Inspiration

Recently, I've been very frustrated with myself. I've been trying to do more writing and every day when I sit down to write, I can't think of anything that's good enough. It's like I've got perpetual writers' block or something. I've tried everything that I could think of to inspire me but I'm still drawing blanks.

And it's becoming more frustrating every day.

I'm someone that loves to write. I always have been, always will be. So it's very odd for me not to have some sort of project to work on right now. Every day that I go without writing makes me feel empty. Writing is a part of me that makes me feel whole. It's more than just a hobby; it's my life.

So I started thinking about why I love writing and what I want my writing to do. I want to inspire people. I want people to read my stories and feel something. I want to make an impact in someone's life. I just finished re-reading The Fault in Our Stars and I started thinking about how many people that book has affected. Thousands of people across the globe love that story and it touches them in ways that can't be described. That's exactly what I'm working to achieve. One day, I want my own stories to impact people in that way. That's the beauty of writing. People take things away from stories and everyone gets something different out of those stories.

Re-reading The Fault in Our Stars accomplished exactly what I had hoped that it would. It inspired me. I remembered exactly what I wanted my writing to accomplish. I remembered why I do what I do. I want people to connect with my stories and to have positive influences in their lives, just as John Green has for so many people.

I've often heard that reading a lot is one of the best ways to become a better writer. Now I know why.

-Chelsea

You Are Inspired

I recently watched the Life Code program with Oprah and Dr. Phil and I must say, I really loved it. I actually went to the library the next day to get Dr. Phil's book of the same title but it was checked out. But I scanned the shelves for a book with a similar topic/theme and I found You Are Inspired by Belinda Grace, who is a Clairvoyant Healer.

And after reading the book in just 2 days, I must say, wow! It. Was. Amazing.

Not to be redundant but the book was completely inspiring. It was such a gem and I am so glad that I just happened to stumble upon it. I have been feeling like I've been in a rut lately and needed something to lift my spirits. The book taught me to look for inspiration in my daily life and had many journal exercises, which caused me to dig deep into my past, my future wants/needs/goals and my spiritual mind.

I found myself looking more and more forward to each new journal entry and I learned a lot about myself in the process. Grace taught me that I shouldn't judge my successes or lack thereof based on anyone else's. We are all different and our values, passions, hobbies and successes are all unique to us. For example, I've been really upset lately that I haven't heard back from any agents/publishers about publishing my book yet. It's been making me wonder if everyone thinks that my book isn't good enough.

But then I thought to myself, "How many people do I know that have written a book? How many people do I know that have taken the incentive to write a book?" Answer? Zero. So it doesn't matter if there are millions of people out there that do have published books and mine isn't yet. That's nothing for me to be ashamed of because I found my passion and I acted on it. And I found something within myself to inspire me.

So if you've been holding back or finding excuses or you're just stuck in a rut, please do whatever it takes to find inspiration and passion in your life. Say "yes" to more things and live life to the fullest. And don't judge yourself based on other peoples' successes. Stay true to yourself!

If you need more information, I highly recommend that you check out You Are Inspired and get your own opinion on it. Or just read it for kicks. Either one is good.

What's your favorite self-help book? Have you read You Are Inspired? What are your opinions?

-Chelsea