough moments in your life or business? Here’s how…
SLEEP! That’s right. Cat nap, power nap, meditative shutdown, or the deep, eight-hour bed flop. Such time outs are prime playgrounds for churning ideas and problems, and restructuring them to create solutions you may have missed in the harsh light of the waking world.
GET FRUSTRATED! Often, our mightiest “Aha!” moments come after we face a challenge using our previous know-how to no avail. Our stale smarts have us running in circles, wasting time “reapplying methods we already know to be futile.” The upswing? “This mounting failure is precisely what drives us to restructure a problem. The increasingly tense stalemate initiates unconscious processes that change our mental representation of the problem…Suddenly, novel possibilities emerge.”
DUMB IT DOWN! Ever heard of “TMI”? It stands for “Too Much Information.” Ironically, TMI in your field or niche is a threat to your “Aha!” moments. When you’re steeped deep in your own info, “habitual use of familiar objects and problem-solving strategies limits the ways [you] employ them.” So while a certain level of education or experience is vital to your success, finding ways to get out of your own head is key to busting through mental blocks.
PERK UP! Wander. Meander. Break away and lift your spirits. The authors suggest a good ol’ ping pong game, or an ice cream cone - something simple that’ll boost you out of flat-lining emotions and thinking. Give your brain a break from its toils. “Plenty of research has shown that a positive attitude helps the unconscious brain look at a problem from a different angle, improving your chances of solving it.”
Remember, the best “Aha!” moments ultimately lead to the all-powerful “A-Ha!” - bold insight PLUS joy-filled action - that fertile birthing ground for novels, monuments, scripts, businesses, paradigm shifts, theories of relativity…and your next inspired creative venture.
Increase the number of “Aha!” moments in your life, and the chance for the “A-Ha!” that rocks your creative life, business, writing, and/or artistic recovery increases exponentially.
Eureka!
(c) 2007 Epiphanies, Inc.
Psst! Wanna use the above article on your own website, blog, ezine, or newsletter? Please do! Simply include this blurb with it:
As the founders of Epiphanies Inc., Lani and Allen Voivod, help lifestyle entrepreneurs and small biz dynamos “A-Ha Themselves” in fun and profitable ways. For FREE articles, tips, and strategies, sign up for their “Inciter” ezine at www.EpiphaniesInc.com!
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“Yeah, But Are You REALLY a Writer?” (Part 3 of 3)
June 26, 2007 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.
The 10 Surefire Steps That’ll Defeat “The Writer Mystique” Once and for All! Woohoo!
Soooo…
You wanna call yourself a writer without apology, hesitation, self-doubt, or excessive justification, huh? Take “The Writer Mystique” and shove it somewhere the sun don’t shine? Tell those “Dark-side Dwellers” to pitch their pathetic tents of toxicity someplace else?
Ten steps, baby. Right here, just for you. Read ‘em and leap!
1. Go ahead. Seriously, just do it. “I…am…a…writer.” Start today. Then turn to your notebook, computer, napkin, or forearm and write something!
2. Build your momentum. Tomorrow, write something else. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat, infinity!
3. Cut to your confidence. Got something you’ve written that you’re particularly fond of? Super! Now click the “Word Count” feature in your MS Word toolbar, take note of the number, and then get to work on downsizing that number by 20%. That’s right – just delete, cut, and backspace your way through your work, even (and especially!) if you think you can’t possibly lose a word without sacrificing your piece. Once you get past the agony of this new habit, you’ll be stunned by the grace and splendor of the leaner, cleaner version. Make it your regular practice and you’ll master the art of ruthless editing – which is a published writer’s most valuable tool, bar none.
4. Read about writing and writers. Cruise, scan, and flip through craft-related books. (Never forget, the library is a writer’s best friend – and bookstores are the cherished expensive-drinkin’-buddy equivalent.) A few titles will keep popping up for you. Trust your process and read these more intensively. If your world is rocked or your mindset blown away by any of these, make the investment and add them to your own library for quick and easy reference. (Writers need their favorite tools at the ready!)
5. Read about other things that interest you. When you become an aficionado on the things you love, your favorite details will naturally delight and inspire you…and they’ll eventually find their way into your writing. Ain’t that beautiful, though?
6. Train yourself to “Read Actively.” This simply means PAY ATTENTION to voice, style, content, form, and tone while you read, and think about what you like and why. What draws you? Is it the way an author turns a phrase, or is it the subject matter? Is it sentence structure, or obsessive attention to detail? Is it easy on the brain, or brainiac-rich? Active or passive voice? Formal or casual tone? Put on your best Sherlock hat and unlock your own mysteries.
7. Experiment! Try out different genres, voices, styles, subjects, etc. in your own writing. (But only if it’s FUN! If it feels like work, take a break from it, or move on altogether.)
8. Connect and conquer. Take a writing-related class, attend a workshop, join a writers’ group, check out a teleclass, or do it all!
9. Get rejected. Query magazine editors, enter contests, submit to websites, pitch agents, fail miserably. If you get rejection letters, GOOD! They’re tangible proof that you’re doing something toward your passion and development! The more you collect, the more you increase your chances of success. Consider them to be priceless collectibles, and start building your wealth portfolio.
10. Let your mojo flow and go, go, GO! Understand this: The only way you’ll be able to discover what you’ve got inside – and ultimately, what kind of writer you are – is to let it come out of you. Allow for messy. Invite imperfect. Bang it out without overwrought judgments. If what comes out really does stink to high Heaven, throw it out and start anew. Your creativity is NOT finite – IT’S INFINITE. When you fully appreciate this concept, your ability to produce will floor you, and the THRILL, JOY, and LOVE of writing claims victory, once and for all.
And you’ll know, at long last, you’ve single-handedly overcome THE WRITER MYSTIQUE.
Yipppppeeee-YAY-Yaaaaaaahhhooooooooooo!!!!!!
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEBSITE? Please do! Just kindly include this blurb with it:
As “Chief Creativity Evangelist” of Epiphanies, Inc., Lani Voivod is a daily poster child for Adult ADD and all its trimmings. In between creating kids’ content on Barbie.com and launching pop diatribes via her American Midol column on DeadBrain.com, Lani aims to “tickle your inner scribe or scribber - write here, write now” with her Wild Quills Ezine!
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“Yeah, But Are You REALLY a Writer?” (Part 2 of 3)
May 3, 2007 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.
How to Spot the Dark-Side Dwellers of “The Writer Mystique” and Avoid Their Horrid Fate
Be afraid. Be very, very afraid.
For in this world – a world in which you may simply wish to express yourself, play with concepts, invent alternate universes, or answer life’s most pressing questions with a spin and system all your own – there are people who are card-carrying experts at maiming your moxie.
To makes matters worse, they often don’t strive to be spiritual killjoys – they…just…are.
Who, pray tell, ARE these oblivious asphyxiators, these unwitting denizens of “The Writer Mystique” and its gloomy, hobbling dark side?
- The Critics. A motley bunch, the Critics are chameleons. Under normal circumstances, they’re often some of your closest, most supportive pals. But tell ‘em about or show ‘em something you’re writing – a project-in-progress, a published article, a seed of a book idea – and if they’re standing in front of you, you can actually feel the wince. The corner of an eyebrow pops, and a smear of an upper lip curdles in plain sight. They may say, “Congratulations” or “Sounds great” but they don’t mean it. Or worse, they’ll take the next half hour telling you what’s wrong with your idea, or how you could have done your article better, or that they just saw a feature in the NY Times about how the market is hopelessly saturated with exactly what you’re interested in writing. Why do they do this? Well, chances are pretty high these Nanny Negatives may be…
- Thwarthogs. This group once had daydreams galore. They may have even practiced acceptance speeches, or known what couture they’d wear at their big book signing, or as a nominee at their first industry awards ceremony. Then something happened (like, say, Life), and the carefully plotted fantasy went askew. Perhaps they received one too many rejection letters, or maybe they got as far as earning a bad review for a larger-scoped endeavor that was close to their hearts. Whatever it was, they took it far too personally and decided the game wasn’t for them. (Or anyone else, for that matter!) Dream amputation hurts like heck. These people believe that Writers are something they are not, and they’ll never be. Case closed. Yeeowch.
- Insanely Successful Writers. Not all of them, but you know the ones. They own entire shelves at your local bookstore. They charge for their book signings. They’re rumored to franchise their name to clandestine ghostwriter sweatshops that specialize in mimicking the author’s cash-cow, reader-approved formula. Somewhere during their ascent to Publishing Legend, they’ve forgotten their struggling-writer past. ISWs assume every starry-eyed fan: 1) is doing it all wrong, 2) can’t possibly know how to rip a piece of paper, let alone a plot, 3) is an inferior talent, intellect, and humanoid. These ISWs have forgotten that, in addition to talent, there’s timing, luck, circumstance, connections, and personal life stories that may not look like their own success trajectories. Thus, they perpetuate The Writer Mystique so that dibs on the craft remain exclusively theirs.
How many of these rascals hang out in your address book? Are they so close to you that they bring the sweet potato pie at Thanksgiving dinner? Or do you smell their toasty Quizno subs over cubicle walls every now and again? Or maybe they were once instructors or idols, until the day they scoffed at your manuscript in front of a roomful of peers?
Learn to identify these creative curmudgeons and you’re that much closer to cutting through the fertilizer and sowing the seeds of your wildest writing dreams.
Because the truth is, if they stopped snubbing, correcting, and poo-pooing your work long enough to unleash, produce, or fail miserably at whatever’s been haunting THEM all these years, they’d be far more compassionate toward your own plucky pursuits.
To crib from an overused dating dictum:
It’s not YOU, it’s THEM!
Let the power of that truth sink in. By the time it’s absorbed and you’re ready to overcome The Writer Mystique once and for all, the last installment of this three-part article series will show up on the blog…
And all will be well with your writing world, in ten easy steps.(!!!)
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEBSITE? Please do! Just kindly include this blurb with it:
As “Chief Creativity Evangelist” of Epiphanies, Inc., Lani Voivod is a daily poster child for Adult ADD and all its trimmings. In between creating kids’ content on Barbie.com and launching pop diatribes via her American Midol column on DeadBrain.com, Lani aims to “tickle your inner scribe or scribber - write here, write now” with her Wild Quills Ezine!
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“Yeah, But Are You REALLY a Writer?” (Part 1 of 3)
February 2, 2007 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.
Defining Our Nation’s “Writer Mystique” Epidemic and Its Three Most Empathy-Worthy Victims
There are doctors. Lawyers. Ventriloquists. There are geologists, dog stylists, hand models, tugboat engineers, and ostrich farmers.
There are a whole lotta different hats to wear in this great big world of ours. But no hat beckons the quantum wrath quite like the one that bears the word “WRITER.”
Honestly, serial killers undergo less scrutiny for their interests. And what’s worse, when the inevitable “Oh? What do you write?” volleys from skeptical inquirers, Writers – who prefer to duck behind carefully chosen words, phrases, and comebacks in the first place – are forced to stutter through some imbecilic justification of their existence (which, frankly, never passes muster).
“Me? Oh, well, I, uh, I’m working on…Hmmm. Well, you see, one of the projects is kind of – oh, I’m not making my living as a Writer quite yet. I’m really just a [insert day job here].”
This socially awkward hoedown is just one of the hallmarks of “The Writer Mystique.”
What IS “The Writer Mystique”?
It’s a bizarre, impenetrable, regrettable force field surrounding the idea of The Writer, Writing, and those audacious enough to be or do either. It kills dreams, snuffs potential, and hijacks the buzz right out of the finest cocktail parties.
The Writer Mystique (TWM) is the horrible expectation – either from a Writer or One Who Converses With a Writer – that a person needs the equivalent of Stephen King’s oeuvre to employ the “Writer” title.
Victims number in the quintillions. In fact, no one who’s ever written a sentence and then paused to enjoy its unexpected cadence, content, or splendor is safe from TWM’s snooty tentacles. Take, for example…
- The Apologists. These are professional wordsmiths (Editors, Reporters, Copywriters, Technical Writers, PR Folks, and Proofreaders) who get paid to produce or know good writing, yet will wrestle you to the floor if you ever dare suggest they’re a “real” Writer. These folks usually have manuscripts squirreled away in some drawer, box, or hard drive that only a sibling or spouse knows about, if anyone does.
- The Hobbyists. Ask these people what they did last night, and they will lie to you – LIE to you! – citing early bedtime, bad TV, or voodoo potions, rather than admit they outlined a short story concept, scribbled a poem, or completed chapter 17 of a novel they’ve been writing for as many years. Funny – you can play guitar, create scrapbooks, workout, knit, make Lobster Thermadore or spend hours analyzing Fantasy Football stats, but write just for the fun of it, and you’re a time-squandering, pitiable imp. I don’t get it.
- Modicum-of-Success Writers. This is a harmless bunch, really. Harmless, that is, to everyone but themselves. To themselves, they’re demonic. They’ve achieved enough to see that making a living as a Writer is in fact possible, but not enough to mollify the panic that their success is a fluke, or a time-sensitive condition about to expire. They’re like rabid ferrets gorging on chocolate-covered espresso beans, chasing paying writing gigs up every needle-and-leaf-bearing sprout poking out of the dirt. They gush sweat at family gatherings and always have an updated “practical” résumé on file, “just in case the writing thing doesn’t work out.”
Recognize anyone – or yourself – in any of the above categories?
Yeah. Me, too.
The good news is you’re already on the road to TWM recovery, because the first step toward overcoming The Writer Mystique is recognizing it exists.
Brace yourself, though – there’s some bad news, too. I’m talking about the victims of TWM that dwell on the dark side. You can’t avoid them, and when you ARE face to face with one of them, you darn well better be able to recognize your antagonist…or you’ll be crushed like a rice cake in a blender.
But don’t go making snack mix yet, my friend – cuz I’ll serve these sadistic scoundrels up to you on a platter for full inspection – and rejection! – in a future post!
(That’s what Industry Insiders call “The Cliffhanger.” Pretty tricky, if I do say so myself.)
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEBSITE? Please do! Just kindly include this blurb with it:
As “Chief Creativity Evangelist” of Epiphanies, Inc., Lani Voivod is a daily poster child for Adult ADD and all its trimmings. In between creating kids’ content on Barbie.com and launching pop diatribes via her American Midol column on DeadBrain.com, Lani aims to “tickle your inner scribe or scribber - write here, write now” with her Wild Quills Ezine!
Posted in Fine 'n Feathered Articles | 3 Comments »
Congratulations, You Failed!: The Sublime Art of Failing Miserably
November 1, 2006 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.
What’s your worst fear?
Spiders? Speaking in public? Being rushed to the hospital wearing yesterday’s underwear?
If you’re like most people, whether you admit it or not, it’s FAILURE.
And no group knows FAILURE quite like writers and artists, right? We put ourselves out there time and time again, while editors and critics earn their titles and paychecks through the sprightly act of tearing our work to shreds. Ouch.
But really, when we FAIL, what happens? Does the sky fall? Do we lose our homes? Our shirts? Or worst of all – our pride? And if all these things happen and we’re still finding time to read this article, was the outcome really so devastating?
More often than not, FAILURE is nothing more than a shift in expectations. You thought you wanted one thing to happen – like, getting published in your favorite magazine – but instead you get something else – like, a rejection letter from your favorite magazine’s editor.
But…what if it’s not FAILURE? What if, like those old Reese’s candy commercials, all of the “your-chocolate-in-MY-peanut-butter!” moments are really birthing stations for HAPPY ACCIDENTS?
“Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit,” said Napoleon Hill, founder of the Motivational Movement and best-selling author of Think and Grow Rich, in which 500 millionaires were mined and matrixed for their winning life formulas.
And Happy Accidents are definitely seeds of great might. They’re those well-disguised gifts that – if allowed to spawn rather than spurn – can easily become your own life’s (or the world’s!) Next Big Thing.
Penicillin was a Happy Accident, enduring more than 40 years of dismissals before it became “the discovery that changed modern medicine” in 1939. Heck, Columbus’s “New World” was a FAILURE, in that it didn’t reveal the coveted western passage to the Far East, as the notorious navigator had originally hoped to plot.
“Success is 99 percent failure,” said Soichiro Honda. Yup. His billion-dollar enterprise only came into being because Toyota wouldn’t buy his piston rings, and his other peculiar designs and patents were laughed at for decades. (Of course, when Japan’s post-WWII economy inspired Mr. Honda to slap a little engine on a bicycle – thereby inventing the Honda Motorcycle Company – Soichiro laughed all the way to the bank!)
Truth is, virtually every successful author, artist, business person, and accomplished human on the planet boasts a string of spectacular FAILURES that could trip a stampeding herd of juiced-up Paul Bunyans.
Which leads us to the Great Irony of Life: Failure is NOT a thing to be avoided, but rather, THE golden objective to pursue, accumulate, tally, gulp, and experience at every opportunity.
So here’s the magic key to creative freedom and fun, for all endeavors big and small. (Listen up! It’ll change your life…)
Ditch the pressure of “Success or bust!” and switch the goal to dogged failure.
Fail, fail, fail, and fail some more at something (or everything!) you LOVE to do, and sooner or later you are destined to succeed – whether or not you’re wearing clean underwear.
From one of Failure’s favorite protégé’s, please hear this:
May you always have the strength and courage to FAIL MISERABLY at every opportunity, and may you live on to become one of the biggest failures the world has ever known!
(As for the state of your undies, for heaven’s sake – stack the deck in your favor. Keep ‘em clean – or go commando!)
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEBSITE? Please do! Just kindly include this blurb with it:
As “Chief Creativity Evangelist” of Epiphanies, Inc., Lani Voivod is a daily poster child for Adult ADD and all its trimmings. In between creating kids’ content on Barbie.com and launching pop diatribes via her American Midol column on DeadBrain.com, Lani aims to “tickle your inner scribe or scribber - write here, write now” with her Wild Quills Ezine!
Posted in Fine 'n Feathered Articles | 1 Comment »
Six Wily Ways to Start ANYTHING New
June 26, 2006 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.
Unconventional Tips on How to “Dive Right In!” Despite Fear, Despite Time, Despite Self-Doubt, and Despite Raging Pessimism
By Lani Voivod, fearless (ha!) facilitator of The Wild Quills
We’ve all been there.
We’re presented with a shining opportunity – it gets us excited, it feels right, and we know it’s a wonderful thing for our mind, spirit, and soul. But when the time comes for action, we freeze like a shoeless, sock-less toe on the vast arctic tundra.
And then comes the fun part: we either pretend that the opportunity never existed, or we mercilessly regret our cowardice for the rest of our lives.
Well wiggle your toasty tootsies, folks! Because it doesn’t have to be like this anymore. Next time you feel yourself shirking from what you know you really want to do, try using one (or all!) of these six tricky tactics to bust through your personal barriers.
1. Don’t Let the Past Predict Your Future. Hey – just because you’ve never been able to move past your fears before doesn’t mean you’re destined to stay stuck forever. Rely on two time-honored clichés: 1) “There’s a first time for everything!” and b) “There’s no better time than the present!” Then take that leap to the next level with a heart-thumping, “Geronimo!”
2. Take Advantage of Your Multiple Personality Disorder. Many of us have too many moods to count, and those beauties have no problem appearing at their wacky whims. Why not call upon one of your bolder, TAKE NO PRISONERS personas to conquer the challenge in front of you? Wear a weird hat, an uncommon outfit, or a silly accessory to help you stay in character. There’s a good chance no one will even notice. (And if they do, so what?)
3. Bribe Yourself. Need a new pair of jeans? Want the latest CD from your favorite singer? Wish you could justify a spa day? Make a shrewd deal with the chicken within! Tell yourself that if you move forward with that which is intimidating you, you will EARN the gift you covet. Don’t cheat on this one, kids – or else your gift will be marked by the eternal stench of dirty booty, and nothing gets that smell out. J
4. Focus on the Bragging Rights. Okay, so you’re fearful of failure, unsure of the unknown, tapped for time, or nookered by negativity. Step back for a second and imagine yourself on the other side of things. Are you proud? Smiling? Merry-making with friends and family who are doting on your latest decision or accomplishment? Well GO ON, then, hop to it! The accolades are even sweeter when they’re experienced in real life.
5. Manipulate the Time/Space Continuum. Impossible, you say? Ha! I do it all the time! Simply write down your mind’s nagging to-do list. Now, instead of assuming the list is meant for an aggressive deadline – like a certain day, week, or month – trust that it serves your own life’s highly personalized overarching timeline. Then revel in doing what YOU want WHEN you want, or until you’re not really interested in doing the stuff on your list anymore. Pretty wily, indeed!
6. When All Else Fails, Invoke Objective Perspective. Most opportunities in life don’t actually go away – we just give up on them. Life happens, right? Things get postponed, other things take precedence…Yup, we all get sidetracked. The good news is, whether a goal takes a week or a decade to accomplish is of little importance. It’s whether YOU eventually reach it that counts. So remember – THIS IS YOUR JOURNEY – not your calendar’s. Might as well point those twinkling toes down the road of your dreams and go, Go, GO!
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEBSITE? Please do! Just kindly include this blurb with it:
Writer and Creativity Aficionado Lani Voivod is a daily poster child for Adult ADD and all its trimmings. Whether she’s creating kids’ content on Barbie.com or writing pop culture diatribes for her popular American Midol column on DeadBrain.com, Lani hopes her co-owned-with-spouse writing business, www.EpiphaniesInc.com, will be living up to its evocative name before we know it.
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You Gotta SHUT UP to SHOW UP: The Essential One-Two Punch for Creative Evolution
May 23, 2006 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.
Here’s a horrifying fact for you:
You will never do anything worthwhile in this life.
Unless, of course, you DO something.
But…what? And even if we actually know what to do, we KNOW it’s not enough. We also know it’s not good enough, and we definitely know it’s not original enough.
We KNOW there are others who do it better. We KNOW that WE could do it better, if only we had more time or resources. And finally, we KNOW no matter how hard we try or how well we do in the final analysis, we still have no guarantees.
We know a lot of things, don’t we? (We’re such smarty-pants-es!)
Too bad we didn’t always know to just…shut…up.
Step One: SHUT UP(?)
I hear you. You’re saying, “Isn’t that a little harsh?”
Yes. It is. But it needs to be. We’re talking to that yammering nincompoop within who KNOWS-KNOWS-KNOWS everything there is to KNOW about possibility, probability, limitations, reservations, ramifications, and vicious straight-to-the-jugular deprecations. Some common refrains from this idiot:
- “You don’t have time to waste on silly hobbies and petty indulgences. You’ve got more important things to do!”
- “You know you never stick with anything. Why even start?”
- “C’mon, be honest, this is way over your head. Oh, and you’re wayyyy too old. You also don’t have the right look. Or personality. Or talent, for that matter. Did I mention no one even likes you, you have terrible body odor, and your mama dresses you funny?”
Lovely.
Now hear this: This voice is not you. It’s not someone looking out for you. It’s the voice of Finertia™ (that’s “Fear” and “Inertia”), a crotchety ol’ bag who hasn’t changed her daily routine since Caesar reigned o’er the land. Finertia needs to put a sock in it and let you live your life without the negative play-by-play.
Finertia is a PARTY POOPER. She doesn’t deserve your time and respect. She’s lost the privilege of your attention. Kick her to the curb and MOVE ON.
Step Two: SHOW UP!
Now that Finertia is out of your way, you’re left with only one thing to do:
SHOW UP.
What does this mean? It means…
- You schedule playdates or writing time or creative activities for yourself, and you DO NOT skip or reschedule them.
- You go to those classes and appointments you signed up for while you were feeling hopeful, encouraged, happy, and inspired…even if you’re not feeling that way when the time arrives for you to SHOW UP.
- You don’t indulge in that age old lie known as “writer’s block.” It’s a luxury, not a reality.
- You don’t blow off or postpone your craft based on what you presume your output should be, might be, or could be.
You’re not the judge. You’re not the jury. Your mood means nothing to your output, and it’s irrelevant to your creative destiny. Every time you sit down at your computer (or easel, or potter’s wheel, etc.), you’ve got one goal: Get SOMETHING out of you. Do it. Again. Again. And again. Do not stop. DO trust the process.
THAT’S SHOWING UP. And that’s what it’s all about.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEBSITE? Please do! Just kindly include this blurb with it:
Writer and Creativity Aficionado Lani Voivod is a daily poster child for Adult ADD and all its trimmings. Whether she’s creating kids’ content on Barbie.com or writing pop culture diatribes for her popular American Midol column on DeadBrain.com, Lani believes her co-owned-with-spouse writing business, www.EpiphaniesInc.com, is destined to live up to its evocative name before we know it.
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