It was during the Christmas season when I learned to create cards out of handmade water lily papers as gifts for my classmates. My Nanay told me that it is much better to make your own gift instead of buying one. From then on, I had enjoyed writing letters and greeting cards for my friends and loved ones to express my gratitude or apology to them, to bless them with my words of affirmation, or to share with them some life updates about me before emails and other messaging applications became a trend. More than a habit, writing became a form of expression of my love and a source of joy.
As I grew older and found myself in the rat race of life – working on administrative tasks in my career and ministry works – writing became merely a job and an energy-draining activity for me. It even came to a point where I felt like sending birthday messages was just an obligation rather than a gift of appreciation to others.
When I was discerning my word or theme for 2023, which was like my New Year’s resolution to guide and motivate me throughout the year, "Write Your Story" came to my mind. In my heart, I knew that no matter how many times I doubted myself as someone who could write and being called to write, I would always find myself wanting to write and aspire to be an inspirational book author.
In order for me to help myself rediscover my love for writing and regain my momentum in journaling this year, I paused and asked myself, "What are the things that hinder me from embracing writing as a habit?" and "What triggers me to feel discouraged and to stop writing again?"
After taking a break to self-reflect, I was able to identify that the reasons for my procrastination were feelings of disappointment because I felt like I was not good enough to write or I had not been writing enough articles. I was also longing for validation from others rather than appreciating my efforts and celebrating my own strength and style as a writer.
Upon learning the things that hindered me from writing, I accepted the challenge to pursue writing again and remain faithful in my role as one of Scribblory's Creative News and Article Writers.
On that note, here are some self-help tips that I have learned from my previous life experience on how to establish a writing habit: remember to just WRITE.
1. Go back to your W-hy.
Identify your emotional why – your purpose, the reason you write. Stay grounded on knowing how deeply you want to write. For some, they simply want to express themselves through writing poems or journaling, while others do it as a career or as a ministry in media evangelization, or they do it because writing makes them feel free, happy, and alive.
Whatever your reason may be, may you consider writing as a form of self-expression and not a medium to achieve perfection. When I became clear on my purpose, that I'll be writing first for myself and not to seek others' approval, my heart was opened to fall in love with writing all over again.
2. R-enew your mind.
Sometimes, we are our own bashers. We compare ourselves to others and listen to the voice that says we are not good enough. Write down the things you perceive about yourself as a writer and the reasons why you can't write. When you are able to identify these self-limiting thoughts or habits that block your flow of writing, you'll be able to create a workflow and schedule that works best for you.
It feels good when someone trusts you, but it is more fruitful when you believe in yourself first. It's all about creating new and empowering thought patterns and taking small steps to write.
3. I-magine you can do it.
You can have a renewed mind by believing that you can write. Having a clear vision of your goal and being creative in imagining it will help you open up to the possibilities of accomplishing it. For when you believe, you can achieve.
4. T-alk to someone you trust.
Have that safe space for yourself where you can share your dreams, success, and even your struggles in writing. When you open up to others and become honest about what you are going through in your journey, you'll be surprised at how things can be much easier and lighter. Having a confidant, support group, or accountability partner where you feel safe to express your feelings and secure in being yourself can boost your confidence and motivate you to accomplish your goals. Surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you.
5. E-nergize.
If energy is everything and everything is energy, we have a choice to create loving and joyful energy that can empower us to be successful. We all have twenty-four (24) hours a day, and it's a challenge for us to use our time wisely. You can take note of the things that you have done throughout the day and identify what blessed you, what made you feel alive, what drained you, when you were most productive, and when you felt you were already tired.
Being aware of what brings us life and what drains us can help us build up a loving and joyful energy in us and around us that can sustain us until we accomplish our writing goal.
If you want to establish the habit of writing and be faithful to it, please remember to just WRITE with all your might, with all your mind, and with all your heart.
Written by Marvi San Pedro
About the Writer:
Marvi is a podcaster and a missionary by heart who believes in the power of words to bring healing to the world. She is the founder of Marvilove, a personal blog that aims to be a vessel of hope and to bless people with prayer affirmation and inspiration through content creation.
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