Just Do It

I let it happen. I fell victim to the "aw, man, i'm not inspired to write about anything, so i'll just sit and do nothing" attitude again. I've had three different people in the last few days ask about this blog. And I gave all three the same answer...."Oh, I just haven't felt inspired."

Well.....that is ridiculous. Its lazy. Waiting for inspiration to come is like waiting for rain to fall in Southern California. Hey...It could happen!

I recently stumbled upon an incredible post from Mark Manson's blog entitled "The Do Something Principle." I highly recommend you read it: http://markmanson.net/do-something/ The gist is "Action isn’t just the effect of motivation, but also the cause of it." So, if you are lacking the inspiration, the motivation....then get off your well rounded and cushiony booty and DO SOMETHING. The very action itself will inspire, will motivate, will set the ball in motion. You know the one... that ball that's been sitting there on the shelf collecting dust and reminding you that you are drowning in a stagnant pond of non-artistic sludge. At least, that's what mine is saying, as it looks down upon me in its ball-like judgement.

So here I am. Taking action. I have sat down and opened this page with no plan, no outline, no idea what I'm going to write about.

And its terrifying.

I often find myself terrified these days. And by "these days" I mean the past decade or so of my life. But I am so tired of fear. Yes, some use it as a motivator, but I find myself buried under it, more often than not. It keeps me from writing, for fear of offending someone, saying the wrong thing, or opening a can of worms that I am (again) afraid to dive into. Its a fear of standing up for and beside my beliefs....maybe because I'm not sure what they are. I'm scared to make art for fear of judgement. I'm afraid of the dark. I am terrified each and every time that I leave the presence of someone i love that it may be the last time I see them.

Fear has had me running for so long. But how do I overcome it? How do I let go of a fear. It seems impossible. How do you just stop...being afraid.

I don't have the answer. But as I'm typing this, I'm reminded again of The Do Something Principle. Maybe to overcome them, we must simply face them. Take action against them. One at a time.

And hey! Look at that! I guess I am. I'm writing. I'm letting my fingers move and trying not to let my head get too much in the way. Maybe these little digits will get crazy and spin out a poem, or a picture, an outline, or....whoa Nelly....maybe even an opinion! What?!? I just have to keep them moving. Keep writing. Let the action bring the motivation, the inspiration....and overcome...the fear.

I recently overcame, what has been in the past, a paralyzing fear. I sang at my dear friend Angela's wedding. I got up there with my husband and we sang together. Before I went up, my hands were shaking uncontrollably, my stomach was turning, and there was not enough wine at the party to calm me down.

But I did it.

And I enjoyed it. Immensely! I always knew that I would, but I always let fear win in the past. Now, am I suddenly over this particular form of stage fright? No. Next time the opportunity arises, will I shake and churn and come quite close to vomiting? Probably. But it will get better each time. Because I want it. I don't have a desire to make music for a living, but I hope to be able to sing my babies to sleep with my husband one day. So, I will, slowly but surely, overcome this fear. I will do this for myself. And I will write. I will do it because I want to, because it makes me happy. I will make art and I will not be afraid to figure out what that means to me now.

And when leaving the presence of the ones I love...well...I will still kiss and hug and profess my love in abundance....but not because I fear it may be the last time....but rather because to love and be loved is the whole point of this life. I will love them so well that there is no need to fear.

So....a challenge? What is something you are afraid of? What steps can you take to stare it in the face?

Now, of course, this should be a fear keeping you from something you want, something you enjoy. I'm not saying that if you're afraid of lions that you should sneak into a zoo and ride one....or if you're scared of germs, to go lick a toilet. But if you're scared to dance, but have always wanted to....go take a class. If you dream of seeing the world, but are scared to fly....book a flight! It doesn't need to be as big as that, of course. Fears come in all shapes and sizes and you'll know in your heart the one you want to conquer. Baby steps or big steps...just do something.

And once you've done that....maybe try another...and another.

I'm going to try and keep writing. I am going to try and keep singing with my hubs. I'm going to try and crawl out from under the fear that has weighed me down and kept me quiet. I hope you find one you want to face....and I hope you slay your fear dragon! Slay it goooood.




I am grateful for this day and all the love that I have found in it. I hope you are too.