News Flash: Natalie Marie is the winner of Edith’s author apron and cover flat. Congratulations, Natalie – please check your email!
Liz here. About a month ago, I was stuck. In both life and writing. I had about four thousand words written for my Cat Cafe book two, which is due at the end of August. And I had no creative juices flowing whatsoever. No desire to even pick up the computer.
A problem, right? The clock was ticking and the to-do list was piling up. So I did what anyone else would do. I found a new podcast series to listen to.
I wasn’t in the mood to listen to my normal crime podcasts. Instead, I found one called Adventures in Happiness, hosted by Jessica Ortner of The Tapping Solution. It was just what I needed – fun topics and fun guests. One of the people on the show was a Feng Shui expert.
I’d always liked Feng Shui, but another area where I was stuck was with my living space. I hadn’t really made it mine yet, and didn’t quite know how to get there. Which I assumed was contributing to my creativity problems. So I checked out this person’s website and decided to do a consult.
After my first conversation and a few quick-hit adjustments, I was surprised at how much better I was not only feeling, but how things were starting to flow. I added 11K words that first week, and managed to make my place feel a lot more homey by simply moving some things around, changing some colors and adding a few touches like plants and flowers.
But the best part? I started committing to doing positive things for myself every day that not only helped keep me in my creative flow, but actually shifted me into a place of power that I can channel into all areas of my life. Simple things every morning like a workout, a meditation, reading something new, taking a few minutes to nurture relationships, both with myself and others – all these things helped get me out of my funk and into a better place.
There’s a whole list of things that I tackle every morning – well, most mornings – but here are my top three that make the most difference:
- Journaling – I’ve written about morning pages before. I’m a huge fan. It’s all about getting the garbage out of my head and onto the page so it’s not festering and driving me crazy. With this new process, it’s about taking something that may seem negative, finding the lesson in it, then identifying how to apply it in all areas of life. Really cool.
- Meditation – I’ve been working at this for the last year, and I’ve improved a lot. Now I’m making a point of doing it every day, twice when I can. I feel the results.
- Workouts – I’d gotten out of the habit of doing a workout most days, and I felt it. I tend to fall into the trap of thinking that if I’m not doing an hour-long, high intensity workout, it doesn’t count. Wrong. Some days, I do a 30-minute on-demand class. Others I do yoga at my studio. Sometimes, I take an extra long walk with Shaggy and it’s my workout. And it all works. I feel energized, and I don’t feel guilty when I have some potato chips 🙂
And the best part? I’m writing every morning before the day job, so I can go into my day feeling accomplished. And if I get back to the computer at night for more, it’s just gravy. If I don’t, well, I already hit my word count for the day. And how cool is that?
I may even make this deadline without the drama this time…
Readers, do you have any habits that help you navigate life in a more positive way? Leave a comment!