Motivation
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Small steps vs big leaps
“The smaller the steps we take, the more likely we are to achieve our goals.” ~Martha Beck Starting anything new can be overwhelming, whether you’re trying to lose weight, start a new business, or write the story of your life. You might get discouraged early on — if you don’t break your goal into manageable parts. As Martha Beck reminds us, small steps are better than big leaps toward progress. If you’re cleaning up your eating habits, for instance, start with just a few healthy changes you can stick with. If you’re learning a new language, master a few words or phrases at a time. If you’re writing a memoir,…
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Creative cycles
“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks. Its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.” ~Cynthia Occelli Nature often reminds us that growth and creativity are preceded by change — or “complete destruction” — especially in the fall. Here in the Midwest, some of our trees are just starting to drop their leaves and seeds, and soon will stage a brilliant color show before shedding completely. Likewise, the best way through a creative road block is to remove something that’s getting in the way. Sometimes I have to “undo” a…
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Hit the reset button
“I need to take an emotional breath, step back, and remind myself who’s actually in charge of my life.” ~Judith M. Knowlton How many times have you suddenly realized you’re following patterns or routines that worked for a while, but aren’t serving you anymore? As creatures of habit, we tend to stay on the same beaten path, rarely stepping away from our comfort zone. We might keep buying the same brand of coffee, hanging out with the same people, walking the same route with the dog … or continually putting up with the same negative or disrespectful treatment from others. So maybe it’s time to shake things up. Time to…
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Blooming
“One day you will look back and see that all along you were blooming.” ~ Morgan Harper Nichols, author and artist As we age, many of us battle the nagging belief that we “haven’t done enough” with our lives. No matter how accomplished we are in any arena, we typically undervalue our achievements and overlook our daily victories. Worst of all, sometimes we focus too intently on our mistakes or missed opportunities. Try this instead: Take inventory of all that you’ve done with your life so far, and admit that you deserve more credit than you’ve been giving yourself. Count every achievement, large and small, whether it’s raising a family, rescuing…
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Keep moving
“If you can’t do what you long to do, go do something else. You might think it’s procrastination, but it isn’t; it’s motion. And any motion whatsoever beats inertia, because inspiration will always be drawn to motion.” ~Elizabeth Gilbert Sometimes I take breaks from my writing projects — when I don’t have the energy, or I simply have nothing to say. If I have a work deadline, that’s another story: I push myself and get it done. But after all these years, I’ve learned not to panic when inspiration packs up and leaves my home office. As author Elizabeth Gilbert reminds us today, motion fuels creativity and productivity. When you’re…
