#2014BloggerChallenge - New Year's Inspiration

Hey y'all!

So today begins the first of the 2014 Blogger Challenge posts, hosted by Gaby of Another Girly Blog.  Over 400 bloggers are taking part, where twice a month Gaby sends us a topic and we all post our blogs during the first and third weeks of the month.

The topic for the first post of the #2014BloggerChallenge is "New Years Inspiration" - but instead of writing new years resolutions, we share a quote or a picture that inspires us and that we think will inspire others in the New Year.

A lot of my resolutions this year have to do with me pursuing a talent that I've been sorely neglecting for a long time, writing.  I began this blog as a vehicle to make me start writing more often, and I want to continue that into the new year, so I've assembled a variety of quotes and images that remind me of this.  I've placed attributes where I have them.  If any of these images are your copyrighted work, please contact me so that I can give you credit.

via Pinterest, no attribution found

This picture is currently my desktop wallpaper.  Nathan Filllion (who is number 1 on my laminated list), reminds me of what I should be doing every time I turn on my computer (as soon as I finish reading blogs and watching YouTube, of course).

When I was still in school, I fancied myself a writer.  I was editor of the high school newspaper and yearbook, and I was in a writing-centered English class that pushed me to hone my craft.  In college and thereafter, writing sort of went by the wayside as I crumbled under the realization that my odds of being published were slim.  I was disheartened to even start a project, both for fear I'd never complete it, and even if I did, it would never get published. 

I've always loved the art of word-craft.  I like playing with words, stringing them together in ways that evoke vivid images and strong emotional responses.  The written word is a powerful tool, and I like to think I have a talent in using it.  However, I know that I'm not TheBestWriterEver.  Even still, why do I let that knowledge stop me from practicing my craft?

via iheartinspiration.com

It seems really simple when you put it that way.  So, I've decided that I'm still going to go for it; I'm going to CreateSomething!  Except... where to I start?  What do I write about?  What's my story?  Who are my characters?  Oh no.  My anxieties are rearing their ugly heads again, and I haven't even set pen to paper.

via Pinterest, no attribution found

via quotespictures.com

These kinds of fears and doubts stand directly in front of success.  If your negative thinking stops you from starting a project, you're basically creating a self-fulfilling prophecy for failure.

Sometimes you just need to:

via inspirationalcollages.tumblr.com

Even when I fear failure, as we all tend to do, it should not become a barrier to doing the things I want to achieve.  When I buckle to my fear, I accomplish nothing.  When I conquer my fear and do what I dream of doing, even if my work never sees publication or even another person's eyes, I succeed because I have created something.  By changing my thinking, I can take control of my destiny.

via inspirationalcollages.tumblr.com

It's entirely too easy to let worries run rampant in your mind when you're afraid of failing.  As a person who struggles with anxiety and depression, I am usually inclined to think of the worst possible outcome of any potential action.  This kind of thinking will prevent me from achieving my goals.  I need to remember that I have to fight for the things that I want, and adversity makes me stronger.  In this way, I become a warrior in my own battle of destiny.

via Pinterest, no attribution found

Isn't it amazing how the smallest change (like a single letter) can completely change the meaning of a word?  This is true in life as well as in wordplay.  Sometimes all it takes is looking at a problem from a different perspective and suddenly that mountain in front of you becomes a series of molehills instead, and those are much easier to conquer.  Yes, it's going to take a little bit of effort to get over those molehills, and you're probably going to sweat a bit, strain a bit, and potentially exhaust yourself, but you CAN do it.  *I* can do it.  I need to remember that being lazy never got anyone anywhere.

via inspirationalcollages.tumblr.com

A huge lesson I've learned this past year is that breaking a monumental obstacle into smaller bits makes it more achievable.  A year ago, my then-fiance and I had just sent off my visa paperwork to begin my migration to England.  Suddenly everything was very real, because within 6 weeks, my visa was approved and suddenly I was on a tight timeline to actually get myself, my dog, and all of our stuff moved from Texas to England within 5 months.  I had to break every step down into parts or crumbling under the pressure and losing what I wanted, which was to live my life with the best man I've ever known.  Leaving all of my family and friends behind was hard; leaving a job I enjoyed was hard; leaving my hometown, with all of its safety and comfort was hard.  The entire process was hard, but I had to persevere to get the things I wanted.

via mademoiselleyama.tumblr.com/

There came a point in about April, after I'd sent all of my stuff off on a cargo boat, and I was in the midst of getting things ready for the dog and I to travel across the pond, when a huge anxiety attack nearly axed the entire thing.  I was terrified about putting my poor dog in the belly of a plane for a 9-hour flight, and I almost backed out.

via Pinterest, no attribution found

It took a long talk session with my roommate and dear friend to help me come around to my eventual conclusion.  Over the course of 3 hours of crying, worrying, analyzing, and talking it out, she helped me realize that after everything else I'd already done, this one little problem was a minor bump in the grand scheme of things.  I'd already done most of the hard work, and I knew there was a workable solution for my anxieties about the dog's anxiety (she takes after me, poor thing).  I'd reached my breakthrough moment.  The rest of the move was a downhill coast from that moment on.

via goodinspirationalquotes.com

I remember reading this quote and others like it when I was a teenager, and making gradiose plans for what my life would be like.  Unfortunately, life got in the way of my plans as it often does.  Now that I've got those 20 years of experience behind me, the reality of this quote slaps me in the face when I think about all the things I wanted to do and didn't.  Now, I'm not one to hold onto regret because I think it's a wasted emotion, but I recognize that I need to put my nose to the grindstone and actually put some work into achieving those things that I want for myself.  I don't want to make big promises to myself and the world, but I want to make the effort quietly in hopes that my payoff will come.

via instagram.com/phuckyoquote

I want to close with this list that made me chuckle, because it pretty well sums up everything else I've been talking about today.  I'll let it speak for itself.

via Twitter, no attribution found

I know this was a hugely long, faffy post.  Congrats if you've made it this far, and thanks for sticking with me while I ramble on.  I would love to hear your thoughts and maybe your own resolutions for the year in the comments!