MOTIVATION — SEPTEMBER 20 WRITING PROMPT
Until One is Committed
Find a motivational quote and write about it. In what way does it offer encouragement for you?
William Hutchison Murray wrote, in “The Scottish Himalayan Expedition”:
Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets:
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
I first ran across this quotation in 2006, just after I had decided to quit smoking. It resonated with me, and I printed it out, and stuck it to a corkboard on the wall behind my monitor.
I have not had a cigarette — not even a craving for one — since December 8, 2006.
I am not usually a huge fan of quotations. Why? So many of them are catchy little platitudes. They feel right, but they don’t withstand a lot of scrutinies. They’re about as valuable as the fortune tucked inside a cheap take-out cookie. But now and then, like a flash of lightning, one clicks into place like a puzzle piece. This is such a quotation.
If you don’t enter the contest, you can’t win. If you don’t make up your mind to write a book, you won’t. Life can happen to you by accident; decision by indecision is how far too many people live their lives. But if there’s something you truly want or need, you’ll commit to it, and you won’t hesitate to make a start. Once you make a start, you focus on the goal, and you begin to notice all sorts of things that might help you to achieve it. Unfortunately, if you’re not fully committed to the success of the venture, you will also notice obstacles and difficulties — these will appear to give you the excuse to avoid continuing on your path. But if you’re truly committed, you’ll find a way around or over the obstacles. You’ll recruit helpers if needed. Either way, if it matters to you, you’ll commit to making it happen.
This is Day #20 of the 30-Day Writing Challenge by Nancy Blackman for Refresh the Soul. Previous days’ posts:
- A Tiny Note from the Universe
- These Are a Few of My Favorite Things
- A Most Meaningful Year
- When It Rains, It Pours
- One Deadline that Doesn’t Drive Me
- This is Beauty
- There Are Worse Things I Could Do
- Life’s Little Soundtrack
- What’s in a Name?
- If Money Were No Object
- Tears of a Mother
- Prey for the Predator
- Family by Birth and Choice
- Fear, Loss, and Detachment
- Citizen of the World
- South Dakota Haiku
- Ranked Choice Appreciation?
- Read These Writers
- Give as Good as You Get, Get as Good as You Give
Holly Jahangiri is the author of Trockle ; A Puppy, Not a Guppy; and A New Leaf for Lyle. She draws inspiration from her family, from her own childhood adventures (some of which only happened in her overactive imagination), and from readers both young and young at heart. Visit her website at jahangiri.us and subscribe to her newsletter at https://hollyjahangiri.substack.com/
