People fail. I consider it a truism and an activity we should engage in more often. Tasks we practice and perfect, become rote. With memorized movements, the process is automatic, and our brain is no longer fully engaged. Our culture prizes efficiency and mastery of specific skill sets, which forces experts to learn minute facts in an ever-tightening circle. The culmination creates grandmasters of hollow details they dissect into oblivion.  It leaves us with a deep void we can’t fill.

Gaining mastery in a task is commendable, but problems arise when we deem we have arrived at our ultimate destination. With nowhere else to go, we have no reason to question assumptions, challenge the status quo, or think of alternate possibilities. We stop learning and cut off any conversation that runs counter to standard operating procedures.

Risk-taking is scary, and like a child learning to walk, the only guarantee is the opportunity to stumble, fall, and struggle. The fact is, we only fail if we end the journey with the first roadblock. The trial of trying something new is also exciting and exhilarating. We experience the world from a unique perspective. We are more alive when our intellect is challenged, and we are consumed by a problem to solve. We decide if our ineptitude is an embarrassment or a magnificent adventure filled with wonderful discoveries. I opt to embrace failure and move forward to success.

What will you try today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

We’ve all experienced the stark terror of staring at a blank page. While we may have an intended topic or a brilliant idea, the thought of conquering the unknown mocks us, and we freeze. What is more perfect than a pristine page? How can we possibly live up to the expectations? How do we proceed? An old saying counsels that we make a trail by walking. It is only when we turn around that we “find” a path. Art teachers encourage their students to make one mark on the canvas.

Sheer physical willpower is my answer. Whether it is bold and daring, or meek and uncertain, action leads to action. I force my fingers to move. I ignore the panic and type whatever words reach my fingertips. No matter how crazy it sounds, or banal, or weird the phrases seem, I let them flow. I push negative thoughts from my mind, shush my inner critic, and turn off my editor.

With each successive word, the process becomes less forced, and I can feel a trickle that promises the flood. As I relax, sentences emerge, which quickly spin into paragraphs. Hours pass, and the once barren page, now overflows, leaking across multiple sheets with a story.

How do you conquer a blank page?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Dismissing your intuition is easy. We live in a world that values logic, science, and proven methods. We hear stories of people claiming their lives were saved by listening to our unknown instinct. It reinforces the message it’s dangerous to ignore the little voice whispering in your ear, as it tries to guide you onto the right path. Everyone has experienced it. Somehow you know the correct course of action without knowing why. Your logical list says go, but your gut stops you.  It is your unconscious reasoning. Intuition is a special form of communication. It is a bridge connecting the subconscious mind with the conscious mind.

We need tons of courage to disregard logic. Often this means going against the advice of advisors, parents, or other individuals in powerful positions. It takes guts to go with our gut. Trusting your intuition is the ultimate act of trusting yourself. I have never regretted my decision to listen to my inner voice. But every instance where I didn’t, I wished for a redo.

What is your intuition telling you?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Being a writer is difficult. It doesn’t look hard. You just type on a keyboard. If you ascribe to the infinite monkey theorem, you continue hitting random keys for infinity. Eventually, you will produce the complete works of Shakespeare. You can do it, right? Ahem, well no, not really. Most authors want a better plan since they might aspire to multiple books completed in their lifetime.

The story matters, and it requires pulling lessons from your life and the world around you. Every creator puts pieces of themselves in their writing. It is personal, and they risk harsh criticisms. Writers often dream of telling tales that highlight human connections, expose foibles, and celebrate overcoming adversity. Those are the stories people love. Those are the novels readers can’t put aside, and they read past their bedtime to finish, later recommending them to both friends and strangers.

Authors shoulder the heavy burden of high expectations with each blank page they face.  Why are we surprised when we crumble under the pressure? Storytellers can’t help themselves. They see scenes playing in their mind, their characters are real, almost human. Novelists are driven to create, to make their visions tangible, and it allows them to present their special gifts to the world. They hope the audience will laugh and cry, that they will cheer the hero onward, curse the villain, and demand more when the drama comes to its end. They believe they must share the creation they carry with others.

Do you believe?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Why do we wait? What makes us hesitate when every fiber of our being screams for us to seize our dreams? Do we want to grieve time lost and ask ourselves “what if”?  What if we dared, acted courageously, ignored fear and naysayers who undermined our enthusiasm? We can’t afford to accept other’s opinions and discount our belief in ourselves. We have today with no guarantees for tomorrow, next week, or years from now. Why should we compromise, settling for a path which forsakes our true vision?

We are creatures of habit, and we love predictability, structure, and routine. It can be difficult, and stressful but continuing along a route that does not honor our inherent integrity creates deep-seated anxiety. Personal transformations require conscious intention, trust in the reason and purpose for the alteration, and a viable reward for enduring the struggle. But change can also be a positive force. Transformation exhilarates us, producing dramatic shifts and relieving stress as we move toward creating a life that reflects our inner truth.

What are you waiting for?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Doing nothing is an impossible assignment for me. It is a foreign concept. Literally. They call it Niksen, Dutch for the art of doing nothing. It is uncomfortable. It feels wasteful and smacks of evil. Yes, evil. Have you not heard “Idle hands are the devil’s playthings”? They attribute the quote to Benjamin Franklin, so it must be correct. Yet, when do we do nothing? Not checking our phones, texting, or binge-watching the full season of the latest “must-see” miniseries while we mindlessly eat dinner. They teach us engaging in busyness is vital, predictive of our success. Inactivity means we are lazy, unproductive, and are not contributing to society.

Is it true? What are we producing when we view a tv show? How productive are we flitting and fluttering from task to text, juggling our over-scheduled lives? What if we took a moment to revel in the rising sun’s beauty, while we sip our morning coffee? Would calm and peace influence and have a positive impact on our entire week? Would we boost our overall daily productivity, increase creativity, become better problem solvers, and improve our mental health?

So, lately, I have tweaked my schedule to allow myself to ease into my day. I have stopped playing video games and swapped it with a program to learn another language. The substitution allows me to relax, while also enhancing my knowledge. With one minor change, I can accomplish two goals in the same time frame. And it gives me more time to do nothing.

Do you grant yourself space for nothing?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Summer means stifling temperatures and humid days punctuated by unexpected thunderstorms. We are accumulating multiple days where the mercury rises above 90F, and the meteorologists aren’t promising any relief this week.

There are advantages to operating on energy-saving mode. It forces you to do away with nonessential tasks. Eliminating the distractions running in the background gives you the space to clear your mind. With the noise silenced, your thoughts wander. You can reflect. There is freedom in letting yourself explore untraveled paths and recognize beauty. You remember the joys of daydreaming.

People often considered this practice selfish and a waste of time. History is full of individuals who explored their imaginations. Dreamers change the world, by altering our perceptions. Philosophers like Socrates challenge us to think, and they warn that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Reflective thinking unlocks alternatives you might not have otherwise contemplate. But it requires work to examine your opinions and beliefs, to apply logic and reason, and to imagine remarkable solutions. By allowing ourselves to dream of a better tomorrow, to consider positive outcomes to various scenarios, we visualize and plan for happiness.

Are you using your daydreams to construct your future?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Random objects, unplanned situations, snippets of conversations, and fragmented thoughts stir my imagination. Empty picture frames always get my wheels turning. I assume they once held a special image. Did the pink one surround a photo of a novice ballerina in her first tutu? Perhaps a soothing watercolor of an ancient cypress tree draped in a seductive veil of Spanish moss filled the interior of a matching green frame. And the ornate gilt square elevated the importance of small oil painting reflecting the tentative strokes of an artist’s self-portrait.

Pristine pages in a leather-bound journal, a sterile word document, and reams of boring snow-white copy paper elicit similar responses. Far from being daunting or creating fear, a blank page challenges my wildest fantasies and my amateurish abilities. Endless possibilities arise, each tale vies for my consideration, and I must decide.  I close my eyes and start typing. Once I begin, I am compelled, driven by a duty to create the best story I can produce, and a powerful desire to finish. I owe a debt to the novel ideas which I did not choose. They haunt me.

As they slink about in my brain, demanding my attention, they grow. Their themes, plots, and characters become more vivid. The settings coalesce, details are refined, and a unique world takes shape. The cardboard individuals inhabiting those scenes blossom into proper people with wants, needs, goals, and interesting points of view. They gang up on me, spur me forward, and demand I complete my current work so they may have their turn.

How do your stories develop?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The greatest perk of holiday weekends is the chance to sleep late. I may have a delayed sleep phase disorder. It is a phenomenon where an individual ends up falling asleep after the normal bedtimes of most folks. For years, I believed I suffered from insomnia. Aren’t we all supposed to nod off at 10 pm and rise eight hours later? The problem is, I hit my second wind around nine and don’t become tired enough to relax and snooze until well after midnight. But having to conform to social norms requires me to set my alarm for 5 am.

Thanks to technology, I have monitored, logged, and tracked my sleep schedule. It turns out, when left to wake naturally, my regular cycle lasts six hours and twenty minutes. I routinely start projects after nine in the evening and can continue until one or two in the morning. Contrary, what most might think, staying up late does not mean I am wasting time watching tv or playing video games. Instead, these are great opportunities for grocery shopping, doing laundry, cleaning the house, and writing. If I am on a roll, I may opt to work past what I consider my normal bedtime and finish when others are waking. This leaves me with a tough decision — do I try to get some sleep or push to stay awake?

The beauty of a holiday is I can allow my natural circadian rhythms to dictate my schedule. The added benefit is, my endless list shrinks, I complete multiple items, my mood improves, and I don’t feel as exhausted. I appreciate my morning coffee more, and the world feels a little less annoying.

What do you enjoy about long weekends?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I wish all of you a happy and safe 4^th of July weekend.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer