(photo by Riccardo Annandale on Unsplash)
Thank you Paul Taubman of Digital Maestro for hosting your amazing Ultimate Blog Challenge https://ultimateblogchallenge.com/ again this month. I am grateful to have met such wonderful and supportive bloggers who write so beautifully. All of you made this experience special. Today is the 31st and final day of this challenge. And this is my 31st blog post.
I have written before about the power of creating new habits that are in alignment with your core values and goals. Doing a task over-and-over, day-after-day, becomes a habit. New wiring is formed in the brain. And the longer our habit goes into the future, the wider and stronger the wiring in the brain becomes. Writing is one habit that I want to continue.
There were days when I woke up this month not knowing what I would write about. And it would sometimes take many hours to put the finished blog post together. As the month went on, I was able to put this concern away, and clear my mind. Sure enough, when my mind quieted down, a writing topic would pop into my head, and then the words would flow. I believe that this writing flow occurred because I had gotten my mind in the habit of writing.
I have found that trying to start back up again with something after a long layoff can be a challenge. For example, during 2020 I practiced the guitar every day. Recently I did not practice for several weeks. When I finally dusted off my guitar, it took time for my fingers and mind to wake up and remember chord formations and notes. And not to mention that the callous on my fingertips from my previous playing had gone away, so it has been painful to press my fingers into the guitar strings as I’m starting my playing back up again. The same is true for writing or any other hobby or task. It takes time to get in a groove. And once we are in the groove, we can advance our skills to the point where it becomes second nature. It’s all about practice time. Even just one minute of practice per day will make a world of difference as compared to no practice. That’s why the concept of taking small steps can produce big results.
Many of my blog posts this month have ended with a question for you, the reader:
What is one small step that you can do related to (enter topic here)?
My hope is that you take time to identify core values and goals in all areas of your life (whatever this might be for you), create small-sized action steps, and take action on a regular basis. A clean palette awaits you. Take a moment to quiet your mind, and fill up the canvas with your creative talents. Find your groove, enjoy the process, and watch your small steps produce big rewards.