Most of the time inspiration comes
only after having put in time and effort.
But once in a while, and only once in a while, some kind of motivation
or inspiration comes and if I am wise, I seize that moment and get to
work.
I haven’t written a blog in a long
time. I told my Muse that I was afraid
for that very reason. What if I’ve
forgotten how to write? What if I have nothing new or interesting to say? What’s the point then? The point is that every once in a while I get
tired of my inactivity. The fear of not
doing something is greater than the fear of doing something, even if I do it
badly. So here I sit, after a very long
time, just seeing what comes up. Again, the point is not to be Shakespeare or
Hemingway or Steven Pressfield, but simply to put something down on paper (or
on a screen). Why am I doing this when I
haven’t done it for a long time? For the same reason I did it before:
love. Love for my Muse. Love for myself.
And love for anyone who reads this and might be facing a big task that looks
overwhelming or a lot of small tasks that are annoying. Love for anyone who is facing similar
struggles with his or her art or move or project or homework.
Sometimes the best answer to
inertia or fear is to simply push through. No. Not push through. Blast through. Just go without thinking. Think about what
needs to be done, but not the results, good or bad. Just focus on the work. Why does this
work? Because fear is almost always
based on the future (usually an imaginary future, at that). But when I focus on
what I need to do at this moment, then there is no future. There is only this
moment. There is the joy of getting it done. There is relief. There is a rise in endorphins and
self-confidence. There is joy. Generally,
after pushing through I feel more relaxed during the day and I sleep better at
night.
Although I still recommend planning
and scheduling and creating daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals, sometimes
we just have to push through. It’s not a
method I recommend using on a regular basis. To depend on this is unsafe and
usually produces mediocre or rushed results. I’ve heard it said that the idea
of people doing their best work under pressure is only a myth. But once in a while it is best to just push
through. Especially for those big tasks we hate.
I just pushed through now. I just finished another blog. It may not be
the best blog I’ve ever written (or maybe it is…), but at least I got it done. And
not because I hate it, but because I love it. I’m tired now, but I got it
done. I will sleep well. I already feel
a little bit better about myself. I was
able to Get Started and Keep Going. I
pushed through. For my Muse. For myself.
For you
