Good Moods

I write first thing every morning, which I find is a great way to launch into the day. Nothing puts me in a better mood, connects me to that which I am always seeking connection, and leaves me interested in doing all the other things that need doing in my day. It’s so hard to do anything if I’m not interested in doing it, and I can lose interest in just about anything, even things I loved doing the day before. After writing, I see the value even in the mundane. It’s all good. Life is good. What was I so bothered about yesterday?

It goes the other way too. That is, I’m a writer and a teacher and a coach, that’s how I earn my money and is the most public expression of my passions and talents. It’s easy to start feeling like the only thing that really matters is the writing and teaching and coaching because that’s my profession and so everything else I enjoy is just ancillary. But it’s all connected. Writing music can put me in exactly the same grounded, happy frame of mind as writing prose; as can designing or playing roleplaying games; so too a really good conversation.

Happy is happy is happy. I get into trouble when I start measuring the value of that happiness by whatever results it produced. With my writing, I’ve secretly developed a formula that says every essay or page of a book is another tangible bit of brick and mortar for my creative castle. Meanwhile, I don’t know who I’ll ever share my songs with, and the games I play are, with a couple exceptions, not-for-profit. For this reason, there seems to be no result at all other than my enjoying myself, which is nice, but it won’t pay the bills.

Or will it? The most valuable commodity in which I traffic are inspired ideas. Everything creative for which I’ve ever been paid began as one. Inspiration does not come on a schedule, and it certainly doesn’t care about my bank account. It arrives by invitation, which I extend primarily through my mood. Inspiration can be found on the other side of despair, but not in the middle of it. So, if you want good ideas, funny or cool or profound ideas, find a way to be in a good mood. It doesn’t matter how or why or what. It all serves the same purpose, the same life, the same gifts you give and receive.

If you like the ideas and perspectives expressed here, feel free to contact me about individual coaching and group workshops.

Everyone Has What It Takes: A Writer’s Guide to the End of Self-Doubt
You can find William at: williamkenower.com