I lost my inspiration. I lost my passion. I forgot the reason I started.
For all writers (or maybe I should speak for myself), we go through periods of time where the mojo just isn’t there! Personally, I lost my mojo quite a few times and I unfortunately didn’t know where to pick it back up.
So, I took a break!
I vowed that I wouldn’t write anything that I wasn’t inspired to write. I vowed that I wouldn’t write anything that I had to force – because if I had to force it then it wasn’t meant to be written – at least not at that moment or by me.
I read books because that’s what inspired me to write in the first place. Reading made me fall in love with writing and everything it had to offer -the laughs, the tears, the thought-provoking content. It has always been my greatest motivation, so I realized that I must fall in love with reading again first.
And I did! I read more and I fell in-love all over again. I also took on other hobbies that seemed to stimulate my mind and fuel my creativity like cooking, podcasting, and scrapbooking. I worked on freelance articles instead, and interviewed folks about their businesses. I was able to see my work published and that gave me the enthusiasm and the push that I needed.
I had to remember what made me want to write in the first place – before I could get back to it. I had to remember what made it fun.
Now, I still have the same vow – that I won’t write if I have to force it – but due to this new rule I know that writing won’t seem like a chore anymore. I will do it or I won’t – depending on my inspiration.
So my advice to anyone struggling with a hobby or a passion and you’re unsure of where you lost it – TAKE A BREAK! Figure out what made you begin the hobby in the first place and start all over! Don’t force it. Only do what feels right.
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