Online classes. In-person retreats. Blogs. Webinars. Books, magazines, TV.
You’ve consumed all of these things in joy, wonder and a desire to make your creative projects happen. You leave inspired and uplifted.
And then….what happens? Sometimes, nothing.
If you’re like me and a lot of people I know, you LOVE all these goodies. It’s so fun and exciting. But when it comes time to make your own stuff, to write your own masterpieces, to build your business or body of work, you’re still in consumer mode.
Switching from consumer mode to creator mode can be incredibly difficult. I know I’ve seen my attention span shrink. And, when we consume all that advice and information, we can lose our sense of what’s right for us. Faced with many decisions, we make none.
And we go back into the consuming loop, checking Facebook, Instagram and our blog subscriptions. OY!
I know you want to be more than just a consumer. You wouldn’t be in the Impulses loop if you were on the planet just to watch other people make things and show their talents.
How to take inspiration to action? There are a lot of things I can suggest but today I will focus on two ways to drill down and make your dreams a reality.
Return to yourself
If you’re a-swirl with ideas and no sense of direction, stop, drop and free-write. Free-writing can be used for all kinds of writing. In this case, you’re using it to get clear direction on what to do. It’s AMAZING how this simple tool can cut through the noise and help you hear your own truth and direction.
Use these two prompts in consecutive order. Write for five minutes on the first prompt, then switch to the second prompt. Feel free to write for as long as you need to get clarity.
1) My focus now is….
2) That class/blog/book/webinar (INSERT RECENT INSPIRATION) will help me with this focus by….
When you finish the free-write, read it over and see what’s there. Make some brief notes to give you direction as if you’ve just heard from the wisest person in your life about what you should do now. Then do the next step.
Plan your time
Now, look at your calendar and commitments. What have you already committed to? And how much space do you have for your main focus?
Then, schedule time for your focus. It may be finishing an ongoing project. It may be initiating a new project. Either way, get clear on how much time you have for this project.
Once you know the work ahead, and see the amount of time you have to devote to the project, this should help you see how much room you have left for consuming things. Hopefully this will tip the ratio in favor of creating.
I want you to have these last three months of the year be poignant and potent. I want you to leave the year feeling great. I hope this simple process helps you focus, follow through and finish things that matter to you. Let me know how it goes in a comment below.
Join me to make your own projects happen now
Want a chance to make time every day to write your OWN stuff? How about a class that’s all about writing. Not reading others’ writing. Not getting critique. Just a focused place to write daily.
If writing is one of your projects, my online writing class The Devoted Writer is a great way to get past blocks and just write. Some reasons why this is great to get your work done:
- The focus is on you writing every day, for at least 15 minutes.
- You can use this class for ANY kind of writing.
- There is no obligation to interact with others or read anyone else’s writing.
- No one will critique your writing. You are free to get that shaggy first draft OUT.
- You can use my prompts or prompts from your project. I show you how to do that in class.
- At the end of the month, you will have made significant progress on your own work.
Find out more about how to write with us in my online class The Devoted Writer.
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