My magic hour is 8:00am. When I started writing everyday, I noticed that this is my peak time for producing quality output. It also helps that I have the whole office to myself so I have silence and solitude to keep me going.
I like keeping my desk cluttered with my paints, journals, and art materials. Visual clutter motivates me to ironically empty my mind through art journaling and writing. This setup gives me the semblance of control in an environment which I am not yet in charge of.
Journals, paints, and coffee are my creative essentials.
I have observed that most writers put off their creative goals because they are busy with work and other commitments. I must admit that I was once like this too. I blamed writer's block and a full schedule for not putting up my blog sooner. I also claimed that being in finance since I graduated in 2008 has not helped me improve my writing. However, I realized that these are merely excuses. Everything changed when I took my Braver Goals class with Arriane Serafico. She taught me to create a budget, follow a schedule, and commit to a fixed timeframe to finally launch my blog. I also realized that I need help with initial content generation. I then chose to enroll in the 15 Days of Writing True and Writing Room classes to improve my skill and technique. Since then, I have pinpointed my strengths and areas for improvement. I also keep it real in the official class Facebook pages, where I read my classmates' works and post mine. I am still a work in progress, but I can say that I love writing because it gets me excited to live mindfully and be thankful for everything that is worth experiencing and writing about.
As I am now on Day 13 of my 15 Days of Writing True class, I am committing myself to continue blogging and sharing my life online. Sharing my work to others was nerve-wracking, until I eventually got the hang of it. I still have my 100 Days Project, so the habit and discipline of writing is here to stay (and even beyond that 100-day mark!). From my interactions with my classmates, I have noticed how merely posting my works could already help them. In the same manner that reading others' essays have helped put things into perspective for me, sharing my thoughts might inspire someone else or drive others to dialogue. My voice is light and readable. I know that I can use it to motivate others to write and promote my passion for good food, books, and my advocacy (social entrepreneurship).
I hope that our online community at the 15 Days of Writing True will foster collaboration and further interaction beyond the class curriculum. It motivates me continue writing if I could be of help in any way to help others. I will continue to speak out so I could serve myself by validating my voice, and driving others to do the same as well.