I remember playing as a kid. It was a magical time. Apple trees magically transformed into space stations. A sandbox set the stage for a town with a moat. The bare spot under a row of pines was a deep, dank dungeon below a giant castle. Epic adventures to distant lands filled with mystical creatures were only a heartbeat away. Inspiration floated on the breeze, shadows created villains and dappled sunlight illuminated the path to a happy ending.

Today social media encroaches on the wellspring of ideas. Our minds are seldom allowed the freedom of downtime. The minute we disconnect, we grow anxious. We fear we will miss something important. We are uncomfortable, no longer friends with silence. Our hands shake, we break out in cold sweats, and we hallucinate thinking we hear our phone beep. We are strung out on technology’s constant stimulation and in need of intervention. When we unplug, when we allow our mind the quiet it craves, creativity comes out to play.

How will you nurture your imagination today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Ideas are as numerous as raindrops on a wild stormy night. Capturing a decent concept is as elusive as catching lightning in a bottle. Creativity on demand is challenging. Commit to completing your first draft, they say. Count your words, keep pen to page until you reach your goal. Rinse and repeat day, after day, after day. It is easy. Right?

It might be if stringing random words together constituted excellent writing if compelling plots lines materialized from thin air and interesting characters knocked on your door. We are human, not magicians, so we seek inspiration everywhere. When the lightning strikes we hold it tight and write into the night.

When do your ideas flow?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Spring allergies have hit. Stuffy head, red watery eyes, and sinus pressure take their toll when you are running full speed ahead. While allergy medication can relieve the pressure and eases congestion, it messes with your ability to concentrate and form coherent thoughts. The easy out is to succumb to sleep.

Ah, sweet sleep. But sleeping during the daytime is a luxury. Coping mechanism number two is multiple cups of coffee. My hot brew helps ease sinus pressure, while the caffeine combats a throbbing headache, and viola, no fuzzy brain. Step aside, I have work to do and I need another cuppa Joe.

What comforts you and makes you feel better?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

When we first start a new endeavor, our ultimate success or failure is often even odds. Tipping the scales in our favor comes from putting our best effort towards our goal.  A dogged determination helps us through setbacks and challenges, and an optimistic attitude keeps our spirits lifted.

If we are fortunate, help arrives when we flounder and mentors who have traveled a similar pathway offer guidance allowing us insight with the journey along our chosen path. Setting and striving for a goal, giving it our lazar focus, our finest effort is noble. By doing the best we can we become a better, more confident, and we never need to wonder “what if”.  In life, daily work improves us and defines success. Look around and admire the fruits of your labor.

How can you do your best today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I have heard people relate stories of harrowing experiences. They speak of job loss, illness, dire accidents, emotional trauma, and other life-altering events. You would expect the end of the story to reflect despair, anguish, fear and total surrender. But unexpectedly they say, “it was the best thing that could have happened”. I stand in awe.

These people are survivors. Their spirit is strong. I know they felt every raw emotion imaginable, cried never-ending tears and wondered if they would ever recover. The one constant is their ability to find wonder. They grab hold of one thought, one goal, one reason to live. They develop the power to stay laser-focused. You can see it in their eyes. Their ordeal has introduced them to joy.

Have trials enhanced your appreciation of life?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Here is a friendly reminder that life is short—live it.  Waiting for spring has taken every ounce of patience I can muster. Now April rains dampen my world, and misty mornings leave the muddy ground a squidgy quagmire that is best avoided. I rejoice because it is rain and not snow. I celebrate the daily temperature as it steadily creeps higher and I commend the brave tulips as they push golden-green leaves into the light.

The days grow longer forcing the darkness to recede and nature responds. Buds swell on bushes and trees, and the weight of winter lifts. It is time to sing, play and enjoy life.

What is the source of your joy today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The simple act of smiling has profound consequences. Scientists say a smile causes your brain to release neuropeptides that can help you handle stress. Your smile charges your body with dopamine, endorphin, and serotonin, chemicals shown to lower your blood pressure, decreases your heart rate and even ease your pain. Studies show when we smile others perceive us as looking younger, thinner and more intelligent.  Yep, that’s right, smiling makes people think you are smart.

But those wonderful benefits are only the beginning. When your friends see you smile, they smile back. They receive those same feel-good chemicals, predisposing them to smile at the next person they meet. Your beaming face can start an epidemic.

Whose day will you brighten?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I am an advocate for maintaining a positive attitude, for keeping our thoughts positive, but they are preparatory steps. Nothing happens unless you get busy and work. There is no substitute for daily practice, training, working, followed by a detailed study and analysis of your performance. A good night’s sleep, then you repeat the process.

You won’t sink a free throw until you chuck a basketball at the hoop. A hole-in-one isn’t materializing until you pick up a driver and whack a golf ball. Your world’s greatest novel won’t appear on Amazon until you open a notebook and put words on a blank page. Magical thinking might work in our stories, but our physical world’s constraints hindered us. In this sphere, magic happens when we spend blood, sweat, and tears practicing.

How will you reach your goal?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I don’t know about you, but gray is my least favorite color. The trend of gray kitchens, gray barn wood flooring, gray countertops, and walls painted—wait for it—gray leaves me more depressed than I can describe. Add to the mix gray, dreary, rainy days and I would rather spend my time on a misty moor crying for Heathcliff than cook in a gray kitchen.

Whatever happened to sunny yellows, loving pinks, and gleeful greens? There is a school of thought which says color therapy can help improve our mood, increase awareness and energy, decrease stress, reduce anxiety and increase our productivity. True or not, opting for a little color in life, seems prudent.

What color will you add to your life?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Having a positive attitude is more than painting a smile on your face, the feeling is rooted deeper than “grin and bear it.” Having a negative view is a drag. It makes you defensive, causes you to second guess every decision, and encourages you to surrender before you start. We’ve all found ourselves consumed with fear, mired in self-doubt, dragging yourself from the abyss is a difficult proposition.

A couple of tricks can help. Foremost, watch your language and your thoughts. Don’t worry, no one will tell your mama. Does your thinking turn to unfavorable outcomes or do you imagine something different? Noticing and changing a single response may not seem like much, but it might be the spark that changes everything.

What response will you change today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer