“Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill
When this wonderful quote popped up on my radar screen, I knew I had to share it. After all, who among us hasn’t, at some point, found ourselves going from failure to failure? A story we’ve started to write falls apart, another story is rejected, we can’t seem to jumpstart another project we want to devote time to.
Whatever the string of misses or near misses is shaking up your own particular universe, as Winnie says so well, the key to success is not letting them drag you down—not losing your enthusiasm for a particular project or the writing life.
How can we fuel our enthusiasm to keep it burning brightly in the face of the ups and downs that come our way? A few ideas I’ve found useful:
Tap your inner child: Sometimes, we just take ourselves and our work too seriously. When we do, the stakes get higher and higher until they seem overwhelming. The simple solution: Lighten up! Make your work not work, but “serious fun.” Play around. Give yourself a chance to relax about it all. Take a tip from one of my favorite Yogi Teabag sayings: “A relaxed mind is a creative mind.” And when we feel creative, our ideas take wing and our enthusiasm soars.
Ask “What if?” Sometimes playing the “what it?” game can light a fire under us. Asking this simple question can lead you down a different path or two—and give you insights into how you can make a plot or a character stronger. What if the only person who knows the truth about something that’s happened has sworn never to reveal it? What if your main character’s biggest flaw was different from the one you’ve given him or her? Ask “what if?” and see where it takes you. Chances are, it will be someplace exciting and once you’re on the road to it, enthusiasm will follow!
Turn to buddies for a boost: Sometimes we just need a pep talk from a writing buddy—someone who knows our work and what we’re trying to do. I often send bits of my children’s novel to friends so they’ll know what I’m working on, but also because I’m hoping they’ll get excited about it and get me excited, too.
Ask for help: Sometimes we are genuinely stuck and our enthusiasm seeps away because we’re in a rut. When that happens, one of the best and smartest things you can do it to find help. This may mean asking someone you trust for feedback or ideas. Or taking a zoom seminar to see if a presenter’s insight might be just what you need to get going again. Pulling yourself out of a rut can rekindle your excitement about a project. Forward motion sparks enthusiasm and enthusiasm sparks forward motion—a great combination!
Give gratitude: When you need a dose of enthusiasm, try thinking about all the aspects of your writing life you love and are grateful for: the chance to be creative, the opportunity to share what you’ve learned, the thrill of creating a whole world full of amazing characters, the precious gift of being free to do work you love and find fulfilling. Another Yogi Teabag quote I love: Gratitude is the open door to Abundance.” When we count our blessings, they often bless us with a renewed sense of purpose and enthusiasm.
OK, these are my ideas! What steps do you take when you hit a roadblock and need to enliven your enthusiasm? I’d love to hear about them and share them as we all write on!
