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Healthy Horizons

Laurie Lupold

Millennium Meltdown

What did I expect with the coming of the millennium? Some higher revelation? Some sort of psyche for the upcoming year? But, it came with no grand revolution. Still, I welcomed it and all my resolutions for the year. Yes, resolutions, the promises we make to ourselves of goals we plan to achieve. Quite honestly we have to wonder, do we set our goals too high? How many do we actually achieve?

My thought is that we need to set our course more realistically with smaller goals to set the path of accomplishment toward the ultimate. This would help us build confidence. Our esteem would be at a high instead of the dreaded low we feel by not accomplishing what we set out to do.

I hear it often said by writers that they have difficulty finding time to write. I am one of these people. Perhaps a goal for me would be setting forth a schedule, including in that schedule a time, each day when I can write. Even if it is simply one hour a day the idea is to have that specific time for writing.

Often, I lose ideas because I am not prepared. When I am out, whether it be shopping or at an appointment, an idea comes to mind but I have nowhere to write it. More than likely by the time I get home the idea is gone. This is why, as writers, we should get into the habit of carrying a journal of ideas everywhere we go. A small pad would suffice for us to jot down whatever comes to mind so the idea is not lost.

Don't pressure yourself. Everything you write does not have to be a masterpiece. Don't let the inner critic edit everything you compose. Let your ideas flow. There is plenty of time for the internal editor to surface later. Relax and be free with your thoughts.

My final thought is that you must enjoy what you do. I take this one personally because, in the past, I have found that I was trying so hard to be the educated writer I thought I should be, to live up to some expectation that I had of myself, that it stopped being fun. When you stop enjoying what you do, it becomes obvious to your audience. Artists perform because they enjoy giving that part of themselves that makes them unique artists. They put their hearts into it. When they stop enjoying it it becomes "Cleopatra without her smile," the meaning is missing. Write what you love and love what you write but, most importantly, have fun doing it.

Until next time, keep your creative heart flowing as you head toward those Healthy Horizons!