When Yesterday’s Sacrifices Become Your Fondest Desires for Today – Daily Quote

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Please don’t force me to wake before daybreak, turn on a bright screen, and create. I am not a morning person. I bear no resemblance to anything remotely human until after my second cup of coffee. My grunts and groans are unintelligible, stringing two words together is an impossibility, concocting a coherent sentence — well, that’s not happening. I have learned to avoid my weaknesses.

Before the pandemic, Friday night dinner plans were a ritual. I looked forward to an enjoyable way to mark the week’s end. I met my friends, enjoying wonderful meals while we discussed the latest happenings and shared juicy gossip. We told jokes, laughed, and celebrated the highs and lows of what was once normal life. Many nights I came home to my laptop, and with a burst of energy, I would write dawn tinted the sky.

On the rare occasions when our schedules conflicted, I considered it a small sacrifice to stay home and write. It was pure bliss. Ordering carry-out was a decadent, self-indulgent treat that let me write to my heart’s content. No cooking or cleaning meant I could kick back and indulge my passion for writing.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and tonight I am missing the joy of dinner with my dear friends.

Do you write on Friday night?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – September 18

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2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 262 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? Half of the year is in our rear-view mirror, and I am drawing a line in the sand. The targets I missed, the stories I didn’t compose, they no longer matter. These last six months are history. Done. I won’t lie, 2020 kicked me in the head, leaving me stunned, unsteady, and incapable of completing anything beyond basic tasks. I bet I am not alone, but don’t count me out yet. They say what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right? I am confident I will discover I am more capable than I have ever been. I dug deep, reevaluated my annual goals, and I decided to double down. Can I get a year’s worth of work accomplished by Christmas? We will find out.

My turning point happened when I remembered reading somewhere that anxiety and excitement create similar emotional responses in the body. Anxiety raises your heart rate, your cortisol level increases, and your nerves prepare you for action. Most often, we respond by stress-eating a late-night pint of chocolate ice cream. The only difference between the two emotions is anxiety has a negative connotation, while we view excitement as positive. The answer seemed clear. I needed to reframe the context of my emotions and proceed as if my success lies on the horizon.

All that remains is for me to divide my workload into bite-size pieces, and do the next right thing. I am aligning my creative endeavors to focus on writing, editing, and creating a brighter future.

Try it, and let us know how you did in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Transcend Mere Existence, Pursue Your Vision, and Enrich the World – Daily Quote

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Do you rejoice on Monday morning and sigh when Friday afternoon arrives? Or have I got those days flip-flopped? Letting work’s negative aspects wheedle their way into daily life can happen without us realizing it. We have all been there. Seeking success, we let our job consume every waking moment. We fill hours with “doing,” toiling at positions we detest while we dream of being free.

Imagine a sphere containing duties and an endless list of assignments, tasks, jobs, and obligations. Requirements we feel we must do. A second circle encompasses fun, pleasure, laughter, and wonder. This world is filled with free will choices and playful options. If we are lucky, those two areas intersect like a Venn diagram. The intersection blends the two worlds, and the differences between work and play merge. Struggles become an exciting challenge, and enjoyment creates a light workload.

Discovering meaningful employment that makes you happy is a difficult task. Making enough to eke out an existence is easy, and it is the reason many opt for the security it offers. Minimum risk yields little delight.

How will you enrich the world?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – September 17

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 3 Comments

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 261 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? Half of the year is in our rear-view mirror, and I am drawing a line in the sand. The targets I missed, the stories I didn’t compose, they no longer matter. These last six months are history. Done. I won’t lie, 2020 kicked me in the head, leaving me stunned, unsteady, and incapable of completing anything beyond basic tasks. I bet I am not alone, but don’t count me out yet. They say what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right? I am confident I will discover I am more capable than I have ever been. I dug deep, reevaluated my annual goals, and I decided to double down. Can I get a year’s worth of work accomplished by Christmas? We will find out.

My turning point happened when I remembered reading somewhere that anxiety and excitement create similar emotional responses in the body. Anxiety raises your heart rate, your cortisol level increases, and your nerves prepare you for action. Most often, we respond by stress-eating a late-night pint of chocolate ice cream. The only difference between the two emotions is anxiety has a negative connotation, while we view excitement as positive. The answer seemed clear. I needed to reframe the context of my emotions and proceed as if my success lies on the horizon.

All that remains is for me to divide my workload into bite-size pieces, and do the next right thing. I am aligning my creative endeavors to focus on writing, editing, and creating a brighter future.

Try it, and let us know how you did in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

For Terrific Results, Unlock Your Carefully Contained Emotions — Daily Quote

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 5 Comments
a-little-kingdom-i-possess-where-thoughts-and-feelings-dwell-and-very-hard-the-task-i-find-of-governing-it-well.-louisa-may-alcott

I possess a kingdom like Alcott’s. It is a hidden kingdom, full of deep thoughts, raw emotions, and heartfelt feelings kept under lock and key. The kingdom’s inhabitants are unruly. They laugh uncontrollably, they weep, they scream in anger and frustration, and they love with every ounce of their souls.

The warden of the kingdom has a daunting task. The warden must keep them contained, quiet, and hidden. Perhaps the warden should let them run free, their reward for good behavior. Released to the wild, we can observe their reactions, capture, and capitalize on their emotions. These emotions, thoughts, and feelings are brilliant fodder for when I am writing.

How do you access emotions for your writing?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – September 16

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 3 Comments

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 260 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? Half of the year is in our rear-view mirror, and I am drawing a line in the sand. The targets I missed, the stories I didn’t compose, they no longer matter. These last six months are history. Done. I won’t lie, 2020 kicked me in the head, leaving me stunned, unsteady, and incapable of completing anything beyond basic tasks. I bet I am not alone, but don’t count me out yet. They say what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right? I am confident I will discover I am more capable than I have ever been. I dug deep, reevaluated my annual goals, and I decided to double down. Can I get a year’s worth of work accomplished by Christmas? We will find out.

My turning point happened when I remembered reading somewhere that anxiety and excitement create similar emotional responses in the body. Anxiety raises your heart rate, your cortisol level increases, and your nerves prepare you for action. Most often, we respond by stress-eating a late-night pint of chocolate ice cream. The only difference between the two emotions is anxiety has a negative connotation, while we view excitement as positive. The answer seemed clear. I needed to reframe the context of my emotions and proceed as if my success lies on the horizon.

All that remains is for me to divide my workload into bite-size pieces, and do the next right thing. I am aligning my creative endeavors to focus on writing, editing, and creating a brighter future.

Try it, and let us know how you did in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

When Do You Stop Doubting and Recognize Your Master Work? – Daily Quote

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 3 Comments
you-could-always-go-on-changing-things-but-there-comes-a-time-when-you-have-to-decide-to-stop.-peter-wright

Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci represent two exceptionally creative minds. Masters, geniuses, prolific renaissance men, they were also famous for abandoning their work and leaving potentially more impressive masterpieces unfinished. A pair of monumental frescos commissioned for the great hall of Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio are prime examples. Leonardo’s The Battle of Anghiari and Michelangelo’s Battle of Cascina were started in 1504 and abandoned a year later. They never completed the frescos.

Every writer, architect, painter, and entrepreneur has experienced failure. Failing teaches us, even if the lesson is how not to create. The title Master implies we finish what we start. Finishing, calling a piece complete, might prove to be more difficult than admitting defeat. Creating masterful art is not for mortals or weaklings. Anything crafted by humans will be flawed. Some critics argue flaws accentuate beauty. Flawless execution, whatever that is, they say, leaves the viewer bored.

How do we decide were incomplete ends and masterful imperfection begins? How many drafts do you endure before a story is polished? When do we edit the unique voice and soul from our novel? There is no easy answer, and passing time compounds the difficulties. Your best work from years ago can feel worse than your first draft today.

When is your work done?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – September 15

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2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 259 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? Half of the year is in our rear-view mirror, and I am drawing a line in the sand. The targets I missed, the stories I didn’t compose, they no longer matter. These last six months are history. Done. I won’t lie, 2020 kicked me in the head, leaving me stunned, unsteady, and incapable of completing anything beyond basic tasks. I bet I am not alone, but don’t count me out yet. They say what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right? I am confident I will discover I am more capable than I have ever been. I dug deep, reevaluated my annual goals, and I decided to double down. Can I get a year’s worth of work accomplished by Christmas? We will find out.

My turning point happened when I remembered reading somewhere that anxiety and excitement create similar emotional responses in the body. Anxiety raises your heart rate, your cortisol level increases, and your nerves prepare you for action. Most often, we respond by stress-eating a late-night pint of chocolate ice cream. The only difference between the two emotions is anxiety has a negative connotation, while we view excitement as positive. The answer seemed clear. I needed to reframe the context of my emotions and proceed as if my success lies on the horizon.

All that remains is for me to divide my workload into bite-size pieces, and do the next right thing. I am aligning my creative endeavors to focus on writing, editing, and creating a brighter future.

Try it, and let us know how you did in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The Trouble of Careless Language Erased by the Power of Magical Words – Daily Quote

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 3 Comments
i-have-been-a-believer-in-the-magic-of-language-since-at-a-very-early-age-i-discovered-that-some-words-got-me-into-trouble-and-others-got-me-out.-katherine-dunn

Is it any wonder our ancestors developed speech? Hand gestures, while they convey meaning, have a limited range. Where did languages originate? Do words define a language, or do languages dictate words? What was the first word ever spoken? Was it a name, an obscenity, or a sound signifying “Stop, Danger ahead?” It’s all speculation, and while linguists float many theories, they are, most likely, all wrong.

The dichotomy supports the idea that words are magical creatures. A single word can cut to the core and divide people into irreconcilable sides. Conversely, uttering a different word soothes the savage beast and makes everyone smile. Words can sing or sting, elevate or oppress, bind us to tradition or free our minds to create change.

They possess energy and power. Vocabulary stocks the toolbox with ways to express the abstract thoughts swimming in our heads. Without them, great ideas live unfulfilled lives, trapped in an imaginary world far from reality. Lacking communication, we have limited perceptions, and with it, the universe is our domain. What we do with the words we learn is an awesome responsibility, one that demands we remain mindful of their impact.

Which words will you choose today?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – September 14

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 2 Comments

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 258 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday? Half of the year is in our rear-view mirror, and I am drawing a line in the sand. The targets I missed, the stories I didn’t compose, they no longer matter. These last six months are history. Done. I won’t lie, 2020 kicked me in the head, leaving me stunned, unsteady, and incapable of completing anything beyond basic tasks. I bet I am not alone, but don’t count me out yet. They say what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right? I am confident I will discover I am more capable than I have ever been. I dug deep, reevaluated my annual goals, and I decided to double down. Can I get a year’s worth of work accomplished by Christmas? We will find out.

My turning point happened when I remembered reading somewhere that anxiety and excitement create similar emotional responses in the body. Anxiety raises your heart rate, your cortisol level increases, and your nerves prepare you for action. Most often, we respond by stress-eating a late-night pint of chocolate ice cream. The only difference between the two emotions is anxiety has a negative connotation, while we view excitement as positive. The answer seemed clear. I needed to reframe the context of my emotions and proceed as if my success lies on the horizon.

All that remains is for me to divide my workload into bite-size pieces, and do the next right thing. I am aligning my creative endeavors to focus on writing, editing, and creating a brighter future.

Try it, and let us know how you did in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer