Saturday, August 13, 2011

Writer’s Block, Gratitude and Inspiration


It is Day 7 of the Blogging Challenge I am participating in and I have writer’s block. It’s the last day!! How could this happen to me!

Wait a minute . . . First of all, I don’t believe things “happen to me” – they happen and I deal with them. I am not one to wallow or wonder “why me” because I am too busy solving whatever problem has “happened” or enjoying whatever gift life is giving me.

I have writer’s block because I have told myself that on this last day of the Challenge, I need to be Brilliant (yes, with a capital “B”)! I need to be Inspirational!! I want to be Memorable! I need to go out of the Challenge with a Bang!!!

Nothing like a little pressure to stop my fingers in their tracks, refusing to type! Write something? Nope. Let’s clean. Let’s play Word with Friends. Let’s catch up on the news and banking. Let’s read other people’s blogs! I kept going back to look at a blank page and the words would still not come. (I assure you, this is a rare event. I am never at a loss for words – just ask Hubby!).

Because I recently watched a friend’s inspiring video on those destructive thoughts our brain sometimes peppers us with, I decided to acknowledge the self-sabotage I was engaging in.

I have writer’s block. Gee, that’s interesting! Thank you for being there today. Now, just move over so I can write. That wasn’t so hard. Still there? Just shush for a minute – I’m busy writing.

Today is all about gratitude and inspiration! I want to share what I am grateful for and why I am inspired.

1. Caregivers inspire me! Every day millions of people wake up and care for a loved one or friend. Many times, they do so with people who have become angry and difficult because of their dementia. They care for their parent who has no idea who they are. They do the dirty work (and there is dirty work involved in personal care) and they do so knowing they’re going to do it again tomorrow and the next day. Since starting to care for Robert, I have met some amazing people who care for their loved ones (and believe me, what I do for Robert is nothing compared to these inspirational people). These are not people who will be famous or rich because of what they do (in fact, many of them are struggling financially because of the horrendous costs associated with caregiving) but they are quiet, unsung heroes every day of the week. I am grateful to them for their friendship and wisdom and insight.

2. Friends (new and old) inspire me. The new friends I have made through blogging inspire me to be a better person. These people are so talented yet not selfish. They encourage and inspire success in others as much as they want it for themselves. They believe success and good fortune is not finite. There is enough room in the world for everyone to enjoy success, happiness and peace. Okay, I may sound a little delusional and Pollyanna-ish (I’m practical myself, you know) but why not operate under the assumption that these are all attainable? Why have a defeatist attitude to start out with? That’s not for me. Please check out these inspirational women: Atticus Uncensored, Fiona Stolze, Laine and Judy. I am grateful to “old” friends as well and don’t mean to give them less attention (or call them old!). They may not have their own websites but they are there for me when I’m pulling my hair out because of the garage conversion issues or problems with Robert’s New Home. They let me rant and rave and then get coffee with me when I need to vent some more.

3. Family inspires me! The gratitude I have for my family cannot even be properly expressed by words (and it’s not due to writer’s block). The magnitude of their support while I have taken on the caregiving for Robert and focused more on my career #2 (writing) has been inspiring and overwhelming. Their confidence and belief in me is what keeps me going when I have doubts I can find an audience for my book (Forever a Caregiver will be available within weeks!!) or my blog. They share in my excitement about my projects yet are dedicated and inspiring in their own pursuits as well. I am both blessed and grateful for my inspiring family.

4. A special shout out to Writer’s Block. You did not win but I am grateful for experiencing it and for allowing me the opportunity to prove that I can overcome it. (Can I say "neener, neener" without sounding childish?).

I’m interested to know what inspires you and what you are grateful for. Do you share the belief that there is enough success to go around or do you believe there’s only a finite amount of room for success?

12 comments:

Louise Edington said...

This is the best post I have ever read on writers block! And you are inspirational because of the love for your brother. many would not be able to do what you do - it's a privilege to know you. And yes, I believe there's enough success, happiness and peace to go around for everyone too and the more we give to others, the more there is to go around.
Louise Edington
Create your Rockstar Status Online!
http://louiseedingotn.com

Trish Hughes Kreis said...

Louise, You are so fabulous! I know we are kindred spirits in believing in success for ourselves and others. Thank you for your support and for commenting.

Heidi Alberti & Atticus Uncensored said...

I love that you noticed your writer's block as a minor annoyance, really having nothing to do with anything. Noticed, said "isn't that interesting" and then pushing it away --- now that is what I call being mindful!! well done Trish!

Atticus & I feel honored and blessed to have you in our lives, Trish. What started as fellow SacConnect bloggers has blossomed into a wonderful friendship and we are grateful. :) Thank you for the shout-out in this piece --- very sweet and appreciated.

You know that we are totally behind you with your book launch and will help in any manner you need.

Thanks for this inspirational nugget!!

Heidi & Atticus
http://www.atticusuncensored.com
"commentary to give you paws..."

Trish Hughes Kreis said...

Atticus & Heidi, I appreciate your support and feel fortunate that we connected through Sac Bee Connect (aptly named!). :-)

Rita said...

Love your honesty and share your appreciation for careworkers! It is a hard job and not recognized enough! Sad part is that we are all likely to need one in our lifetime therefore we should show the love now so we have more caring people wanting to do this when its our turn!

I also suffer from writers block and can't get out of my own way sometimes....I think I am too critical of my self and feel what I am saying is boring sometimes....then other times my mind is all over the place and I can't stay focused. Help! lol:)

Great post, really like knowing I am not alone.

Rita Brennan Freay
ritabrennanfreay.com

Trish Hughes Kreis said...

Rita, You are not alone! I understand what you mean about getting out of your own way. It happens sometimes. We are our own worst critics! I just remind myself there are lots of people in the world, some of whom may find me boring or may not care about what I write but there will be a few that do care. Plus, wouldn't you just go nuts if you couldn't write what you have inside you? Keep writing, Rita!

Unknown said...

My partner, Jon, suffers from a seizure disorder so I especially appreciate your point of view. You may have had writer's block but, if that's true I can't wait to read
your blog when you don't.
William Austin Howe

Trish Hughes Kreis said...

That's so nice of you to say, Bill. Thank you for sharing about Jon. Did he have the disorder his whole life? Robert was born with epilepsy and his seizures are uncontrolled. If you haven't already, you might be interested in reading my recent series on epilepsy (a post about seizures and how not to fear them is included). Thanks again for the compliment! :-)

June Sockol said...

I love how you managed to find your way out of your writer's block.

Garrett inspires me because he's such a sweet and funny child. I'm very lucky to have him. I've met many families with Autistic children. They have so many behavior problems or issues. Garrett struggles but there are so many parents that have it much harder than we do.

Fiona Stolze said...

Trish, my last comment went off like a puff of smoke...so I'm writing another one. :-)

I just wanted to share that I think you are hugely inspirational all unto yourself. And I'm so glad you found my video useful and were able to get beyond your block in such a creative way. Thanks for the shout out. :-)

And what am I grateful for ? Lovely people like you who share in and appreciate what I put out there online. It makes it all so much more worthwhile.

There really is no shortage of anything. We can all tap into abundance together and it will never run dry. Keep doing what you do Trish.

Fiona Stolze
Inspired Art and Living
http://fionastolze.com

Trish Hughes Kreis said...

Fiona, I love how positive you are and so willing to "tap into abundance together" -- that is really lovely! (Sorry you had to redo your comment!)

Trish Hughes Kreis said...

June, Garrett sounds so wonderful! It's your attitude that may contribute to you thinking you don't have it so rough (others may be in the same situation as you and think differently). It's all in how you view the world! He's lucky to have you as his mom. :-)