Weekly newsletter
I. Prompts for motivation
Do you ever find yourself struggling with low fuel when it comes to your creative endeavors? What do you do in such moments to bounce back and rediscover your regular rhythm?
What does enthusiasm mean to you, and when was the last time you felt you deeply embodied this quality in your life? How do you think it can help you while working on your passion projects?
II. Thoughts for intention
While it’s common for our battery levels to vary day to day, it’s helpful to recognize the moments in which we are fully engaging with our passions at a higher level. When we create with an enthusiastic attitude, we are working with a unique frequency, leading to an enhanced sense of focus and intellectual capacity. In many ways, it can feel as if we’ve tapped into a childlike form of delight and sense of wonder, providing the steam we need to move from ideation to realization.
One of the advantages of accessing this heightened state of creativity is that it acts as a catalyst for transforming a passive approach into an active, irresistible state of mind. This is especially helpful in navigating inevitable setbacks and failures, providing an armor to bolster up the courage it takes to pursue anything meaningful and worthwhile. Ultimately, it’s the vital moving force that helps you turn any mundane task into something joyful that has a greater chance of lasting.
III. Ideas for preparation
Personally, one of the biggest signs that tells me when I need a creative boost is when what I’m working on starts to feel like a chore instead of something deeply fulfilling. But as you continue to build the grit and muscle it takes to constantly show up, you start to realize that it’s just a small part of the cycle; sooner or later, the whole thing flips, and you’re back to driving your own momentum. Sometimes, just keeping this in mind can help you quiet the self-criticism enough to release the unnecessary pressure you might be putting on yourself.
If there’s any idea to hold onto for days, you know you could use an enthusiastic attitude, because the mindset is infectious. That means that it might actually be closer than you think if you pause enough to notice certain people around you. This captivating energy is what keeps plenty of people engaged and inspired in both their personal and professional lives. It’s definitely worth taking a look at those who can’t help but value their work with honest dedication. When you surround yourself with the right people, who knows, you might inspire each other along the way.
IV. Quotes for inspiration
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson Essays: First and Second Series
“You must love your work, and not be always looking over the edge of it, wanting your play to begin. And the other is, you must not be ashamed of your work, and think it would be more honorable to you to be doing something else. You must have a pride in your own work and in learning to do it well, and not be always saying, There’s this and there’s that—if I had this or that to do, I might make something of it. No matter what a man is—I wouldn’t give twopence for him’—here Caleb’s mouth looked bitter, and he snapped his fingers—‘whether he was the prime minister or the rick-thatcher, if he didn’t do well what he undertook to do.’ ”
― George Eliot, Middlemarch
