So I’m a bit of a work-a-holic. I tend to get so wrapped up in my work that I forget to do things like take a break, hang out with friends, and enjoy the outdoors. I love what I do so completely, but that doesn’t make it easy. In fact, I think it is one of the reasons that I commit as much time to my craft as I do. If it was easy, then what would I learn? There are days when I struggle more then others. I wonder what I’m doing, and why can’t I focus. Today was one of those days. When this happens, the first thing I do is reach out online and look for inspiration. Sometimes this is some goofy meme about pushing forward. Lately it has been my desktop background. It reads:

“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”-Jim Rohn

Still wanting some more inspiration, I took to the blogs. I was reading a blog on the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer’s page by one of my favorite writers. He’s a charismatic man out of Colorado, who I had the great privileged of meeting and being the first reviewer of his newest book Elizabeth’s Midnight. This is a small excerpt from Aaron Ritchey’s post. He compares writing to biking and it’s unbelievably on point. Take a minute and check out RMFW’s page and this blog here: http://rmfw.org/ or by clicking anywhere below. This is only a small part of the article but I’m sure you get the idea. Click away for full blow your face away effects:

LEARN TO LOVE THE CLIMB — So I bike Deer Creek Canyon, the east entrance of Mount Falcon, a little bit of Red Rocks, and the Apex trail near Heritage Square. All of these are a sharp elevation gain to the top, and then a swooping thrill ride down. I love downhill. It’s easy, exciting, no sweat. But to get to the downhill, I have to climb, so I taught myself to love the climb. It’s the joy of the struggle, it’s the self-discipline of figuring out a time to write, and then using that time to write. Even though the new season of Orange is the New Black is on. The good stuff is in the grit, baby. DOWNHILL IS AN ILLUSION — When I’m climbing the east entrance of Mount Falcon, which I have dubbed MFE, Mount Falcon East, baby!, I am thinking, “Oh, the downhill is going to be so sweet.” And when I get to the top and turn around, yes, the downhill is fun, but it’s not as good as I thought it would be. I have a mantra, “There is no downhill. There is only the hill.” I think what happens to a lot of successful writers is that they get the fame and success and suddenly the writing game is like biking downhill. It all just comes, and it’s all so sweet. Humans were made to struggle and challenge their limits. STOP AND LOOK AROUND— So we’re climbing up the hill, sweating, or we’re soaring down the hill, enjoying our successes. Either way, stop, look around, breathe. The writer’s life is a good life. Not an easy life, but a good life.