My favorite time of day is undoubtedly the mornings now – the ones where an alarm doesn’t wake me up. When I have time to have water first and latte second. When I get to sit down at my laptop and write my wins and gratitude’s, then start writing stories or blog posts or social media updates, when I have time to squeeze in a lecture by someone amazing like Dean Graziosi or Maya Comerota while working. I’ve spent a long time inside my own skin, filled with doubts about my writing and questioning the quality of my work. It set me back so many times, locked my head into a dark place I hated being in. The minds of T. Harv Eker, Dean Graziosi, Tony Robbins, Rebecca Louise and most recently, Maya Comerota have helped me break out of that rut and see things in a new way, a better way. As I recently shared in a blog post: “Do it messy. Do it scared. Do it imperfect” (by Bari Baumgarden). These lectures have taught me to just do it, go for it with all my faults and grow as I go because “when you stop growing you start dying” (by William S. Burroughs).
My wins and gratitude time is simple. I start small and basic, what you probably wouldn’t even consider to be one worthy of writing down: “I drank water before coffee” (because I was told a few months ago how dependent we get on coffee when it’s the first thing we put into ourselves). It’s helped me to get my addition to it under control. Admittedly, when you’re not in the habit of drinking water, it’s an odd habit to pick up on. Especially, after of years and years of having coffee be the first time that touch your lips. I now only have my morning latte, and rarely ever spruce for one from one of my favorite coffee shops (and they’re weak coffees). The point of it is to recognize the small things in my life that help me, and to treat myself better than I had before.
Once upon a time I was a Night Owl and I couldn’t imagine being anything else. Couldn’t write a story during the day to save my life… I can still remember staying up until five in the morning with my roleplaying partners, writing post after post… and I cringe. 🙂 I always say I couldn’t tell you exactly when it happened, but when I worked as a pastry chef in my last job in Croatia, my shifts started at 7 am. My morning routine then included 30 minutes of exercise, shower and walking the doggo (if he felt like getting up) so in order to incorporate all that, I started getting up at 4.30/5 in the morning and went to be super early. I didn’t even realize when waking up early became a head space I wanted to be in – start the day early, make my bed, get my creative juices going… And just like that, I became a morning bee that couldn’t bare going back to her old ways.
Imagine a breath-taking landscape, where the green fields stretch as far as the eye can see, with sparse houses interrupting the view. It’s still sometimes hard to believe I belong here, in the mystical land known as the Emerald Island, Ireland. It’s an enchanting realm, where tranquillity washes over you, far from city life. For someone who grew up to the noise of streets, lulled to sleep by the night traffic, I still can’t sometimes believe how settled I have become in my new life. The only disruptions are the soft snores of my pups and distant greetings from the cows or sheep. It leaves me uninterrupted hours to pour my heart and soul into my work, finish daily tasks and mark them down as my morning wins before it’s time for my daily exercise.
Over time, I learned to realize that writing is an intricate dance between inspiration and discipline. Some days, I could write up a storm of a thousand words; other days, I turn to other creative outlets. I can spend hours tinkering with my graphics, letting my imagination run wild in a different way. I’ve come to learn that the writing isn’t just about the final product; it’s about the journey. It’s about the endless hours spent crafting and sharpening ideas, building characters and endless revisions that make the piece truly worth sharing.
Whereas I once used my writer’s block and self-doubt as a way to put myself down, I now see each of these mornings spent at my desk as a step forward.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is the realization of my dreams.
And so, I continue to write, to create, and to chase my dreams, one word at a time.
Love, ~ L.V. Luca
L.V. Luca 