Holding Back

We all get stuck in ruts sometimes. It can creep up on us so easily -- that's the problem. You have a routine you are comfortable in before something shifts. It can be as simple as a change in schedule or being caught up in other things. Whatever the reason, that one change can make it easy enough to come up with excuses not to go back to that routine. Suddenly you find yourself missing that old routine, but you aren't sure how to make it happen again.

That's how it's been with blogging for me. Well, writing at all, really.

Part of it is the frustration of one of those phases where nothing was quite coming together the way I had hoped when I would approach the keyboard. I have a number of posts I started but abandoned because they seemed awful. That frustration branched into the idea that nobody would be interested in what I was writing about anyway. That, my fellow writers, is where we really get ourselves into trouble if we let ourselves buy into that mentality.

The second you start letting what others think affect your writing is the exact moment when the joy of writing seems to have faded. Sure, sometimes we write for others, but we mostly write for the sake of expression. Holding those words in becomes a burden when enough of them have built up inside. Writers NEED to ooze words. It's our very nature.

Don't let yourself hold back. Whether you blog, journal, or whatever, just let those words pour out.

Those of you who don't write can heed these words, too. Do what you are passionate about; don't let anyone, including yourself, stop you. Holding out on our passions and talents, friends, is just a matter of excuses. Take some time to plan when you will connect with your passion again.