Like it used to be.

Remember how it used to be?

Remember when you would pull out your Crayons and start coloring… and you didn’t care if anybody was “watching” or “noticing” or if your drawings would “lead” to anything?

Remember when you would make up fantastical stories just because it was fun? Like make-believe stories about My Little Ponies. Or performances that you’d put on in your backyard with your friends where you’d all pretend to be members of the Spice Girls.

Remember your very first blog post? The delicious thrill of sharing your intimate feelings online and knowing that maybe, just maybe, one person might read them?

Remember how it used to feel?

Before writing became a chore or a source of profound stress?

Before anybody told you, “You could make a living doing that” or “You could never make a living doing that.”

Before anybody told you that you were “talented” or “untalented,” “great” or “not great”?

Remember those days?

I have a secret to share with you:

You can time-travel back to those days again. It’s not hard.

All you need to do is clear your schedule for one hour (or more), gather together your desired materials (paper, pens, stickers, crayons, glue, feathers, laptop, camera, make up, flour, sugar, eggs, whatever you need) and then say to yourself,

For the next hour of my life, I am not a professional writer. I am not a professional blogger. I am not an entrepreneur or an ‘aspiring entrepreneur’ or a ‘professional’ of any kind.
 
For the next hour, I am not seeking praise, money, feedback, publishing opportunities, comments, likes or re-tweets. I can seek all of those things later, once this hour is over. That’s fine.
 
But for the next hour, I get to make something just because it feels good to make something. There’s no agenda. No desired outcome. Just “fun.” My hour begins now.

Then write, color, play dress up, make a picture, or make up a fantasy world.

It will feel amazing. You will feel amazing. Just like you remembered.

Just like it used to be.