motivation

If you want to be inspired, hang around these people
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If you want to be inspired, hang around these people

Whether we will it or not, the environment we surround ourselves with, the peers we connect with, heavily influence our creativity, productivity, and attitude. You’ve probably already been told a million times who NOT to hang out with, but as a creative who desires to be inspired for their art, who do you hang out with?

  • Someone who has had an adventure

This is the person who perhaps lived in another city for a time or went on a hike or vacationed to a foreign country or studied abroad or pursued a business endeavor or what-have-you. Even if their adventure wasn’t particularly successful, this is someone who isn’t afraid of trying new things, finds excitement in the unfamiliar, and can be some strong motivation for you to go on your own adventures.

  • Someone who is fiercely independent

Hanging around people who won’t take action to move out of mom and dad’s house is going to hold you back. An independent person who has had experiences will influence you to make some confident, independent decisions, perhaps the same ones that helped them get out the door.

  • Someone who knows people

It’s not unwise to actively seek out people who have valuable connections that can benefit your career. This is someone who is probably more social than you, someone who makes friends easily and is likable, which will make you likable. Those who work in creative industries know that connections are the life of artistic success.

  • Someone who has strong opinions

We don’t usually care for opinionated people, as they can at times be annoyingly stubborn and arrogant. However, someone with strong opinions is a greater influence than someone who is ambiguous and indifferent. They are much more likely to be listened to, and they emit a personality of self-confidence and morality. They can be the person who points out flaws in your plans that you are otherwise biased about and provide constructive criticism, which could help you make smarter decisions. It must be someone you trust very deeply, else their opinions will go unheeded.

  • Someone who is moved by aesthetic experiences

People who admire and appreciate beauty in different forms are extraordinarily deep and creative individuals who are not only pleasing to be around but are contagious of passion. Hang around someone who notices the architectural details of an old house or who wonders at the natural causes of a geographical monument or who enjoys breaking down the aspects of a good film.

  • Someone who participates in a physical hobby

Even if it’s just working out, a person who spends time being active for fun as well as health is overall a more productive, more positive person. And they may influence you to take up a sport as well.

  • Someone who is not affected by chaos

NOT someone who creates chaos (no one needs that in their life). This is someone who is strong-willed and is not easily upset by unstable environments. Whether they truly are unmoved or are just extremely good at faking calm, they’ll keep your feet on the ground in stressful situations.

  • Someone who is not easily offended

Name-calling, stereotyping, and difference of opinions goes over this person’s head. They hold their own beliefs and standards while not pushing it on others, at the same time being unconcerned with what others think.

  • Someone who is exceptionally intuitive

They can be a little scary, but you’ll appreciate having someone in your life who can read you and know what’s on your mind before you even speak. They’re like a psychic without all the weird supernatural stuff. They just know you that well. Hang around someone who knows how to point out what needs pointing out as well as holding back for the sake of better timing.

 

Surrounding ourselves with the right formula of environment can make or break a career, can make us a positive or negative person, and can open up opportunities that wouldn’t have been available in a different place. The people, most of all, influence the strongest. If your crowd is not inspiring you, then it’s time to make some new friends.

 

You could be your Dream’s Greatest Obstacle
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You could be your Dream’s Greatest Obstacle

Perhaps you’re in a place where you’re wondering why your dreams just seem to be playing hide-and-seek. There are a number of outside circumstances that can affect their ability to come true, yes, but have you considered that you might be the greatest obstacle?

It might be a tough thought to grasp, but grasping it can be the first step to shifting that dream-limbo reality. How might you be the greatest obstacle?

  1. You’re discouraged by missed opportunities. Discouragement is a rough thing to combat, and it never truly seems to go away even when things are looking up. After a series of unseized opportunities, it can shape your perspective into one that believes you’ve lost all opportunities and it’s time to give up. Nevertheless, discouragement can be beaten, and it doesn’t have to hold you back.
  2. You lack the motivation. I’ve come to believe that some people are more naturally lazier than others, and those individuals do have a tougher time getting places. Though not necessarily something to be ashamed of (we’re only human), it’s not something to be proud of either. A lack of motivation could be the cause, and so it would help to find some, a kind that will truly have a significant longterm effect on you so that it’s powerful enough.
  3. You restrain your potential. Either if it’s done unconsciously or with reason, holding yourself back just doesn’t make sense. There is no such thing as being “ready” for anything, so it will always be expected in vain. There are some mysteries about yourself that you haven’t uncovered yet. You’re never 100% discovered.
  4. You don’t take responsibility for failures. A lack of money or uncooperative people can easily suppress a dream, but putting the blame on them for your unfulfilled dream won’t resolve anything. The thing about those factors is that they can be adjusted with enough nitty gritty effort.
  5. You hang with the wrong crowd. Being around people who aren’t very motivated or goal-oriented is going to really hold you back. Seek out those peers who are innovative, independent, creative, and you’ll find yourself inspired to be the same.
  6. You keep your options a little too open. Quoting from an intriguing article I recently read by Psychology Today: “…our stress befalls the generation with the most optionality yet. This blessing could also be our curse.” It talks about how the stress present in the millennial generation comes from having an endless list of choices, from picking a breakfast cereal to choosing a career path. It’s been proven from research that the more options that are offered, the less likely someone is to make a solid decision. Rather, it makes us shy away and do nothing. Perhaps your dream isn’t happening because you’ve considered too many options. Even though they’re there, and they’re all equally achievable, it doesn’t mean they all should be achieved. You have to pick one path, and stick to that path. (read the article; I highly encourage it)

So, why isn’t your dream happening, you ask? Maybe it’s a matter of time, and maybe it’s something you can do. If you’re in the way, then step aside.

Quotes to give you a push
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Quotes to give you a push

Perhaps today you can use a little shove in the direction of motivation…

“You’re never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” -C. S. Lewis

“Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told.” -Alan Keightley

“The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” -Tony Robbins

“Doubt kills more dreams than failure every will.” -Suzy Kassem

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” -Zig Zigler

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” -Michaelangelo

“The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.” -John C. Maxwell

“A year from now you may wish you had started today.” -Karen Lamb

“One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks.” -Jack Penn

“Winners are losers who got up and gave it one more try.” -Dennis DeYoung

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” -Howard Thurman

As a Writer…What can you do?
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As a Writer…What can you do?

As a writer, the following thoughts constantly cross my mind. Do they cross yours? Not to toot our own horns, but writers have a pretty tough and powerful job. We make history, you know. We create worlds. We change lives with a few words. And we have our nagging doubts.

As a writer…you worry about getting a writing job.

The great thing about writing is that even if you’re not doing it for a living at the moment, you can still do it. Just keep writing, and use the non-writing job as an opportunity to gain experience and inspiration for your writing. And hey, if it’s an easy job with a minimal schedule, more time to write!

As a writer…you worry about getting the right job.

Just as I don’t believe that there is someone who is “the one,” (don’t beat me up about that now) I don’t believe there is a job that is “the one.” If an opportunity arrises, take it. Every position, however long you have it, provides some kind of substance that you take with you, even if it is an unpleasant job. Rather than try to determine if a job is the right job, look at it as simply a valuable experience that you can develop from.

As a writer…you keep thinking “I can do better.”

This kind of thinking is a weakness which is also a strength, and vise versa. It’s good to believe that you can do better; it will motivate you. But it’s important to keep this thinking and its effect in check, else it will quickly do the opposite. If you begin to notice that this thinking is causing you to doubt and give up, stop it in its tracks right there. Find better, healthier motivations.

As a writer…you can’t pinpoint your craft.

You’ve heard the question. When you tell people you’re a writer, they ask, “Oh, what do you write?” And you don’t know what to answer. Right now you dabble in different genres and formats. That’s great! You’re a writer; you’re not required to pick a genre. But I completely understand that you want to know what your style is. Well, just keep writing, and pay attention to yourself. What kind of story do your thoughts habitually drift to? And perhaps the biggest hint of your style is what you read. If your reading taste is mystery or fantasy or young adult or nonfiction, more than likely that’s your writing taste.

As a writer…you sometimes obsess about numbers.

I’m guilty of this, counting the number of people following my blog, or the amount of minutes I write each day, or the number of words in my novel. But I’m a writer. I work with words, not numbers. Numbers should not be our business, at least not obsessively. And, whatever you do, be careful of counting that one certain number that can really mess with you…money :-).

As a writer…you wonder what you accomplish with writing.

Any artist questions why they do what they do from time to time. An artistic career doesn’t often have tangible, spreadsheet results that one can share. The result of an artistic career is the creation of art, and art is something that the world cannot do without. Maybe to survive, but not to live. Whenever I question if my writing is accomplishing anything, I remind myself that what I am accomplishing is making art, which people need to live. And writing is a very powerful outlet. You can change thoughts, opinions, or decisions with what you write. Just think of that.

As a writer…you question your editing ability.

If you think your editing skills can improve, then there’s no harm in improving them! Read books, research web articles, take a class, interview an editor, whatever! A writer can always improve their skills, especially with editing. What also helps me is reading with a critic’s mind. Reread one of your favorite novels with the mind of an editor, seeing what makes it good and what could make it better. For now, if you want some good editing done on your writing, ask someone else to critique it for you. That’s what professional editors are for!

As a writer…you think you don’t read enough.

You cannot be a writer without being a reader. But luckily those of us who want to write have a natural draw and love of reading. Things like our life schedules can make it difficult to make time to read, or, if we are little more honest, the intrusion of cell phones and Netflix turns us into lazy butts. Just like what I learned with everything else in my life that I want to be doing, you have to make it a priority. Treat it as much of a demanding aspect as going to work. After all, it has its rewards. If you want to read more, then you have to discipline yourself to read more. Be patient with yourself. The point of discipline is trial and error. Let the desire to be a better writer motivate you.

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A new semester….

I endeavor to never have an excuse for an unworthy absence, even if it is legit. The last couple of days can be explained by the fact that I started classes on Tuesday, but again, like I said, no excuses….

It is a new semester, though. That always brings some stuff. I say stuff because, well, there’s just lots of stuff. School would be the primary new stuff. For the first time in two years I have an on-campus class again (I had always been taking classes online). It happens to be located in wild yet halcyon downtown Austin. I don’t really mind that. I always have a love for the city. And you know what always seems to bite me when my schedule starts to get a little bit busier? The urge to get even busier!

I have discovered that being busy motivates me to be even more busy. Or, perhaps to use a better term, being productive motivates me to be even more productive. I am not a person for idleness. I must be out, doing something, accomplishing things, making a difference. I do believe we have that urge in all of us to some degree; some more than others. Thus it’s a secret I’ve learned of myself: if I want to do a particular something, I should start on something more simple and build up the motivation. Not to mention the inspiration.

Thus, I warn myself, my mind may take off on me in this time. And I am not intimidated one bit! In fact, I’m glad to have something as mediocre as school to give me an artistic push.

Here’s to the new semester. And the ideas to be born.

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Project Inspiration

I have come to discover that I love to inspire and motivate others. I absolutely love it. It makes me feel warm and joyful and peaceful and all those good feelings. And I’ve recently come to realize something quite obvious: perhaps this is my purpose. 

I often wonder why it is God gave me the gift of writing. I’ve always known that our ultimate duty in life is to share his love with others and show him love, and our different gifts are ways that we do that. I’ve deemed the world of writing and literature as my mission field, and the written word is the best way I communicate (so much better than verbal). I know now that God ordained writing as the way that I share his love and show him love. 

I also always wondered why doing things like making homemade gifts and giving motivational advice to others made me feel so high on happiness. I believe that certain activities make us feel that way because they were the activities God ordained for us to share his love through. Now it all makes sense. I feel so happy doing these things because they were what I was meant to do.

Just a few days ago I established for myself a personal life project, called Project Inspiration. It’s ultimate purpose and goal? To go about inspiring and encouraging others, especially in the areas of pursuing their dreams and finding purpose. And I already have ideas of how I can do that, such as “Tokens of Inspiration,” crafty inspiring notes that are either regular or spontaneous, mass motivational text messages to my friends and family, inspirational messages on social media, etc. It doesn’t take a lot, and it doesn’t have to be flashy. 

I intend to take this project with me in my life journey, adding to it new ideas that can span a larger reach, like giving little gifts with notes to the homeless on the street, leaving gifts and notes for neighbors, sending flowers for the heck of it to a friend who needs a boost….there’s many ways I can show God’s love and inspire others. 

Why do I feel like doing this? Well, basically, I really want to. And I feel in my heart that I should, because it’s my purpose. I can’t wait to get started ^_^