Are You Prepared or Controlling?

Because there's a difference.

To be prepared is to be organized, equipped, and ready for the __________. To be prepared is to hold appropriate expectations for the mission at hand, the vision ahead, and the potential for what could be. Or what might not be.

Controlling on the other hand is to hold in check, dominate, or command.

See, control isn't a bad thing. In fact, it's necessary to form a healthy lifestyle. Just look at it from the negative - we control our cravings or our cravings will control us. We control our thoughts or our thoughts will eat us alive. We control our work ethic or the lack of it will control us. See what I mean? And that type of control takes preparation, just like it does with our diet and exercise routines, relationships and faith, entertainment habits and work schedules, etc.

Control goes astray when we fail to allow breathing room for the unexpected. Or when our preparation demands a single outcome. Or when another personality, preparing their own journey, head-butts our own. Being prepared to respond to a given situation, obstacle, or opportunity takes self-control. And self-control demands preparation of the mind, heart, body, and spirit. But it also means we have to be prepared to let go.

Are you prepared or simply controlling?

Oh, and oftentimes we're controlling because we're not prepared! Chew on that little nugget.

I have faith that both wise preparation and humble control can work together for a healthy rhythm of life, even when the world is crumbling around or within us.

Q. How are you preparing for your daily tasks? Weekly projects? Quarterly goals? How are you preparing your family/work rhythm?

Q. What are you doing to foster a healthy means that will justify a healthy response to whatever the ends might be?

Do This If You Want to Make It Happen.

ONE: Add creative space to your schedule in a healthy way by saying no to things that needlessly consume your time (social media addiction, one more episode of the series, binge drinking...)

TWO: When sitting to create, do a few things first: Pause and reflect on what you're grateful for. Clear the to-dos from your mind by writing them down. Write down 1 - 3 simple things you'd like to accomplish in your creative time. Pick one. Dive in. End on time then move on with your day. (Use this journal to help make it a habit.)

THREE: Whether it's the most fruitful creative space you've ever experienced OR a total bust...keep it on the calendar and do it again. And again. And then again. Train yourself to work, to create, to produce. And you know what? You will. And if you have extra time beyond the schedule to create when you're inspired...grab it and go!

Wanna work on your creative habits? DM me on IG. Or reach out on creativistacoaching.com. Not sure about this coaching scheme? Let's talk. I'll tell you how it works and you decide.

Five Drafts of the First Six Chapters...

In the shower this morning I was reflecting on the first five drafts of the first six chapters of my next young reader sci-spirit-o-pocalyptic adventure (SEE book 1) and some things struck me about the draft I finally decided to run with...

1. No one else will know any different. I mean, they won't know what I could have done to kick off the novelette so I can rest confident in my decision.

2. Another writer would have done it differently. Of course they would have. But then again, they would have done it all differently. And then it wouldn't be my story to tell. So who cares!

3. When I consider my audience, my story-vision, and my desire to create something I'd want to read, I'm content and even excited about the path I've chosen. What's the alternative? To continue writing a script I already wish I'd done different?

4. Sometimes, like after five, ten, or even fifteen false starts it's time to decide, build on the decision, and trust the process. It was time to trust the process.

How do you move forward?

Or are you stuck? For how long?

Reach out. DM me on IG. Send me a note via creativistacoaching.com and set up a short phone connect. Let's spend a few weeks or months working together to take that next step. Yeah, you'll spend some cash on coaching, but the alternative is floundering for another season, right? Let's connect!