Holding the Spark

Last week, I was contemplating a degree in Creative Writing; an MFA. Today, I’m contemplating the personal experience of my son’s tragic accident of four years ago. My mind spins with constant activity of new goals. New ideas and new projects, want to leap to completion without the drudging of daily plodding. This daily plodding often becomes derailed because of chores and incessant tasks of parenthood. As hard as I try to maintain focus, I always find an email or voicemail, laundry or other chore which fights to overpower my desire to create.
Starting a new project idea or creation is never an issue. My spontaneity is very strong and I can easily arrive at another idea. Creative thinking is my strongest asset. Follow-through is the difficult part. How do I maintain that spark of creativity fire-crackered to keep sparkling with the same energy toward completion?
In September 2017, Writer’s Digest Magazine had an article written by David Corbett. He wrote, “It’s important that you not just write, but finish. Completing a project builds confidence, and confidence silences doubt.” (Corbett, D. 2017, September, p. 29).
How does a person build confidence to daily prod along toward completion? From where will I find the confidence to continue my daily trudging? I found a website to encourage me with confidence. Stratejoy has 12 rules written by Molly Maher. She is a psychologist with a mission to help women trust themselves and realize they have influence and should be proud of it. Her rules, called “The 12 Rules of Inner Confidence” helped me to realize the answer is within myself.
Of the twelve rules, I chose three to use as chunked information. Besides, three is a magic number.
1. Be positive. Hold onto your positivity! I need to practice my writing and tell myself I am a writer; and write it every day. Like the Secret, taping the statement to my ceiling along with the latest project name or picture will help me to visualize completion. Daily input of seeing this before I go to sleep and when I awaken each morning will make my inner confidence stronger.
2. Hold onto integrity. Ms. Maher states, “Building inner confidence requires being accountable for my actions and reactions; the good and the bad”. Once I accept my weakness to be easily distracted, I’ll be able to keep my guard up and focus!
3. Get stubborn! Maher says, “Do things your way.” Just like Sinatra, there’s and influence of style when I can say, I did it my way. My disabled son always, regardless of action, says, “I did it!” There’s something to that.
When I take the first opportunity to act and follow-through, just as I am now with this article, I can feel the assurance and reassurance grow within. If I practice confidence and all the actions that help to make it stronger, it can only grow. Just like practice makes perfect; practice builds confidence and discipline. Each day I practice, each day I succeed; and the spark makes a fire.