November has been spent in a far different fashion than how I spend most months.
And it's only half way through!
But I've been riding a creative, brainstorming, productive, excited wave for the past two weeks.
I believe it started when I created a gofundme to get home for Thanksgiving.
And one person donated the full amount!
I was so awed and dumbfounded and grateful.
It buoyed me and made me feel such an appreciation and joy for life.
A few days later, on November 2nd, I heard of NaNoWriMo for the first time.
For those of you who don't know, November is National Novel Writing Month and on Nanowrimo.com, you can track your progress, get encouragement and add writing buddies that are also attempting the feat of writing a novel in a month.
As soon as I heard of it, without thinking, I jumped right in. I created an account and started expanding on a story idea I had jotted down over a year ago.
And while I am not as far as I should be at the halfway point in the month, I am still happily engaged in this project. I think about it constantly. When I'm at work, my brain is always going through what could happen next, specific scenes I want to write. I think about my characters, what I like about them, what makes them tick. I think about how they look, I even want to draw pictures of them for extra reference. I've even been thinking of ideas on what to write as my novel for next year's NaNoWriMo!
So, clearly, I am obsessed. And I've even had this similar conversation with more than one friend.
Me: Oh, man. I've really got to get some writing done. (or, I didn't get as much writing done as I wanted, I am behind!)
Them: I think you are taking this too seriously, you should meet your own goals. It shouldn't stress you out.
But the thing is, I am having so much fun! You can work hard at something, you can even be stressed about it, but still be passionate about it and crave doing it. And honestly, this novel would not have been written without NaNoWriMo.
I know myself. The idea would have sat in that notebook until the end of my time. Because on an average day, I don't think about writing novels. I don't even think I am particularly good at writing fiction in the first place.
But by jumping in completely, without giving myself time to think about, it lit the spark in me to really try, to challenge myself, to explore a creative outlet I never would have explored before.
Then another project sprung to mind, and once again, I jumped in fully to get it started and to bring this small idea to life before me.
It's about winter and it's a secret project for now.
I don't know why but I feel so close to this project and I don't want to it out there quite yet.
I am nourishing it, letting it become slowly. I have lovely people helping me with their own visions and creative experiences.
Once again, usually when I get an idea, I think "Someday I will create this, when I have more time, when I've thought it out and planned it completely and it's a well thought, complete design to follow."
But not this time. I just thought about what I wanted to create and I instantly started messaging people I thought could help, I instantly started drafting up ideas and thoughts and inspirations.
Something about November has just lit up a spark of action within me.
Instead of just mulling over ideas that I eventually forget in the background and never act on, I am fully jumping in to the projects that light me up. And it's brought great results of productivity and growth.
I'm not saying that I can work full force like this all the time. I would wear myself out, spread myself too thin.
But for right now, I am reveling in it.
If an idea has taken hold of you, if you have a spark inside you, don't wait.
Act on it, start making steps to bring your idea to life.
Jump in without hesitation, with reckless abandon, lose yourself to the idea.
Just try it out for a month, see where you land in the end. See what you can create with this energy.
You will be pleasantly surprised at what you've got inside of you when you give it time and space to reveal itself, when you are excited about it existing.
Jump in fully. Even if the water's too cold, at least you'll feel more awake and more alive.
