Following Through on Things That Are Important to You
I have a book in me that is ready to come out, it’s something I’ve been wanting to do ever since I was in my early twenties and knew I wanted to be of service to this planet. I feel like I am going to burst with enthusiasm and joy for this project, yet I am also stuck because I am terrified it won’t happen and I have no idea how to go about this process. How do I allow this book to come to fruition without getting in my own way, as in trying to talk myself out of it, putting it off, staying inspired, etc.? This is so important to me, and I don’t want to lose this momentum I feel.
Sam, Colorado
Hi Sam,
Congratulations, that’s great! And I get where you’re at – oftentimes in the same instance that brilliance and inspiration strike, fear, doubt and confusion as to how to proceed also enter the picture. This is of course normal but it doesn’t have to be your long-term experience with this project that’s so near and dear to your heart. I happen to have a client who is well into the writing process of his own book that is bursting out of him, but he started right where you are. While I’m no expert in book-writing, I do have some ideas and suggestions that have been very helpful for him, myself, and many others I know. Below are some tips that will hopefully help you out in remaining in alignment with this project, maintaining your energy and passion for it, and of course, help you finish it. Furthermore, these tips can be applied to anything you are working on that is of importance to you and you’d like to see come to fruition.
First of all, ideas, inspiration, motivation, and creativity all come from a place of alignment, or being centered and connected. When we’re in alignment, we have access to everything we need to create; when we’re out of alignment, we can only see about 6 inches in front of our faces and have very limited access (i.e. we feel uninspired, unmotivated, at a loss as to what to do, etc.). My advice would be to make being in alignment your top priority throughout this process (and all of life, really!), especially before each and every time you sit down to write. For example, many authors I know meditate, exercise or go for a walk outside, pray, practice gratitude or do all of the above before sitting down to write. It raises their vibration and gets them in a state of flow and receiving, and good things always come from that!
A great tip that was given to me by a certain best-selling author you may have heard of, this guy Neale Donald Walsch (wink wink), was to set sort of a sacred time to write as well as a minimum of time you are going to write for each day. For example, writing in the morning for at least 15 minutes a day. If you end up writing for longer than that, great, if just the 15 minutes, then that’s great, too. He also gave me the tip to never stop at the end of a chapter or paragraph, or even at the end of a sentence for that matter. Give yourself a place to easily pick up from. I thought that was brilliant. No wonder this guy has published so many books, eh?
Finally, one thing I have done as well as the client I mentioned earlier, is to give yourself a “writing retreat”, as in remove yourself from the everyday distractions and go somewhere simply to write for a few days. For example, my next writing retreat is 2 days at hotel where I will also pamper myself and spend some time relaxing (that’s how I happen to get my greatest inspiration and work done). In other words, make this fun and pleasurable! Carry that initial energy of excitement, enthusiasm, joy and passion forward as much as you can.
Can’t wait to read your book, Sam, be sure and let us know when it’s done!
(Nova Wightman is a CWG Life Coach, as well as the owner and operator of Go Within Life Coaching, www.gowithincoaching.com, specializing in helping individuals blend their spirituality with their humanity in a way that makes life more enjoyable, easy, and fulfilling. She can be reached at Nova@theglobalconversation.com. )
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