Day 2,766

Growth:

As I carve out ideas for my book I have come face to face with an old companion, self-doubt.  There’s that voice in the back of my head asking me the difficult questions…

“What do you actually know about any of what you’re writing about?”

“Who cares about your thoughts and ideas?”

“You know this won’t be successful, right?  Why bother trying?”

And so on.  

After getting a pretty solid outline put together I decided to take a little break and read.  The voice was getting a little too loud and I needed some distraction to lull him to sleep.  Imagine my surprise when I read the following from Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act:  A Way of Being.

“Interference may also come from the voices within.  The ones in the head that murmur you’re not talented enough, your idea isn’t good enough, art isn’t a worthwhile investment of your time, the result won’t be well-received, you’re a failure if the creation isn’t successful.  It’s helpful to turn those voices down so you can hear the chimes of the cosmic clock ring, reminding you it’s time.  Time for you to participate.”

Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being

Gotta love the way The Big Dude Upstairs puts the right answers all around us should we remember to look for them.

Appreciation:

After putting more thoughts to paper I saw the sunshine pouring into my skylight. I put on my hiking clothes and boots and took off for a walk in the woods. I’m very appreciative for my foresight to bring a raincoat as it started drizzling about fifteen minutes into my hike. As the rain slowly increased I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of having the trails all to myself.

The trails twisted and turned along the bluff, occasionally dipping a little into the valley. The views were spectacular and made all the more magical with the precipitation in the air. Nothing quite like a walk in the woods in the rain to bring about a blissful state of peace and calm.

Presence:

Late in the morning I took a break from writing to get my run in.  I’d made more progress than expected and knew I was in a good spot to pause and let everything I’d just created simmer a bit.  While running on the country road I went past a farm.  Just as I started to go past their fence a herd of cows bolted from their barn and ran along the fence to watch me.  As if that weren’t enough they proceeded to run (yes, they ran) along the fence to keep an eye on me.  It was awesome!  On the way back the same thing happened!  Talk about one of those crazy surreal moments, running with the cows atop a bluff over looking the Coulee Region.  What a perfect break!

Thanks!!!