HELP!
Is it avoidance? Procrastination? I’ve been struggling to write. To move forward with my writing seems to be non-existent. Heck, I’ve been having trouble moving forward with all of my projects. Even this blog post has been hanging around in my head for a month or more now. I can accomplish everything from start to finish. Writing. Remodeling my house. Yard work. From beginning to end. But, only in my head. Putting everything in motion has me stuck.
Am I afraid? But what’s there to be afraid of? Maybe people won’t like my stories or the way I write? And why now? It’s never stopped me before. And it’s not writer’s block, because all the stories are in my head just waiting to be put down on paper, to be typed up, and thrown out into the world. I sure as heck don’t want to take all these stories to the grave with me. (Which will be a different blog post coming soon. Well, it will be if I can get myself in gear and moving forward. Haha)
And my projects! I start and then…Like replacing the broken bricks on a planter. I’ve started on it, but have faltered along the way. And I have legitimate excuses too. Like, it’s way too hot out or I won’t have time to finish it. I’ve done brick work before, so why am I so afraid that I’ll mess up and have to start over? I just don’t get it.
So what do I do? How do I move forward and keep moving forward?
I’m sure we all struggle from time to time with this procrastination. With that little voice in our heads causing us doubt in our abilities. What do we do?
What do you do? How do you keep yourself motivated and moving forward? I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.
So, now that I’ve finally gotten this blog post written, I’ve got the song, “Help!” by The Beatles, stuck in my head.
Enjoy.
Okay, that’s it for now. Hugs till next time!
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karensdifferentcorners 
Hey cousin Karen it happens to all of us, just remember sometimes God slows us down for a reason sometimes we dont know why and sometimes it is what we need at the time and don’t know, because it has not revealed its self yet. Go with the flow and maybe for a little while do something you haven’t ever done before, a something you always wanted to do, but didn’t, well because Life got in the way
Life to short to question sometimes. You will get back to where you want to be just maybe take a different path this time to get back, who knows you might be surprised by what you find. Love you lots cousin Karen ,Have a Beautiful Day
Love and Blessings your cousin Pamela
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Hi Pam! It’s good to hear from you. Hope all is well with everyone. Are you getting the heatwave like we are?
Yes, I know that sometimes things get put on hold and there is a reason for it, but I just need to find a way to get motivated again. I’m trying. In fact, just replying to everyone’s comments is a step in the right direction.
Hope you are having a super awesome day.
Love and Blessings to you.
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I see no one has replied. You and I are both in the same ditch of procrastination. I did set a goal of accomplishing 1 or 2 tasks a day but despite accomplishing that much I still seem forever behind. I like your thought of not wanting to take your stories to the grave. I have so many unfinished things. Albums of genealogy documents that need to be scanned and didgetized. Fear! I think you have hit on something. I am afraid I will never get them done and my family will just toss years and years of documentation away. Then there is the 3 boxes of photo scrapbooks all needing to be scanned. Then copies made and sent to relatives so at least one person will be able to pass them on. Photos that I may be the only left to know who the people or places are in them. Many I don’t and wish I could have sat down with Mom Jinny, Grandma Kate and Mom Margaret and let them tell me the stories that go to the photos so I could write them down and attach. So many lost stories. I don’t want to be the one to leave more lost stories. Then there are all my photos. Years of photos before my digital came came to be. Then whoops 1 desk top and 1 lap top went bad within the same year. I thought I had many from 2009 to 2021 copied on a USB drive. Another whoops and only have the DVD copies from 2000 to 2009. Dilemma shall I pay $100 to try to recover from my desk top. Bite the bullet because I need all those documents also. Lap top was only 1 1/2 yrs old and under warranty so sent it back for repair. Got it back , reloaded my programs less all those photos I had taken in the last year and 3 days later down again same problem so talked to them and they sent me what I had paid for that Lap Top. I lucked out and found another brand at $49 dollars more but a bit smaller. What a pain to reload all over again. Spent the last 2 months searching what photos I had for a special video project to show at my Dad’s 100th Birthday last week. Didn’t get much else done as I worked on it every afternoon after my chores and feeding my husband and never expected anyone would realize all the time and work trying to do that took. Except someone did. I sent the photos to my step great nephew a graphic artist to put together and set up a big screen TV to show to the guests at Dad’s party. Jon came up to me during the party and thanked me ( I felt he was the one who needed the biggest thank You) He said when he went to find a few photos of his family line of my step brother who my father raised he realized how much work I had done to find and digitize all my grandmother’s scrapbooks photos of my dad and his siblings and family. The project turned out so special and Dad was so pleased as were all those who saw them selves or relatives and friends in the photos of my Dad’s life. I know now it was worth all that work. Not much else except my gardening got done but it was well worth it.
So we just struggle on one foot in front of the other and pat ourselves on the back that we got one or two things done in our day. We never know how many of those days are left to us but we will keep on trying to put those memories, paintings, stories where they need to belong for others who come after us.
Maybe you and I are a special people. We know we are more alike then different and we seem to be the family historians, the creators whether painters or writers. We need to pat ourselves on the back sometimes and remember that not everyone can do even 1/4 of things we do. God just gave us a special job and we just keep plugging away at it. Wonder what he will have us doing in Heaven.
Love you Sis, That brick work will get done by and by.
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Hey Val! I’m going to ask you the same question I asked Pam. Are you getting our heatwave? I couldn’t believe how hot they’ve been saying Portland and Seattle have been.
Well, with everything you’ve got to put together, you better live a long life like your dad.
Jinny’s birthday is coming up here in a week. Can’t believe she’s been gone for three years already. Have you thought about just creating a book with the things you want to pass on? I’m sure the family would like it. I believe I used LuLu.com for the one with photos of my mom, brother, and nephew after they passed away, that I gave to my sisters. Just a thought.
Tell your Dad Happy Birthday for me.
Sending Hugs and Blessings your way.
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We had 1 day of 82 degrees on Sunday. Saturday was a comfortable 75 and Monday cooled to about 68 when a marine layer was drawn inland by the 106 temperatures in Roseburg and as much as 114 in Salem. Portland may have reached 118. Heard on the news this afternoon that the heat wave is pretty much over in Oregon. They made such a big deal and touted that it was the Climate change as if the temperatures were going to be that high all summer long. So I guess we were lucky that it never got up into the 90’s or 100’s here. Big disappointment! NOT!! How was your weather?
I will have to check into LuLu.com. Haven’t heard of it. Keep finding new things while looking for Dad’s old photos came across more. Still trying to figure out the Bobbie Bangle thing. saw photos of Mom in San Clement and Balboa in the time frame of Bobbie. Also a photo of a Fred Bangle and I think I found him on Ancestry as one of the Bobbie Bangles I thought was the right one. Then found a photo of him in Spokane at a restaurant where he was cooking and mom names 2 waitresses and him. She may have worked there. Also time stamp is right. Also looking still for anything on Patrick’s father. Found a photo taken at San Diego for his Marine Boot camp graduation says Aunt Flo Wood. but can’t find a Wood with her as a sibling or relative of a Henry ( Harry Wood) . The search continues. What a merry chase Mom left for me. I guess I love mysteries.
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I hide behind unfinished projects. I can always claim “busy”. Occasionally one will get completed, but mostly there’s the illusion of true accomplishment even when just some progress is made on any given one. Yes, as said above, one foot in front of the other… Overthinking is a biggie for me – always triaging in my mind: do this first so you can do this other thing while the first one’s doing; or: if you do this first, that clears up space/time for this other thing. And so on. Exhausting! Fear drives it all. Fear of not getting it done – which is almost guaranteed if I don’t stick with the given project until it’s DONE.
You somehow got into my brain with this post – I’ve been thinking about a very similar post for some time now… Problem is: which one of my blogs to revive? There, that’ll keep me busy for a while, too.
Neverending….
Love you, miss you!
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Well, hello there Cecilia. I’m not going to ask you if you’re getting the heatwave since you’re closer to the coast than I am.
For me, there is the fear, but also the fact that I have way too many things on my to-do list and just don’t know where to start. There’s a Tarot card that says something about having far too much to do and you cannot see your way ahead, Drop some of your projects to make progress. But I want to get them all done! Haha. Also, if I do this first and it takes up too much time, I won’t have time to do that. You are right. A neverending battle, but we will overcome.
Just keep chipping away, little by little. One step at a time.
Now, go get that blog post written and share your link here in the comments.
Love and hugs to you and I will try to get my act together and be around a little more.
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