Saturday, November 15, 2014

Staying Inspired

Recently, I read somewhere that the greatest challenge that one faces is to stay motivated. I could easily understand that. Numerous are the times that I have failed to stay motivated. I start something and continue it for sometime and then gradually, all the enthusiasm that forced me to start it gradually wanes - and one day, I completely lose the interest and give up. I am sure that many of us have gone through the same phenomenon at least once in their life time.


If you are a blogger, the greatest challenge you faced would not be writing your blog or getting readers for it. I am sure that after a while, once the initial enthusiasm faded, most of us found blogging a big burden and not the enjoyable hobby that it used to be. Perhaps the single largest reason for people quitting blogging is this gradual lack of interest or the failure to sustain their motivation.

As far as I am concerned, there has been plenty of reasons for the long gap between my blog posts. Some of them were genuine, while most were make believe ones. I had wanted to write, but the urge was not too strong. So I took every opportunity not to write in my blog - the reasons I gave myself were, alas, stupid, to say the least! Just see for yourself - I am busy, I need to give more time to my job/kids/family/reading, I am writing in my other blog and so if I don't write in this, it doesn't matter; there is nothing new to write about, well, I will start writing again, but not today - definitely tomorrow.... the list goes on and on. I am sure that you will also agree that these are mere excuses.

Finally, the guilt of not writing caught me by the neck and I sat down to write - and lo! how wonderful I felt getting back to doing something I love! The joy of blogging is incomparable. I am now remorseful of the fact that I wasted so many days inventing all sorts of excuses for not writing anything, rather than devoting at least half of that energy to write something.

Anyways, as I mentioned earlier, the greatest enemy is within. It is not the lack of subject or readers or comments or anything else that stops you from writing. Most of the time it is pure laziness and at other times self-doubt and lack of self-motivation. And as I see the rising number of bloggers who were active initially, but goes into hibernation sooner or later, I feel that no one else can help you, but yourself.

So, what is the solution for this? From my experience, I would like to point out a few points, which I think might be helpful to at least a few fellow bloggers:

  1. Your Blog is your responsibility - As I have mentioned in one of my earlier posts, your blog is your responsibility. You cannot expect your friends or readers to love it more than you do and keep it going. So, if your blog is almost dead or is forgotten, you have only yourself to blame.
  2. Stay Inspired - The major factor that distinguish a winner and a loser is that the winner stays inspired - no matter what. Most of us get tired of routines and stop doing something because it becomes a routine - uninspiring and less colourful. There can be no blunder bigger than this. Just because something becomes a routine is no reason to discard it. Make it a habit and stay put. Then you will not lose. 
  3. Write Everyday - Even if you don't feel like, take up your pen (or type away on your keyboard) and write something daily. That way you will beat the urge to remain inactive. Although my reading habit has taken a beating, thanks to a hectic work schedule, I try to read some inspiring books in between. This is one useful tip I got from one such book. Write everyday - if possible, at the same time/hour on each day. Although this tip has not helped me much in my blogging, as far as my work (which involves writing) was concerned, I succeeded in overcoming the inertia or the urge of not wanting to write on the same topics over and over...
  4. Read - One of the most important tool for writing is reading. Read as many authors, books, write-ups, magazines, blogs and articles you can. Read on different subjects and different people on same subjects. This will broaden your vision and knowledge. Although the result may not be instantaneous, sooner or later it will pay off in the form of better knowledge, vocabulary, and many more. 
  5. Take Time to Observe and be with Nature - For many of us, this could be a luxury. However, a look at one's surroundings is highly inspiring and gives us an insight that we never knew existed within ourselves. If you open your eyes and ears to the nature, many are the delightful sights and sweet melodies. Open your heart to them and see how wonderful it feels.
There could be many more ways that can help one to stay motivated. Spend some time with yourself in silence and speak to your inner self. Soon, you will find answers and a way forward!


As always, keep on writing and inspire others with your writing!

Picture Courtesy: Google Images

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