Today I behaved like the quintessential anti-Writer – at least until I cut out the anti and just started writing.
I came to a beautiful spot and was convinced that the words would percolate and come tumbling out falling down unto the page. But they didn’t.
The anti-Writer in me enjoyed the amenities of the room I happened to be in. Then I made coffee – usually a good sign that I’m drawing near to the drawing board. I even set up the essential props on the elegant, old-world, pedestal table that stood in the room in an enclave under a crescent of windows. But nothing.
I turned to playing music – Herb Alpert, Stevie Wonder; just two of the huge collection of craftsmen and women from whom I’ve drawn inspiration since my youth. The thing is I write on the iPad that was being used to play music – so again, nothing happened!
There is really no shortage of distractions that crop up just when you’re about to do something that’s important, although not always urgent, to you. There’s no scarcity of reasons why we can put off doing what we need to do to accomplish the goals we set. Looking to the craftsmen who went the way of great exploits should teach us not only about what they produced but, as critically, how they did it.
We can learn the virtue of excellence in honing our craft – whatever our chosen craft may be. But as importantly, the discipline of saying ‘yes’ when it is easier to say no and doing what we must do even when we don’t feel like it. The environment, the coffee, the music go some way to help but ultimately it’s the choice I made to simply start writing that made the world of difference!
Keep your head on straight and your heart on strong!
H Michelle Johnson
#dogreatexploits #unstoppable #juststart #procrastination
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