It is always scariest before you start....

I am a writer. There I said it.

And now you may be thinking "well, yeah you write this blog don't you?" You would be right. But the huge part of that little 4 word sentence for me is the removal of the word 'aspiring'. I always seem to downplay it. It's just something we do when we are starting something out, right? (Okay, so maybe I am not just starting to write... maybe I have been writing for about 2/3rds of my life so far. But I am starting to put my writing out there and letting anyone read it. That's new.)

The heatwave this week (the 3rd since the beginning of July if I'm not mistaken), has taken its toll on me. Overheated, tired and cranky are not the most conducive to writing or anything else for that matter (it has been a week since I have done anything more than walking). So, I had a spot of writer's block for this week's post... which is why you are getting this on Thursday instead of Wednesday. Thankfully, the heatwave seems to have broken. I got am amazing night's sleep and am feeling myself again!

So, last night amidst my struggle to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard as it were), I did a little Googling about writer's block. I found an interesting correlation between the causes of writer's block and what keeps us from moving forward with a million other things in our lives - health, fitness, or starting any endeavor really. The most common reasons are: Timing, fear and perfectionism.

While timing can be a huge and very valid factor in why we are not finding forward motion whether it be in writing or in fitness and health, it is important not to let it become an excuse. For me, timing was a major reason for my writer's block this week. The heatwave, my last week at work before vacation and being currently short staffed because my colleague is on vacation and having a newbie asking questions every 5 minutes, meaning my workload is prolific. These are all valid reasons why my blod post is late this week. But they are not valid reasons to skip writing a post this week. Now that the heat has let up, I am sneaking in the time to write. Understanding that sometimes the timing is off is important, but it is equally important not to get caught up waiting for inspiration or motivation. Learning to recognize when you are using something like timing as an excuse is key to forward motion and achieving goals whatever they may be.

Fear often keeps us from starting. We fear that we aren't good enough or that people will judge us. This applies tot writing, of course, putting your thoughts and feelings out there for people to read and critique is terrifying. The same can be said of taking a class in something new and foreign, joining a gym when we are not at our fittest or even making a move in our carreer or lives. Fear can paralyze you if you let it. But as the King of Horror says above, the scariest moment is before you start. So, get out there and take the leap! I did with this blog and I can tell you, that barring any mind melting heatwave it has become easier with each post! Once you take the plunge things get easier because you know you can do it. And even if you suck at first the more you do the better you become. Practice makes perfect! 

Which brings us to perfectionism. Nothing is ever perfect. Life is about improvement and progress. Perfectionism is one of my biggest obstacles especially in my fiction writing, but even for this blog. I often restart my posts 2 or 3 times (4 for this one) before I feel ready to post them. Still, in the end I accept that they won't be perfect or I will never post them. With my fiction it is more complicated. I get to a point in every story I write where I start to 2nd guess certain things, things that mean going back and restarting - not from scratch, but with a major overhaul. I am striving to learn to just get that 1st draft done. To make a note of whatever new idea I have come up with and continue with it from there so that I can make changes in the edit... I am still working on that.

We wait for the perfect time to start that never comes. Or we want every word to be the perfect one before we show anyone one (maybe that's just me 😉). We want to be the right weight, the right size, the right whatever before we start something. "I want to be a size 10 before I wear a bikini", "I want to weigh a certain weight before I join the gym or run or dance or go to a Zumba class". The thing is while we are waiting for this designated "perfect" moment to come we are at a stand still we are not living our best life. 

Life is short we need to make the most of every minute and fill it with things that bring us joy as much as we possibly can. So remember, life is about growth - about progress not perfection. So, get up and dance, join the gym, go for a run or anything else you've been putting off! Life is happening right now. So, try something you've been putting off, stumble, fall and get back up! Hell, even suck at something and laugh at how bad you are at it! But take pride in the fact that you let go of a desire for perfection that doesn't exist and that you took a leap! What have you been putting off?

Pressing publish now!!! 👊