[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]
I’m having a tough time writing this blog post.
I didn’t sleep well last night, I’ve been over-doing it, I have too much on my plate, and I have no idea what to write about.
Actually, I have plenty to write about. I have a file with hundreds of ideas for blog posts, but none of them appeal to me today, and the ones that do will take a long time to write and I want to do them justice.
But I have to write a blog post because I’ve promised you – my readers – that I will publish one post every week.
Or it could be a song I promised to arrange, or a choir rehearsal that I have to run, or a workshop that needs planning, or a song that I agreed to write. It’s no use waiting for the muse to appear or to be in a better mood, it needs to be done now, today, this minute.
The answer is simple: JUST DO IT.
You don’t need to feel inspired to begin the job at hand. Just get started. No matter how tired you are or how rubbish you think the result will be, by just getting on with it some weird alchemy happens: you will begin to feel inspired.
Desire follows action, not always the other way round. Start to go through the motions then you will begin to feel like doing what you’re doing. No need to wait to feel motivated or inspired.
We often read about professional song-writers or authors or painters who tell us that they just work every single day, no matter how they are feeling. As professionals they can’t afford to sit around and wait for the muse to appear.
The results may not be the best (or they may be), but that’s not important. Just get on with it regardless.
So next time you don’t feel like going to choir or planning that workshop or doing your vocal warm up (or writing that blog post!), ignore that feeling and just do it. The creative juices will soon start flowing and you will end up with good results and feel better.
What are you waiting for??!!
See also When you don't feel like singing, that's the perfect time to do it — sing yourself happy!
Chris Rowbury
website: chrisrowbury.com
blog: blog.chrisrowbury.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/ChrisRowbury
Twitter: Twitter.com/ChrisRowbury
