My theme this year is exploring the link between mental health and creativity. See my stance on this here.
With writing, as in life, you will enevitably be presented with "challenges." Lets just call it what it is. Crap. Learning to see the hardships you face in life as "challenges" is one step toward being a stronger, more confident person. One step toward conquering anything you set out to achieve--including your writing goals. But it's hard. Damned hard. I speak from personal experience. I have to remind myself constantly that I am blessed to live where I live, when I live, with all the priveledges I take for granted. But when your car breaks down, or you lose an entire manuscript, or you get your millionth form rejection. When you or a loved one is critically injured or ill... it's hard to be grateful. It's easy to feel defeated.
Several of the self-help gurus I follow speak about seeing your challenges as "gifts." Saying "thank you for this opportunity to ____ (grow, get stronger, learn something new...etc.). I'm not saying that makes the crap go away. But it does help to have perspective.
I've recently been through a majory health scare, surgery, and a bunch of emotional set-back that halted me on my self-improvement path and made me take a few steps back on my depresison journey. But if I dig, I can find that it has made me look at my life differently. I've leared stuff.
I've also been fielding rejections for my query on a new novel, and damned if handling all that plus rejection isn't just a kick in the gut.
But I've soildiered on and am continuing to learn new things about self-publishing--marketing, how to create a website, getting better at cover design. Even experimenting with audiobooks! So I've learned stuff there too.
These challenges- either hardships or simply not getting what we want. Can be gifts that help us to learn and grow.
Appreciate your gifts! (Or at least try :)
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I'd love to hear your musings :)