Don't Just Sit There!

It's beginning to look a lot like ... January. Well- it's what the gyms want you to think. Have you noticed the ads for gym membership popping up everywhere? Those always surface the last few months of the year, just when people may become a bit less active.

There are enticing specials, 'never-before-see' deals, and lots of convenient hours. Very few people will take advantage of them now, though. The gyms know this. They are getting you used to the idea and don't really expect you to join now. Oh no- they are waiting for January.

Ah! January! The time of resolutions and bright hopes. It's the time when the ANXIETY of trying something new-different-time consuming takes second seat to ACTION. Understanding why people use January to start gym visits will give us insight into Writer's Block and how to break free of it.

January and Gyms

Regulars at the gym know that January will bring a flood of first-timers and come-backers. Machines will be in short supply, locks will be in use all over the dressing room, and parking is hard to find. They grit their teeth and hang on because they know that this is temporary. What they don't think too much about is why it happens.

FIVE Things for Writers to Learn About January Gym Users

1. January is a clean jumping off point. 'New Year- New YOU!' and all that. January makes the decision of WHEN action will take place.
2. January has other newbies in the gym. Suddenly first time visitors are just one more person learning the ropes, and the atmosphere doesn't seem so intimidating.
3. January is a socially-appropriate time to try something new. Since everyone is doing their own new or rediscovered thing it creates a common bond.
4. January users take it slow, breaking up the exercises into small sets of repetitions and not trying to do everything all at once.
5. January resolutions succeed best when combined with accountability.

ANXIETY: One of the Evil Twins of Writer's Block

The apprehension a writer feels when facing a blank writing surface, whether paper or screen, isn't so different from someone contemplating a trip through the doors of a gym. The hesitation to start the activity is caused by ANXIETY.

Anxiety coats the thought of taking action with a lukewarm coating of 'not good enough'. 'Not good enough' soothes the urge to move and becomes a habit a person can find themselves reaching for it any time they contemplate starting something new. It fuels the feelings of Anxiety and reinforces it's ugly twin Inaction. There are some things that we can do to break out of that pattern, defeat Anxiety, and take Action.

Five Ways to TAKE ACTION and Break Writer's Block

1. Decide on your clean jumping off spot and decide it will be the day to write. Perhaps you'll join those in November and use NaNoWriMo to achieve the goal to write a certain number of words, pages, or posts a day.
2. Check the Vocal Leaderboard each Wednesday and reach out to the other Newbies that get Leaderboard recognition each week. Give them feedback on their posts and build a mutually supportive relationship through comments.
3. Try something new. Vocal+ writers can participate in official Vocal Challenges and everyone can take on one or more of the many non-official challenges and prompts that are so plentiful.
4. Rome wasn't built in a day, and even James Patterson doesn't write a novel in a single day. Set realistic goals for yourself. Write for 5 minutes, or 10 sentences, or 1 paragraph, or 200 words a day. Get several days in a row under your belt before you 'increase the reps'.
5. Share your decision with others and cultivate accountability. You can make it BIG by posting something on social media every day, keep it contained by sharing with just one person, or even publicize and monetize it by posting something on Vocal every day as several writers do. Speaking and writing about your intentions helps them get expressed as Action.

Still Stuck? Try This Magic Question.

There is a Magic Question that can turn Anxiety and hesitancy into Action, and I've seen it work over and over.

I've used it myself in sales and on myself when I'm feeling confused/stuck/frustrated. It grabs a person and makes decisions and action easier no matter the circumstances.

From buying the correct sofa, choosing a place for dinner, diving into an impossibly large project, clearing out the garage, or knowing what to write next, You ask the question and then do the first thing you can think of as soon as you answer. Ready? Here it is:

"What is the first thing you would do if you knew what you wanted to do?"

• You don't know what to write about? What is the first thing you would you write about if you did know?
• Not sure how to approach a Challenge? What is the first thing you would do if you did know?
• Don't know where you'll find the time to sit down and write? What is the first thing you would do if you did know?

The reason it works is you are admitting to Anxiety that you don't KNOW the right answer. You aren't hung up on what people think, or how it will look, or even if it's any good at all. You don't commit to the finished THING. You are simply going to take the first step.

You are just going to do ONE THING. That's all it takes.

So leave me a comment: Why do you want to write? What are you going to write next? When will you start writing? How long will you write? Where will you write? Who will you share your plans with?

Not sure of the answers? How would you answer if you did know?

~ Here are the first three parts of this series.