Why Do I Write Every Day?

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

“The greatest act of faith some days is to simply get up and face another day.”

Amy Gatliff

“Come friends, it's not too late to seek a newer world.”

Alfred Tennyson

Why do I write every day?  Sometimes I write for stress relief.  Other times I write out of the commitment I made to do so.  Other times I write because it’s cathartic and healing.  And other times I write because it feels so good.  Which one is it now?  It doesn’t matter.  All that matters is that I’m writing.  It’s part of my Purpose.

Why in the world do I keep going on and on about Purpose?  Haven’t I said enough about it?   How many times can I encourage people to Get Started and Keep Going?  I will stop doing this when the following things happen:

·      I will keep doing this until everyone gets it and does it. 

·      I will stop when I no longer need to say it. 

·      I will stop when I see everyone on earth living to his or her fullest potential. 

·      I will stop when I see no more able-bodied and able-minded men or women begging for money. 

·      I will stop when I see everyone who wants a job has one and one that he or she loves. 

·      I will stop when I see everyone (myself included) not wasting time on pointless drama, gossip, complaining, and criticism.

·      I will stop when people stop wasting their time…period.

·      I will stop when I see more determination, happiness, and meaningful productivity.

In other words, I will probably never stop. 

(Small aside:  this blog started going a different direction, writing about when or if I would stop writing, but upon review, I’ve decided to look at that another time.  For now I will continue on this theme.  That’s how writing and perhaps all forms of Purpose work.  One pauses and assesses and then keeps going.)

There will always be a need for encouragement.  There will always be a need for reminders.  I need both every day.  Part of the reason I write is to encourage and remind myself every day. “Encourage” means to give courage and confidence where there is little or none.  Almost every day I wake up with little or no motivation.  I’m not where I want to be in life.  In addition, I face distractions and problems throughout the day, both internal and external.  So it is important to remind myself and to create my own courage.  The only way I can do that is to write every day.  More accurately, I need to write two or three times a day.

Perhaps it’s overstating the case, but when we are in Purpose, we are in direct connection with God.  Can I be any clearer?  God, the creator of the universe, is with you when you write or paint or dance or work with autistic children or doing anything that makes the world a better place.  And it doesn’t always need to be a large or ongoing enterprise either.  Picking up trash, tying a child’s shoelace, or petting a lonely dog could be part of Purpose.   Walking for breast cancer or any other worthy is being in Purpose. 

There is an infinite number of ways to express Purpose.  But do all these ways have anything in common?  Being in Purpose usually creates the following:

·      We are lost in the moment.  We are not aware of time.

·      We feel joy.

·      We don’t want to stop.

·      Our work is blessing others, directly or indirectly.

·      Our work is blessing us, directly and indirectly.

·      Other things that were bothering us seem to resolve or minimize.

·      Life has a direction, perhaps for the first time.

The benefits just don’t end.  We don’t do it for the benefits, but they come anyway, like unexpected gifts.  This is why I Get Started and Keep Going...and why I write every day.