How long do we wait for inspiration to arrive? To being in the right mood?
About 4 weeks ago I was commissioned by a client to create, write and submit a project proposal for them worth about £225k to his organisation.
And I waited for being in the right mood to create it. And waited. And waited. And waited.
Then the day before the deadline I had no choice but to sit down and create. I really wasn’t in the right mood but despite that I drafted a pretty good proposal and shared it with my client which he liked.
That night I felt really, really calm even though I knew I’d have to re-write 2500 words in the morning, but deep down I knew I’d be at my laptop by 8am writing; that it would take about 2 hours of writing to complete, and be submitted by 11.30 (30 minutes before the deadline). Which is exactly what happened, and re-wrote a really compelling proposal. And I felt totally calm, even though the online system froze me out, then wouldn’t let me hit the submit button – ‘problems’ that would freak out many people. A quick call to the person on the helpline and the problem was fixed and at 11.15 I hit the submit button and off it went. Happy client too.
Now, most people would have felt the ‘pressure’ of a deadline. The ‘pressure’ of writing a good proposal. And ‘freaked out’ by glitches and setbacks an hour before a deadline.
But I felt none of that. Not because I’m numb and unfeeling. But because I know deep down I’d have to create all my feelings of ‘pressure’ or ‘freaked-out-ness’ and attach that to the deadline, the client, the £225k, the software glitches and set-backs, and none of that makes sense to me. I’ve never met a resourceful worrier, stressed or freaked out person, so why would I do that to myself? And I know events are neutral, and all my feelings are created from my thinking in the moment. The project teams I’ve set up and managed feel the same way: they just get things done (even when the organisation is in meltdown as a client once put it!)
And despite not being in the right mood that evening I went cycling on a bit of a tough hill climb with a friend. I could have said no, but found myself saying yes.
And yesterday, I went running for the first time in probably 15 years. Again, I didn’t feel in the right mood, but given my plans for BeingOnTopOfTheWorld I knew I had to start anyway: I managed 35 minutes of steady running and felt OK at the end of it. Again, despite ‘not being in the right mood’.
You know, we often wait for the being in the right mood but it’s really not necessary. We have a mental self-correcting system which kicks in anyway despite not being in the right mood. There’s nothing to do but get on with it anyway. As they say, the best cure for writers block is….writing!!!