Life Archives - Page 5 of 8 - Catherine Hughes

August 10, 2020August 9, 2020

Why is Writing so Hard?

Why is writing so hard? Do you ever sit down to write and just can’t seem to do it? For me, the hardest part of writing is writing. Sounds crazy to even say this out loud or rather put the words on paper. But as I sit here today, needing to write my post for my company, I just don’t seem to be focused on writing.

I am not sure what it is about writing, but somehow everything else seems like a priority. I will start a load of laundry right after opening up my writing software. Then, I am pretty sure the toilet needs to be cleaned. Because honestly, doesn’t it always need to be cleaned?

So, the washer started and toilet cleaned, I suddenly notice the sink has dirty dished in it. I should just quickly unload the dishwasher and put the dirty ones away. And while doing these chores, I wonder why I am the only person in the house who seems to do any. Then I remember the deal my husband and I have where he makes dinner, and I clean up the dishes, so I guess it is my job to do the dishes.

But all this time thinking about how unfair all of this is has gotten me riled up. So when I finally sit down at my computer again, it takes a moment to calm down enough to write.

Back at my keyboard, I notice my coffee has grown cold while I was having a mental break down about the dishes, so I get back up and warm it up.

With warmed up coffee now, I stare off for a moment to get myself ready to write. Where was I when I got distracted. Wait, are those cobwebs?? Is there a spider in that web, or can I clean it up?? Spider? Ok, it is going to have to wait. Is the spider moving? Should I relocate?

Nah, I’m good.

These distractions happen for so long this morning I am starting to feel like I am getting behind. I still have a long list of tasks I wanted to accomplish, none of which were the dishes, toilet, laundry, and cobweb removal. Should I even write, or should I move on to the next item that needs my attention on the list? You know, the thing which I can really do without somehow needing to clean up my whole house to do it.

I know I just need to start writing. Even committing to 100 words is helpful. Just take baby steps. This isn’t a novel I’m writing I just need to regularly write for my business. This shouldn’t be so hard. I have a list of topics to be covered. I have even researched a good portion of each subject, I just need to get my notes out and start writing—even a little.

Why is writing so hard for me?

I think it is because I want everything to come out perfectly. I want well-organized sentences and a flow to my writing. The kind of flow I read from other writers. You know, the people who actually sit down and do the writing thing.

I heard somewhere you just need to commit to the “shitty first draft” of writing. I know all of this, yet I still expect to have hours of uninterrupted time to get something real down. And it isn’t as though it is my family interrupting me. It is my own brain doing this.

Even as I am typing right now, I see the notification that I have spelling errors from my typing. It is taking everything in me to not go back and fix the problems. They call to me. I know, shitty first draft, no editing while writing, yet there they are…..

Ok, I fixed them……

At least I can acknowledge I have a problem. Well, multiple issues here, but I can’t take the notifications telling me something needs to be fixed! Pretty sure I could turn that off while I am writing, so it doesn’t bug me. Hmm. Yup. I can do that. So, one problem fixed for now.

Now, if I can only get my butt in the chair long enough to get a draft of my post done today, I will consider it a successful day. Laundry is done, dishes are done, cobwebs removed, weeds pulled, and a draft of Wednesday’s post ready to edit tomorrow.

Maybe next Sunday, I can make sure Monday morning everything is done, so it is just me, my hot coffee, and the keyboard ready to write.

July 29, 2020July 29, 2020

Baby Steps

Learning to take baby steps is hard. Sometimes it takes everything I have to just move forward. Only one little step forward. Some days I blast through my to-do list and think I should have put more on it. Today, I failed to write a list until after lunch.

Looking at my to-do list and everything I should put on my list, which I know I don’t have the time to even think about, is overwhelming. It is hard to know where to start and to be truthfully, sometimes I don’t start. Continue reading “Baby Steps”

July 25, 2020July 29, 2020

Rejection Sucks

Let’s face it, rejection sucks. It sucks when you are excited about a job, and you don’t hear back. It sucks, even more, when you have an interview for a job, and you don’t get it. I don’t know about you, but I tend to take that personally when I meet someone, and I think things go well, but they don’t.

As much as it sucks getting rejected from a job, it sucks way worse when it is your own company or freelance business. Not getting a job, not getting clients, not gaining traction, well, it is hard.

It is even harder now, with so many businesses struggling to stay open, the budgets they used to have to buy, just aren’t there. Your clients and potential clients may not be in business at the end of the year, even. Continue reading “Rejection Sucks”

July 17, 2020

Missing Out

FOMO or the fear of missing out has taken over the country. I have no other explanation for why it appears; otherwise, rational people would lose their shit. And to be honest, I fully include myself in this!

I always thought I wouldn’t fall into this trap. I love Instagram, but I don’t have this oh my gosh, their lives are so much better than mine thing when I am on it. I genuinely love looking at well-shot pictures, pictures of amazing places on earth, photos of great food, and fun!

It isn’t that my life is fantastic, it is just that I was, I guess, content where things were. I have a decent life: a mom, entrepreneur, daughter, sister, friend, no complaints.

And then the pandemic hit our country, and everything stopped. Everything stopped, but the fear of myself or someone I love getting Covid-19. I learned everything I could about this disease. We eased into our new lives of hanging out at home, getting groceries delivered, and staring at each other’s faces. Continue reading “Missing Out”

July 6, 2020

Back to Showing Up

It seems so simple, show up. Show up for work, your family, your friends, yourself. Yet, I have had a hard time showing up and doing what I need to be doing.

I could blame this on a whole bunch of different reasons. Of course, the ongoing pandemic has caused many to lose their jobs. Schools closed down for the remainder of the school year. My husband’s work shut down for six weeks, so he was around the house. My daughter’s car accident caused her to go on disability for six weeks.

So, many excuses, yet none of them should have derailed me.

I have never been someone to allow excuses to rule my life.

Continue reading “Back to Showing Up”

July 3, 2020

Early Morning Quiet

It is early on Friday morning, and all is quiet in my home. There are no other sounds, but the sounds of the ceiling fans whirling. The occasional sound of the refrigerator humming and the birds chirping outside.

These moments are all mine.

Mine with a big mug of coffee or two. But they are still all mine. There is no one talking to me. No outside thoughts, at least none that I don’t bring into my mornings. Just quiet.

Some mornings I get right to work. Marking things right off my to-do list. Some mornings I allow myself to get distracted by reading emails. Looking at social media, or plunging into cleaning up the kitchen. (Which somehow looks like a party happened while I was sleeping.)

This morning, the kitchen is clean. The house is quiet. Continue reading “Early Morning Quiet”

July 2, 2020

Stolen Moments

The blessing of stolen moments. The past few months have been strange and different. Life was put on pause. Work, school, and events were canceled. Lives have been lost. Injustices have been brought to light. And in the midst of all of this, I discovered I was blessed with time with my children.

Last night, I went on a brief after-dinner walk. As we were making our way back to our home, my son’s girlfriend asked, when was the last time you had the chance to spend time with your oldest two children.

I thought about it because there have been times over the past 25 years where I have had one-on-one time with just the two of them. As a parent, most of the time we spend with our children end after they graduate from high school. So time spent with adult children is increasingly rare.

Just time with my oldest two, I might have to reach back to 1998, the year my third child was born. Continue reading “Stolen Moments”

July 1, 2020

The Pause ends in July

And just like that, it is July.

Reflecting on the first half of the year is hard. At the beginning of 2020, there were goals to be achieved. Days were lived with purpose. Each day I was moving forward on my business plans. To-do lists were written, and daily tasks crossed out.

To be honest, of course, there were days when I rewrote the previous day’s to-do list. Not every day went the way you thought it might, but generally, things were moving in a specific direction.

And then rumors of a virus hit the news. The stories became facts, and life came to a halt. Continue reading “The Pause ends in July”

June 29, 2020June 29, 2020

New week, new beginnings, new possibilities

For all of you who have kept your shit together, I am deeply impressed.
Me? Every time I began to get my shit together, something else happened. I will be honest and say the past 3 1/2 months flew by in a blur of wasted moments, panic, fear, love, loss, beginnings, and endings.

At the start of this new week, I feel ready to put things back in order. To move forward with the goals I was working on way back in February and early March. The journey ahead may look different than I thought it would, but I still believe in achieving the goals I was working towards. Continue reading “New week, new beginnings, new possibilities”

February 20, 2020February 25, 2020

Leveling Up

This week I learned the importance of leveling up. I like many people, are perfectly happy doing things which I know how to do. There is something satisfying about completing activities well. This week, I am headed off to Colorado to do something I don’t do well, skiing.

In fact, I believe I have skied a total of 5 times before heading out here. Three of which were when I was in junior high. Needless to say, I am not a skier. Continue reading “Leveling Up”