What Holds You Back?

What is it that holds us back? We have dreams and ideas but can’t bring our vision to reality. I ask this because I had a terrible time writing this week. I lost some sense of drive. I lost interest in my projects. I sat down to write this blog post more than a dozen times. Nothing seemed right.

Some may call it writer’s block. I don’t think that’s what it is. I have ideas. I have drafts. What was missing in all of those unproductive writing sessions was passion. I lacked a strong desire to write. But why? I’ve done a bit of self-examination and I now offer you these excuses…uh…reasons.

My "summer office"

1. Basically, I am a lazy person. This is true. I’ve known it for a long time. It is for me a constant battle. So what do I do to combat this? I am a list maker. I usually make a list the night before for each day’s tasks. Checking items off keeps me moving in the right direction. I didn’t make one list this past week.

2.  I am easily distracted. I was never diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if I scored high on the assessment checklist. What distracted me this week? Everything. Working in the yard, staining my deck, camping, television, Facebook, invitations to go out to eat. You name it. What do I do to tackle this? I usually try to schedule time to write and treat it as a job. I can be a good worker when I have a job to do. I didn’t keep a schedule this week.

3. The weather. I can generally use this as an excuse. “It’s too hot to think” or “The cold is depressing.” How about “The rain makes me sleepy.” You get the idea. I don’t know what to say about the weather this week, though. It was perfect. Even one evening at my camper when the rain was pouring down, it was beautiful.

4. I’m too busy to write. See number two. My busyness is of my own making.

I'm easily distracted by...anything. Even hard work!

5. "I don’t have anything to say." Okay, that is an excuse I can’t even pen without laughing out loud. I have plenty to say. Not everyone will want to hear it, but I have a lot to say. I currently have three novels in the works --all  at different stages in the writing process. I have three children’s books I am working on and several queries for freelance articles I hope to get out this next week. Having nothing to say or nothing to work on is not an excuse you’ll hear from me. Maybe I have too much to work on… too much to say. Maybe just thinking about all I am leaving undone is making me tired.

There you have it: The reasoning behind my sluggish writing behavior this week. I’ve talked with other writers. Some say they are held back by fear of failure. Others confess that they feel inadequate to the task.

What holds you back? What do you do to overcome it?