Circumstances, Excuses and Sheer Laziness

I’ve been away from my blog for a while—about seven weeks if you’re counting. That’s like an aeon in Blog Land. Clearly, I’m standing at the crossroads of “What the heck are you waiting for?” and “Just pack it up and go home.”

 

So how did I get here? Well, it started with the proliferation of a number of circumstances. First, there was nurturing the little one’s virus that kept her up late and required medication every four hours. Then there was preparation for my first book signing in August, for which I traded writing time for planning time (check out the pictures here). Next, I had to handle a couple of projects for my daytime job that crept into my evening and early-morning hours. Add to that my daughter’s obliterated bedtime, which we’ve struggled to regain ever since she got sick, and well… I looked up and it was September. But there were some good circumstances at hand, too. For instance, I took time to share some treasured moments with my family before our beautiful Michigan weather changes and limits the outdoor activities we’ve come to enjoy over the last few months.

 

Now that September has ushered in a reminder of getting back to business, I have spent the last few days trying to get my head around my writing affairs. Despite the fact that I’ve got a two-page document on blog topic ideas, I’ve struggled with not only what to write, but also how to get back into things and how to commit the time. It became easier to put writing on the shelf so I would not have to think about it.

 

The process of regaining focus reminds me of how easy it is to look up one day and realize that your dream has slipped out of your grip. If you’ve been following this blog, you know I’m passionate about breathing life into dreams. You’ll also probably realize that when I downloaded “Joyce Meyer:  Promises for Your Everyday Life--a Daily Devotional” and found that one of the first devotionals was on jump starting your dream, I knew it was a divine reminder to get back on track.

 

As part of that devotional, Joyce (I’m taking the liberty of calling her by her first name because in my imagination, I know her personally) noted two requirements for jump starting your dreams:

1.       Have a clear vision.

2.       Keep your vision in front of you at all times.

This hit home because for the last few weeks, I’ve been struggling with both tasks. First, I was asking myself what was the next step for my vision? Would I plan another book signing, focus on book clubs, do more blog tours or write new material? I truly didn’t know. Second, I had pushed my vision out of my direct line of sight and into my peripheral vision. I knew it was there. I could see it, but I wasn’t focusing on it.

How did this happen? The answer is simple. I allowed circumstances to take the driver’s seat and excuses and sheer laziness were riding shotgun! There they were—the three of them shouting about how much I had to do, how tired I was, how nothing had inspired me and how there just wasn’t enough time to do things in the way I wanted them to be done. Well, it’s time to regroup and refuel. I’m putting circumstances in the back seat and kicking excuses and sheer laziness out of the car. I’m taking control of the wheel and encouraging you to do the same for your dream. I’ll be keeping you posted about this mission, too.

In the meantime, if you need a reminder for how to stay in the driver’s seat, feel free to borrow mine. It’s not actually mine; I got it from my dear friend (in my head) Joyce, who wrote something profound in the devotional I told you about. As part of prayer to Jesus, she wrote, “I chose to trust You to help me live the dream You’ve given me more than I trust my circumstances.”

Did someone just say Amen?

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Shellie

 

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