So, certain things has happened to me over time (very much like the rest of us) that made me slow down, stop completely, break down, wallow, reevaluate, be grateful, learn the lesson and carry on. Easy right? Not so much.
Have you ever told yourself that you'll get to something (usually the big things such as your passion, like me and writing) and you never really do? One day you look up and it's five - ten years later and you're wondering where the time went. Well, my friend it's called L I F E and you technically just blinked it away.
I realize that not many people think in such a nerdy fashion as I do, but yesterday I thought to myself - "How many blinks did it take me to get here?" I mean, it's something that we are constantly doing. We've become experts at it. If we put as much effortless dedication into something that we thoroughly enjoyed as we do into something such as blinking, breathing, eating, working a 9-5 (or my case 9-6), being a mom, being a wife - you get the point... We'd be rich and happy rock stars. What do all of those things have in common you ask? Well, they are pretty much, more or less things that we feel we absolutely have to do. Why not have that pertain to a passion?
What do you enjoy? Keep in mind that it can be more than one thing. There are 24 hours in a day; if we can modify exercise to 10 minutes daily, create 30 minute meals, or catch up on This Is Us, we can absolutely dedicate that kind of time to do things that center us. How about learning a new language or picking up a hobby? Maybe you want to paint or volunteer. I'm telling you that there's plenty of blinks for it. Perhaps you can dedicate two hours for two days a week instead of two hours every single day.
Well, that's what I've decided to do before I'm all blinked out. I started by adding an alert on my phone to remind me to take a hot bath to calm down, stretch for a full 10 minutes and to write for 30 minutes daily, before bed. At first, I just stared at the alerts when they popped up. It was months before I actually paid enough attention to them and didn't treat them as a nuisance that someone else had annoyingly placed on my device. Then came the task of tackling one at a time. Naturally, I chose the easiest one first, take a nice hot bath every single night. I have rheumatoid arthritis, so this was a major benefit to feeling better before turning down. The second alert, being to sit still/meditate and or stretch for 10 minutes was a little more challenging, because naturally I'd be tired after a bath, which would cause me to fall fast asleep most days. I eventually came up with the idea to meditate first. Problem solved!
Writing would prove to be the most difficult task of all. Find the time to play around with words... Don't get me wrong, I always have the words, but there seemed to be no set time to produce them. There was no consistency. I'd write well for a few days and then not pen anything for as long as 6 full months. However, my thoughts kept going. I'd dream stories. Heck, I'd daydream stories and it borderline haunted me. Until, I decided that I'd put pen to paper...every clever thing that came to me, I wrote down. I tried not to lose even the smallest of stories. Something crazy happened. IT WORKED!
In the movie, Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner hears a voice that says, "If you build it they will come". It haunted him to the point that he created that baseball field right on his property and the ghosts of old baseball greats came out to play. Sounds creepy, but bear with me. It became so much more than just that. IT WAS SO MUCH MORE and I think that we don't realize that on the quest to our desires and or dreams, it gets so much greater than we can ever imagine. That thought, that feeling, yields a much bigger picture. So, set yourself up for greatness. Here's a little check list that I keep for myself.
1. Work on feeling better always. Start with the basics like with a baby; Eat. Sleep. Purge. Nurture Yourself.
2. Find ways to relax your mind. Find a hobby that includes only you; Meditate. Do puzzles. Read. Collect Rocks.
3. Stay on top of the daily grind. Make sure things are in order; Your kids. Your home. Your job. Your bills.
4. Find time to fuel your passion. Make sure to work at it daily or at least weekly. Actually schedule yourself into your own calendar.
DO NOT blink it all away. ;)