A Cup Of Courage and a Gallon of Gratitude

I’m usually up early, by three most mornings, and after I post my Facebook greetings, I usually settle down at my dining room table, laptop in front of me, a cup of coffee to my right, and I write.  I start with a little writing practice, ten minutes of free writing, sometimes I do a second round in order to wake-up my mind, and then the hard part begins, trying to write something tangible, something worthy of publishing.  It’s a noble goal but one that I don’t accomplish every day.  On a good day I manage to begin a few stories, or add to my works in progress, on a bad day, I struggle to begin even one story.

My writing time is at a premium, I work full-time, twelve-hour shifts, and I rely on my early morning or afternoon writing time to produce.  My inner critic follows my schedule and tends to intrude on my writing time, urging me to change a sentence, question my use of punctuation, and sometimes demanding that I start again from the beginning, writing is hard work when you have a critical inner editor who’s a boisterous loud mouth, but I persist.  I tackle my inner writing critic the same way I tackle any other problem or situation I face in my life, with a cup of courage and a gallon of gratitude, this recipe tends to serve me well.

Now, courage is not about scaling high mountains or skydiving out of an airplane, it’s about facing fears and problems head on and persisting despite them, it’s about reminding yourself that you will either succeed or learn a valuable lesson.  A cup of courage is all that is usually needed to silence the inner critic, or at least to muffle its voice long enough so that you can carry on.   Sure, things may not go as well as you planned, but they won’t go as bad as you thought either.

Gratitude is the fuel for your courage, the more grateful you are, the more courage you will have.  Be grateful for your life and for every success you have enjoyed.  Be grateful for your gifts and talents, and for the opportunity to face this challenge head on.  Be grateful for this perfect day, for the will to persist, for the willingness to fail, and for the valuable lessons you have learned by trying.  The more gratitude you can muster up, the easier it will be for you to face the current challenge.  Be forewarned that a gallon of gratitude will carry you beyond your current problem and have a positive impact on the rest of your life.

Fill your heart with gratitude, and courage will come.  I haven’t encountered a problem yet which a cup of courage and a gallon of gratitude hasn’t helped me resolve.  Not convinced?  Try it!

Love you all!

Luc