New Year's Resolutions: More Everyday Inspiration

Quotes from Kazuo Ishiguro and Rachel Kushner — Two literary quotes that I ended up not using for the book club gifts—I decided to stick with words that focused on reading or writing. Inspiration from Kazuo Ishiguro: “When I was outside just now, doing my best to remember all that I could in the stillness, many things came back to me.”

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I found more everyday inspiration to help you stick to your New Year’s Resolutions. If you’ve lost inspiration to follow through, take a minute here. Last week I had some fun with products that offer silly inspiration. Some of this inspirational nonsense appears flippant. But there are times when I enjoy the quotes and an ‘atta boy’ on my tea bags. So I thought I’d have a “Part Two” here. The good, the bad, the ugly.

Magic Morsel brownie — I don’t know if this treat really dispenses magic, but when inspiration is far off, it’s a tasty treat.

Everyday Inspiration: The Good

Tea bags with quotes from writers. — Tea bag inspiration with quotes from novels and authors.

Reading good books will inspire your writing process. I received a gift of ‘Novel Teas’ (which is a pretty dang cute name for this company) as a reminder.

Tea bag quotes — Make a pitcher of iced tea and get lots of (sometimes repetitive) inspiration at once.

You can get a lot of inspiration at once by brewing up a full day’s ration.

tea bag quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson — Two cups of tea in a morning and a repeated message.

I’m not what I like to refer to as ‘woo-woo.’ I don’t see signs that the universe is singling me out for special messages. But every once in awhile I pretend to, just so I can believe in a message for the day. When I get two cups of teas in the morning with the same message, I’ll bite (drink?) and set that as the message for the day. This day’s double-down was “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”–(Ralph Waldo Emerson) Isn’t that what writing a story is all about?

Tea bag quote from Helen Keller — “One cannot consent to creep when one has an impulse to soar.”– Helen Keller

One of the best from one of the best. “One cannot consent to creep when one has an impulse to soar.”– Helen Keller P.S. Did you know that Helen Keller was quite radical and not at all the woman presented in those children’s books?

Everyday Inspiration: The Bad (or the So-So)

You’ve earned this cup. — I actually didn’t earn it. But I did appreciate it.

Actually, I liked this nice little atta boy cup I was given when out and about. But, let’s face it. I hadn’t done anything yet to earn the day. Why are we always congratulating ourselves on future work/achievements?

Everyday Inspiration: The Ugly

Tea cup inspiration—life isn’t a puzzle to solve but a journey to indulge in. — I hate the phrase ‘tag, you’re it.’ Something bad always comes afterward.

I hate the phrase ‘tag, you’re it.’ It’s always followed by wandering around, sometimes with eyes closed, seeking hidden figures by using stupid clues like “Marco?” But I’ll go with the life-is-a-journey conception of the universe, although it’s not terribly original.

Nonsense–winners do count the odds–and find a team or a work-around or a new project. I think people hand out this kind of dumb inspiration so that you will stay stuck in the same stupid battle while they are counting all the chips.

More Everyday Inspiration

If you liked the quote up top from Kazuo Ishiguro, I have a set of them from his novel Buried Giant. Try some more quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson as well. Everything he wrote feels like a series of one-liners.