“I just don’t feel inspired right now.”
“Not really feeling creative.”
“I can’t work under a deadline. My creativity doesn’t happen like that.”
Bull@#$*. For real. I don’t like to use strong language, yet sometimes you gotta call it what it is.
Especially if it’s ruining your artist and your life.
Excuses like that are just a little tiny whining child. That squeaky wheel of justification must not get the grease. We can’t give him (or her) a millisecond of a thought.
If we do, that moment turns into a second.
That second turns into a few minutes.
Days become months, years, and suddenly a lifetime slipped by quietly unnoticed while our artist continues to beg us to…
+Just sit down and write for 10 minutes.
+Pick up that canvas again. You don’t even need to be perfect.
+Edit that footage.
+Finally do that thing you’ve always said you would do.
***
On Robin Sharma’s blog, I stumbled across a brilliant new mantra: fire your excuses.
For the last few months, I’ve adopted the belief that I will overcome my excuses or I will become my excuses.
It even happend this morning. Here’s a conversation my child-baby-excuse-maker and I had just this morning:
Me: Time to get up and write.
Child-baby: It’s early. You have a long day at work.
Me: I’ve gotta write.
Child-Baby: You don’t have any ideas. Stay in bed. It’s 5:45.
Me: Shut up.
My artist wins.
One more gem from Sharma…
[box red]You can have your excuses or you can have your results, but you can’t have both.[/box]
What about you? What excuses will you give up to let your creativity soar?
Great post! It reminds me a little of one of my favorite quotes by Calvin Coolidge:
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”
Keep up the great work!
Poignant quote. So good.
Thanks Dannon. You’ve got the gift of encouragement.
I was going to reply but:
…I didn’t know what to say
…I don’t have the time
…someone else has probably already thought of it
…I have a headache
You’re right we need to give that nagging voice of doubt a swift kick in the teeth. Nice post.
I have found reading or just getting started writing has allowed my creativity to soar. Great points.