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You have a million reasons not to write.
The house is dirty.
The kids are sick.
You’ve got bills to pay, so you’re working overtime.
You’re not sure what to write.
You’re tired.
You might even be afraid because you’re writing something new.
If you feel like you’ve got a million reasons not to write, you’re not alone.
All writers feel this way from time to time.
Heck, most writers feel this way all the time, right?
But when you don’t write, resistance wins.
What’s resistance? It’s that thing that stops you from creating.
It’s that thing that wants you to be lazy and to accomplish nothing but binge-watching Netflix for hours while eating crazy amounts of ice cream.
Resistance is what turns your treadmill into a clothes rack.
It’s what tells you to go do anything else in the world besides write.
It’s what stops you before you start doing something.
Resistance loves to drop nasty thoughts in your mind.
You’re not creative.
You’re not smart.
You’re not rich enough.
You can’t do tough things.
You are a failure.
You’ll never be able to finish your book.
Each of these is a lie.
The problem is, when you don’t immediately call these thoughts out as lies, they stick with you. They grow and fester in the back of your mind.
Some of your friends, colleagues and even family members may believe some of these lies.
Believing a lie doesn’t make it true. It just means you believe a lie.
And, sadly, most writers fall into this trap.
Writers love to think deeply and feel deeply. With that comes the potential for self-sabotage because of those deep-seeded lies buried within.
I say it’s time to stop believing lies. It’s time to write our hearts out, even if that means writing for five minutes.
It’s time to use your phone to write instead of browsing Facebook or Instagram or watching videos on Youtube.
Delete (one or all of) those apps if that’s what is tripping you up.
Repeat with me: some writing always beats no writing.
Now go write, if only for a few minutes. You’ll be glad you did.