What's Next?

“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it will last forever.”
                                                                       - Lance Armstrong

The word, pain, can represent a variety of conditions from physical and emotional discomfort to frustration at not achieving a goal. What takes its place if we give up on something too soon? Do we tend to push for the result before examining all the possibilities of the process? Do we know when to stop doing what we’re doing that does not work and try something different? 

With writing, pain also exists. Some think of it as a “block” and give up. Others face the white space with angst and don’t permit the words to flow and not make any sense. They feel unhappy with a messy draft. Jumping into the writing process itself will always provide a lessening of the “pain” because we become active and moving toward something.

For me, the excitement of writing comes from wandering into a variety of meadows and forests away from my initial thoughts of reaching the mountain top. I know diverse paths will provide insights, engage creativity and push my possibilities.

Often, when I find myself in a discomfort zone, I let go of the result I started and dig into the “wilderness of my intuition” as Alan Alda terms it. Play becomes my diversion. I gather books and eat words, then write. My amazement results from what the subconscious feeds upon and pushes to the surface. I never cease to thrill from the experience free writing provides.

This week, let your fingers hit the keys or push the pen with new vigor. Become determined to outlast any feelings of “pain” in your process. Engage all your senses and write with abandon. Ask yourself what's next as you write, then write to the next in front of you. It doesn’t have to come out right if you just write!

Creative Write: Share a story of success pushing beyond the pain.