On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

Best-selling author Brianna Wiest inspires readers to reclaim their power and improve their lives in The Mountain is You. Here’s a thought-provoking excerpt:

Don’t worry about doing it well; just do it.

Don’t worry about writing a bestseller, just write. Don’t worry about making a Grammy-winning hit, just make music. Don’t worry about failing, just keep showing up and trying. At first, all that matters is that you do what your really want to do. From there, you can learn from your mistakes and over time get to the place where you really want to be.

The truth is that we actually do not accomplish great feats when we are anxious about whether or not what we do will indeed be something impressive and world-changing. We accomplish these sorts of things when we simply show up and allow ourselves to create something meaningful and important to us.

Instead of perfection, focus on progress. Instead of having something done perfectly, focus on getting it done. From there, you can edit, build, grow, and develop it to exactly what your vision is. But if you don’t get started, you’ll never arrive.

Source: The Mountain is You, p. 37

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

A long-time fan of bestselling author Claire Cook, I look forward to reading her monthly newsletter. Here’s an excerpt from her creativity self-help book,
Life Glows On:

Being creative is not about being discovered or getting famous or becoming rich or producing a mountain of award-winning work. Not that there’s anything wrong with those things, but I think they’re different goals altogether. Or at least add-ons, like extra cheese and guacamole.

Sometimes the creative goal or project is secondary to the creative journey it takes us on. Sometimes it’s all about the goal, and we just want the satisfaction of hitting that creative finish line.

One person’s creativity is not another person’s creativity. There are no rules. But even though I can’t find your creativity for you, the good news is you can find it for yourself.

Being creative is about touching hearts. It’s about finding our own heart. It’s about tapping into our past and remembering the unique experiences and insights that make us who we are. It’s about flipping our adversity and challenges and experiences into a point of view, a vision, a style, a voice. It’s about standing strong in our authenticity and individuality and distinctiveness.

Being creative is about reaching forward and seeing things in new ways. It’s about growing and learning new skills. It’s about sharing not only what we create but also how we create it, as a way of providing value to others, because we can, because we want to.

Creativity is a habit, a practice, a style of living. It’s a way to find and refine your story, to share what you have to share with the world. It’s a safe haven, a place that is always there for you when you need to get away from it all.

Once we decide to let creativity in, it’s ours. To find it, we don’t even have to click our ruby slippers like Dorothy did in The Wizard of Oz.

We simply have to keep doing creative things until creativity becomes a habit that enhances our life. Our creative pursuits can be as simple or as complicated as we want them to be. One way of being creative isn’t better than another way of being creative.

We can play. We can dabble away to our heart’s content. We can choose a goal and then put a structure in place to reach that goal. We can go the professional route and earn money from our creativity. We can shoot for the moon and go as big as we can go. Or keep it small and close. It’s up to us.

I think it’s basically a matter of finding the approach that suits our personality as well as our goals and priorities. One approach can eventually lead to another. Or not. It’s all about choice.

But thinking it through ahead of time and being intentional about the creative path we’re choosing, at least as a jumping off point, is important. It can make a huge difference in terms of both getting where we want to go and enjoying our journey along the way.

You can follow Claire on her website.

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

A long-time fan of bestselling authors and coaches Marc and Angel Chernoff, I look forward to reading their emails and blog posts. Here’s an excerpt from a recent post:

Growth can be painful, change can be painful, but in the end nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong. So be selective with your energy today. If you can fix a problem, fix it. If you can’t, accept it and change your thoughts about it. And whatever you do, don’t attempt to invest more energy than you have tripping over something behind you or something that only exists inside your head.

Of course, there will be times when it seems like everything that could possibly go wrong is going wrong. You might feel like you will be stuck in this rut forever, but you won’t. Sure the sun stops shining sometimes, and you may get a huge thunderstorm or two, but eventually the sun will come out to shine. Sometimes it’s just a matter of us staying as present and positive as possible in order to make it to see the sun break through the clouds again.

And remind yourself that the trick on the average day is to enjoy the little things. Don’t wish away all your days waiting for better ones ahead. Just do your best to appreciate where you are. You’ve come a long way, and you’re still learning and growing. Be thankful for the progress and lessons. Take them and make the best of things right now.

Note: I highly recommend subscribing to Marc & Angel’s website.

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

In her empowering guide, Be Mighty, Jill Stoddard offers practical advice and support to women who struggle with stress and anxiety. Here’s a thought-provoking excerpt:

As you pilot your plane through life, despite a carefully crafted flight plan, the sky will get dark, the weather will get stormy, and a bird may even fly into your engine. Hijackers will show up, further attempting to steer you off course with their taunts: “Stop navigating toward health, self-care, and authenticity—you don’t deserve it, and who are you kidding, you can’t bear cravings or stress, you have no idea how to handle real problems.”

The hijackers have pushed your detonator, so now what! You could grab your pinot and pizza parachute, abandon your aircraft, and allow it to blow to smithereens. Or you could send a Mayday signal to air traffic control, turn up the volume on your headset, and listen for some wise guidance: “Remember the flyer you admire. Now hold the yoke steady and persevere through the turbulence; pull back with your determination and courage to climb above the storm. Your integrity is illuminating the runway.” Air traffic control—your values—will always be there, 24/7/365, to guide you and keep you on course through the roughest of conditions. All you have to do is listen and course correct.

Source: Be Mighty, p. 86

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

Here’s a thought-provoking reflection from international speaker and bestselling author Joyce Meyer:

If you are experiencing emotional or physical pain—no matter how big or how small—it can seem overwhelming. But here is something to hold on to: a struggle or personal loss doesn’t have to overshadow every part of your life. You can still have joy even in the midst of sorrow.

Joy isn’t always extreme hilarity; sometimes joy is simply a calm delight. And you can delight yourself in God and in his promise to always be with you even when times are difficult—especially when times are difficult.

The key is to trust God. He knows what you’re going through, and if you trust Him, He will restore your joy. You may not see how it’s gong to work out or how you’re going to get over it, but know that God is in control, and He can do the impossible.

Source: Quiet Times with God by Joyce Meyer