Writing Once More

I've been in the Web Copywriting industry since 2006. And way before that, I'd always wanted to be a literary writer. Back in college, I used to write stories, poems, journal entries, personal essays, and other scribblings. And when the opportunity came to enter the writing world after graduation, I grabbed it.

That was 2006, seven years ago. In my work, I'd been exposed to SEO writing, keyword-optimized writing, blog writing, and other forms of web writing. I never thought I'd be writing about the things I've been writing the past years, but I did. And I learned new things, ventured into new territories, discovered some stuff. I went into freelance writing, on and off during the few years, and I liked the exposure that it offered. I liked the way it brought me to different fields. And while I was working and earning, I also learned.

During this time, though, I sort of put off my first dream - literary writing. I sort of lost the muse, lost the sensibility for the poetic and the dramatic and the ideal. And every time I would attempt to get into literary writing again, I would feel some sort of a block and continuing was really difficult. I've always planned to take a Creative Writing class, but I could not do it. The closest I was able to do was visit the school I was planning to enroll in and ask for an enrollment form and a list of requirements. But it was only up to that - I never did accomplish the requirements and never did enroll. And then I realized, it would be impossible to do things like that when I could not even write. I had no time for writing. And I had this writing book that I started reading many times, but during all those times I could not finish even the first chapter. Well, it's so easy to say that my busy schedule caught up on me, that work ate most of my time, and all that.

And then later on, work also ate much of my free time for freelance writing, and I gave up even that. And then later on, when I was given an editing and a leadership position at work, writing totally disappeared. Not that I did not like those positions - I loved them. They gave me new knowledge, new experiences, and I am particularly grateful for having the chance to handle a big group of people (15 teammates). I just realized one day that I'm not writing anymore - not for work, not for freelance, and not even for my dream. I could not maintain a blog anymore. I could not even write anything journal-ish (and I was a big journal writer way back).

And now, now that work is unstable and I get lots of free time (thanks, work! LOL), I decided to go back to writing. I started on the book that I'm reading (The Lie That Tells a Truth), and I am taking on freelance writing tasks again. I have two clients right now, both past clients, and I'm having a great time. I also have room for more clients, so hire me! :)

There are setbacks, yes, but everything is well all in all. And yes, I resurrected my blogs, did some rearrangements, and now I'm maintaining three of them - this blog and two other blogs I've long wanted to set up: a travel blog and an environment-focused blog, both of which I am highly passionate about.

Here's the link. Please visit them. :)

> Travel Blog --- http://in-the-footsteps-of-the-sun.blogspot.com/

> Environmental Blog --- http://green-and-orange.blogspot.com/

I'm also thinking about setting up a writing blog where I'll post all the literary pieces that I've written, but I'm not yet sure whether I'm ready to publish them for everyone to see. LOL. Let's see.

Feeling Good About Our Dreams

Dreams are among the most wonderful things about life. They keep us alive. They keep our blood pumping. They keep our existence more meaningful. But, I’ve learned that the way we treat our dreams affect the possibility by which they can become real. We have the power to accelerate the fulfillment of our dreams, or to slow them down. How? It all starts with the way we feel towards our dreams.

How do you feel about your dreams?

Are we excited? Thrilled? Are we happy about our dreams? Or are we worried and anxious? Are we stressing over them? Are we scared that our dreams will not come to reality?

Positive emotions attract possibility, while negative emotions repel possibility. If we are happy, excited, thrilled, we increase the possibility of our dream’s fulfillment. We fill our body with the energy that tells us, we have to do it now! We can! And we will!

On the contrary, negative emotions limit possibility. If we’re scared, worried, anxious, we become paralyzed by our fears. And what we think, we often manifest in our actions. And, it has been proven many times – visualization is powerful. If all we can think of is our fear that our dreams won’t come true, there will be a very big possibility that they won’t.

But there’s good news: The Secret says that affirmative thoughts are a hundred times more powerful than negative thoughts. So, whatever fear we feel about our dreams, we can easily combat by thinking positive thoughts. We are blessed! We can reach our dreams! We’re getting there! Let these be our mantra as we reach our dreams and as we take actions that will lead us to the time, the place, the circumstance we’ve always dreamed of.

Finding Our Dreams

Are your dreams truly yours?

Of course, you might say. After all, they’re your dreams. Not necessarily so.

Not all of our dreams are truly ours. How many of us have dreamed of being a doctor when we were young just because our parents have been telling us since childhood that we will be a doctor in the future, or a teacher, or a lawyer? How many of us have dreamed of living abroad because most of the people we know have already migrated there and are enjoying the so called greener pasture?

Being a doctor, being a teacher, being a lawyer, or living in a foreign country are valid dreams. I have dreamed of being a teacher (in fact, my bachelor’s degree is Education), and working abroad is also one of my dreams. However, there’s a certain difference between our true dreams and what we perceive as our dreams.

Our true dreams are ours, and ours alone. It’s something that is not dependent on the people and the world around us, something that we desire regardless of what people say, something that we’re willing to defend against the world. It can originate and spark from the smallest encounter and from the most unexpected circumstance – inspired by someone we’ve met or something we’ve read about – and its real significance to our life, only us can understand and measure fully well. Sometimes, we want it so badly that our desire is almost irrational. It’s something that we covet and something that we can be selfish about without feeling guilty.

We all have a lot of dreams. They change as we change and grow – some disappear and some remain. But which of our dreams have the characteristics mentioned above? Which of our dreams are we most passionate about? Which of our dreams have the capacity to make us smile, make our heart beat faster, and make us all excited and restless, just by thinking about them? They’re our true dreams. These are the dreams that are worth pursuing, because these are the dreams that originate from the deepest corners of our hearts.

All our dreams, we need to examine and re-examine to determine whether they’re really OUR dreams.

Before we can start fulfilling our dreams, we need to find them first. We need to know whether what we’re pursuing is a dream that’s truly ours. Once we know this, we can be sure that we’re pursuing something worthy, something meaningful, something we can truly devote our entire life to.

Have you found your one true dream (they can also be two or more)? If you have, then

(photo credit)

Within Us Is A Soul Always Clamoring For Meaning.

No matter where we go and no matter how far we've gone, the soul won't be satisfied until it finds what it is looking for. We can't satisfy its hunger with all the seemingly important things we do, with all the seemingly big achievements we've accomplished, and with all the seemingly valuable possessions we've acquired. The soul will always be searching for its purpose - it will always be searching for that thing that we hold dearest in our heart.

Of Everything You Want To Do, Do A Little Every Single Day.

Because every great dream begins small.

We all have the tendency to want to hit the goal at once, to take a shot and succeed right away. But I guess that doesn't work. Achieving our dreams is not like winning the lottery, which is a product of mere luck. Every dream is a product of small efforts and small ideas, slowly growing bigger, piled on top of each other, until the dream is formed.

Many of us dream of big things (which is the ideal way to dream, by the way). But, sometimes, the dream remains just a dream because we keep focused on the big picture - we forget that this big picture won't be formed if we don't start with the little pieces.

So today I tell myself: begin with the small pieces - now. Do the small things. Keep on doing them, day after day after day. And soon, the big picture will be formed. 

You Get What You Believe.

So believe even in the impossible. Make your dreams enormous. Reach out for the stars.

Because the universe is always listening. And it obeys.

Thou Shall Not Be Afraid.

Sometimes, the only dividing line between us and all the things we want to accomplish is our fear. 

If we are not afraid, what are we going to do? The answer is endless. 

Doing away with our fear will open the door towards all the things we've always dreamed of.

Dream And Work.

One message I received via GodWhispers:

Dear ____,

Don’t be stuck with the “How” of your dreams. I’ll take care of that. I’ll supply you with what you need. I’ll provide you with the resources, the open doors, the inspiration, and the connections. Your job is to dream and to work with whatever is in front of you at this moment.

Me,

God

Once You Decide To Give Something A Go, Give It Your All.

It could be in your career. It could be in your relationships. It could have something to do with the pursuit of your one great dream. It could have something to do with the thing you've been longing for. Or it could have something to do with love and loving. No matter what area of your life is involved, always, always give it your all.

Let go. Let go of all the things that hold you back.

Direct all your energy to the task at hand. Work so hard and push your limits. Work until you sweat, until you bleed, until you feel your heart beating to the full.

Give it your all, until you feel like you have nothing more to give. Don't stop until something happens. Run in pursuit, fast, hard, until the heaven sees you and finally works its miracles to grant you your one great wish.

Let your passion consume you. Let it take full control of everything you do until you come up with that masterpiece that will be your legacy to the world.

Love. Love fully. Love until you feel like your heart cannot contain the feeling anymore. Let your love overflow. Let your love overflow and wash away any fear. Let your love overflow and drown out any doubt. Let your love overflow until you feel the world has become a better place because of that love.

The Feeling Of Excitement Is One Of The Best Things In The World.

It's been a long time since I last felt this kind of feeling - that feeling of restlessness, of butterflies in the stomach, of desiring something so strongly that it's almost painful... 

That moment when you can't think of anything else except that one thing that makes you feel all anxious, nervous, and excited all at the same time... 

That moment when you want something so bad yet you're so scared to grab it, but then deep within your heart and soul you have already claimed it to be yours...

That moment when you can't sleep and all you do is toss and turn in bed thinking about that one thing that you desire, until you feel all bursting with energy...

This feeling is so rare and precious. And, it's during moments like this when I feel most alive, burning with passion and consumed by a fire so real I almost feel scorched.

This kind of excitement - it's one of the best things about being human and about being alive.

Anything That's Big Enough To Scare Us Is Worth A Try.

Fear can be a blessing or a curse. It could either leave a person paralyzed on the edge, unable to move, or it could compel that person to finally plunge into that abyss of uncertainty that would change his whole life. So, how would we want fear to affect our life?

Anything that's big is scary - that is true. And, all the great things in the world are accomplished with fear. When we experience fear while we're about to embark on any particular venture, that only means we're up to something bigger than ourselves - and that is always a good thing.

My Prayer: Lord, help me not allow fear to cripple me and keep me from moving. Every time I experience this emotion, please always remind me that something big is coming my way. Amen.

Sometimes, We Have To Stop To Continue.

This is especially important now, as the world is so focused on moving forward, marching onwards, that we often forget where we're going.

In our goal to reach the finish line first, it's so easy to get lost. And the saddest of all? Many of us end up winning, only to realize in the end that the finish line ain't what we really wanted to reach. All we really wanted was something else, a detour during the race, one that we've already passed by and ignored because we were too focused on that yellow line at the end of the road. And so we missed the right way, and it's too late to go back.

We need a momentary pause now and then to help us reassess our goals and understand the direction we're taking. We need silence once in a while to help us realize whether the path that we're treading is the path that leads to the most important things in our life and to the things that really matter. We need to stop, breathe, re-assess our priorities, re-direct our path, and then continue onwards.

Thank you, Lord, for this peaceful and wonderful day.

There's No Perfect Moment When It Comes To Reaching Our Dreams.

There will always be difficulties. There will always be doubt. There will always be fear.

There is no perfect moment to start, because all beginnings are awkward and uncertain. But what's important is that we begin, right now - wherever we are, and whatever our circumstances are.

When it comes to our dreams, only the present matters. Because we don't know if there will be tomorrow. We don't know whether we'll be given another chance to execute all our plans and to put everything in action.

So, like the statement of my favorite preacher, Bo Sanchez, during his talk this morning...

Don’t wait for the perfect moment before you do what you must do. Write that book. Start that project. Build that ministry. Reach for that dream. Just do it!

There's no better moment than now.