This has been a great day!  We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary.  We went out for breakfast, then to our favorite coffee shop to do some writing.  I always say I’m going there to write, but the truth is I never do.  The place is noisy and distracting, and I spend more time watching people (which I love to do) than writing.  I think I just like to go there because it’s a different group of people than I am around all week.  No one is dressed in a suite, there are no demanding schedules, and I am free to write or read whatever I want.

I spent most of my time today either reading tips on writing, reading other people’s writing, or thinking about why I wasn’t writing.  I’ve heard that if you think about doing something every day, you were meant to do it.  Well, I think about writing every day.  I know I am a writer.  I know I have several books inside me that are ready to come out.  The question is why am I not writing them?

I think there are a couple of reasons why I don’t write.  First is a fear of exposure.  Letting go and allowing others to see me for who I really am has always been a challenge.  If, or better said when, I publish I book, I know I will be on display.  People that know me will read my biography and learn new things about me.  Maybe family and friends will be offended or disagree with what I have written.  It’s a fear that I have to get past.

The second reason is doubting my ability to write because I never finished a degree.  This is huge for me.  But the real truth is it only bothers me in my current work environment.  I want to take some English and writing courses, but don’t have any desire to go back to school full time to work on a degree.  I’ve accomplished much in my life without a degree.  I’m an intelligent person, and don’t need a piece of paper to prove it.  Yet I know this holds me back.  This is the second fear I have to move past.

I came to some realizations today.  I accepted to heart that I am a writer.  I recognized that I keep my plate full so I don’t have time to write.  And I identified some of my obstacles to writing.  It’s a good first step.  The next step is committing to writing something every day.  And with this blog, I have written something day (and exposed something about myself).