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Seeking and finding motivation - It needs to come from within

I have known for a long time that motivation is something that needs to come from within yourself. At least genuine motivation needs to come from within your own soul - it is the only kind of motivation that will last. Even though I have known this, I found (and still find) it very hard to keep myself motivated, to keep the spark within alive, to not let the world and the people in it kill my dreams.

As a writer, I also read a lot. Most books are dedicated to other people, or have some sort of acknowledgment page where authors thank people who support them, people who keep them going, people who motivate them, and so on. For a very long time, I have wished I would have people I could use for these pages. I was wondering whom I would dedicate my books to, whom I would thank. But I could only ever think of fictional and/or famous characters. In real life, there is nobody who supports me with my writing and shows a genuine interest in my ideas or progress (of which there isn't that much at the moment - but at least I am doing a little bit again).

When people learn that I am a writer, they often just go "Aha." It is not seen as a serious profession. I do earn money as a freelancer, and constantly get offered new jobs. I don't even have to apply for them any longer. There's more work than I need. But my creative writing - the writing I really want to do - is suffering. I could make time to write more of my own things, but while I do not believe in writer's block (you either write or you don't - simple as that), I feel there is a barrier when I want to do my own things.

Theoretically, I am motivated to write my books. I have done plenty of writing already, and I constantly have new ideas - but I still have issues with working on my books. I am so good at giving advice to others, but following it myself is a different story!

From today on, I simply have to make myself the promise to not wait for others to support and inspire me. I will simply have to follow a routine - whether I feel like it or not. That is what many successful writers do. Writing needs to be done, it does not happen on its own.

If you are in a similar situation, I would want you to do the same thing: you don't need a circle of support. You don't need someone to dedicate your book or other pieces of art to. Dedicate it to yourself, or to your future audience. Dedicate it to someone who inspired you. To me, it could be Michael Jackson, Darren Hayes, or Jean-Luc Picard. In the end, nobody cares about your acknowledgement. Many readers won't even read those words - so just focus on what you truly want to do.

Comments

  1. I really found your post quite motivating,,, I am also a blogger and an amateur poet... It would mean a lot if you could read my poem The Realisation at my blog www.swapniladventures.blogspot.com and drop a comment about it!

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