positivity – Alyssa Lost in Space

The Currency of the Creative Mind

February 21, 2020February 21, 2020Alyssa Flynn

I have a lot of ideas and sometimes I take it for granted. It’s the currency of the creative – our ideas, and our imagination. It’s what we pride ourselves on. It’s what sets us apart – the fact that we can have so many ideas floating around in our heads. That’s what makes us creative.

Right?

And I realize that not everyone has trained their brain as I have to create and capture new ideas. For some, those ideas that they are passionate about are few and precious. They’re overwhelmed with their busy lives and don’t have the same luxury that I have. I’ve heard it said many times before.

“You have so many cool ideas. It’s because you’re so creative.”

Of course, I don’t think coming up with ideas is something exclusive to the ‘creative person’. I think anyone can be creative. What matters is opening yourself up to those ideas. You have to work at it.

But here’s the tea: ideas are cheap.

It’s the execution of those ideas that really matter. It’s the difference between talking about doing something and actually doing it. Talk is cheap. Actions are what matter.

Everyone can imagine their ideal life. But not everyone has the courage to work for it.

NaNoWriMo Tip: It’s Not About Winning

November 29, 2019March 22, 2020Alyssa Flynn

It’s the final countdown. The end of the month is upon us, and unless you happen to be a couple thousand words away, this might be where your NaNo journey ends. It’s also the last Friday of the month, so it’s time for my final NaNoWriMo tip.

This ‘tip’ is really more of a nugget of advice, and a lot of it was pulled from a post on my old Tumblog, but it still holds true, and I think it bears repeating at the end of NaNoWriMo.

Tips for Goal Setting (& My 2019 Goals!)

January 3, 2019December 10, 2019Alyssa Flynn

With every new year comes a slew of new goals and all the optimism associated with a fresh start. There is something so enticing about it – a clean slate. 365 days of new possibilities. Even if time is purely a construct, and new goals can be started at any point during the year. It’s a ritual, and there is something intoxicatingly optimistic about this time of year. Despite the naysayers, it’s nice to see everyone trying to do better and be better.

I am no different.

For years now I’ve been setting new goals for January 1st, filled with the same eagerness and anticipation that accompanies the start of every calendar year.

The second half of 2018 was so much better than the first – I found my focus, and I knew what I wanted to accomplish, and how to accomplish it. I figured out the process that worked best for me. Thus with the arrival of 2019, I feel more prepared than ever to achieve my goals, only this time I know I can be more realistic about them, and more forgiving if I don’t reach them.

And I think that part is important – not only the setting of goals but realizing that despite the promise of a new year, life will inevitably throw you curve balls. Your mental health will inconvenience you at the worst of times. You might have to deal with unexpected illness or injury. You can’t predict what the next 365 days will carry your way, and all you can do is the best you can with the time you have. Sometimes that means you can’t accomplish what you set out to do, or you have to settle for less. In the end, what matters is not if you reached it, but if you tried, and kept trying.

The same applies to this year and every year afterwards – You must try, and continue to try. There will always be bumps on the road, but don’t let them throw you off course.

New Year, New Mindset

January 2, 2019December 10, 2019Alyssa Flynn

One year ends and another begins, with all the promise of potential that wasn’t realized in the last 365 days.

The new year divides people into two distinct categories – the people who welcome the new year, driven by the opportunity to set new goals, and excited by all the unexplored potential. And then there are those who see it as just another day – just the calendar rolling over into the next year. Nothing special, and no reason for fanfare.

In the past, I have been divided – both excited by the potential of a new year, and admittedly confused about why people wait until January 1st to set goals they could have started months ago. And it’s unfortunate when someone gives up on those goals just because the first month didn’t go quite as planned. Goals, after all, need to be adaptable. Achieving them is a process and not a result.