Comments on: When surrender is the only option

By: leona

leona — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 19:25:06 +0000

Hi Ian
You did what you had to do. You wrote about your present experience. What else would there be to write about? I loved the jackals howling at the moon (hiding behind the clouds of writer’s block). Sounds like they needed some empathy. In the Focusing world when we check in with how we are now and we sense “nothing” or “blankness” we ask ourselves if we can say hello to that nothing or blankness and just be with it – kind of keep it company – or we sense for the quality of nothing or blankness. And it usually does have a quality in there.
cheers Leona
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Ian’s reply:

Hi Leona

You’re right about looking for empathy! Looking into the nothingness is something that doesn’t come so easy for me, yet. I’m working on it. I find it much more habitual to be doing all the time and accepting blankness, emptiness doesn’t sit well just yet. I have moments, and enjoy those.

By: Liara Covert

Liara Covert — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:10:04 +0000

Evolving to find that “middle ground” is part of the path to learning more about the inner self. Some people evolve to believe that surrender is the way to self-acceptance. At the same time, accepting everything as it is all the time can also seem problematic and does not promote growth. You can evolve to become more discerning, to incorporate perspectives from the physical and non-physical realms.
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Ian’s reply:

And part of discerning is to include surrender as one possible path to follow. I find that many people are either in a mode of ‘never surrender’ or of ‘why fight anything?’.

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:59:55 +0000

“Sometimes surrender is really the only option.” Hot damn I love that! It’s beautiful.

I think it’s like a viral thing…everyone’s suffering from this lately.
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Ian’s reply

And I suspect that success in this blogging venture is about still ’showing up’ (as Suze put it) even when I’m suffering from this virus.

By: Liara Covert

Liara Covert — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:56:21 +0000

Another perspective is that everyone actually has an empty head. Some beings are simply in denial of the power and value of nothingness. When a being reaches this immeasurable, imperceptible place, to feel discontent is a human reaction in a non-human realm. To feel disoriented where you are meant to be brings you back to the illusion you create where you are. Is that irony?
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Ian’s reply

Having had brief insights into the ‘non-human realm’ a couple of times, one of the challenges is to live in the physical world. Nothingness and empty headedness are so alluring that it can be equally risky to drift off into it and forget that we have a tangible reality too … and that needs living and tasting.

By: Hayden Tompkins

Hayden Tompkins — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:51:06 +0000

“I’ve been cruising some of my favourite sites hoping for a flash of creativity and it seems I’m not the only one with writer’s block.”

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That is hilarious. Actually, I have lots of ideas for posts and scribble them down whenever they come to me. The idea is that I will use them when I have ‘writer’s block’ but I find anything I’ve written like that is a bit stale.

The solution I’m come up with is to just wait and go about my day. If I post 4 hours later than I typically do, oh well. Sometimes I come across something to share, but often I get inspired or passionate about items I read in the news or on the blogs of my friends.
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Ian’s reply

Obviously I wasn’t referring to you Hayden when I wrote about others missing some creativity! Oh no!

I’ve also noticed that those posts that are written on a sudden inspiration only take about 2 hours to put together whereas those based on old ideas take forever to write.

Good luck!

By: Lance

Lance — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:18:30 +0000

Hi Ian,
Yep, I’ve had it too – writer’s block. Hang in there, my friend. And, I also know what you mean about having inspiration at completely the wrong time. This has happened to me way too often – and I think I’ll remember it (guess what: I rarely do). So yes, I admit defeat sometimes, and then surrender. And I like to think about it as losing the battle, but not the war. Keep on fighting Ian…
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Ian’s reply

Well Lance, it gives me a lot of comfort if even you have suffered from ‘the block’! Means I’m in truly great company! And for sure this is not even a battle – more like a minor skirmish!

By: LifeMadeGreat | Juliet

LifeMadeGreat | Juliet — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 08:11:52 +0000

Hi Ian

Yes, bloggers-block does seem to be doing the rounds.

I also have lists of ideas and half-written posts (I like the “under-construction” term). Sometimes it’s difficult to get into the spirit of an idea that popped into one’s mind some time ago. I wait for that idea to re-ignite.

I’d say, let it be. There will be popping soon enough…

Juliet
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Ian’s reply

Perhaps it’s the time of year .. second half of winter, all of nature asleep. I tend to think we’re more in tune with nature than we realise. Perhaps the creative juices in the blogging world are in hibernation. Except in South Africa, of course where you should be in full swing right about now!

By: Suze

Suze — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 02:40:18 +0000

Oh Ian, I hope your writer’s desert lasts only a little while. Mine has been going on for a long time now and I’m having to patiently wait it out. The most writing I seem to get done these days are comments on blogs.

What you’ve done, even by publishing what your inner critic considers an imposter of a post, is shown up. Just keep showing up. You made a commitment and you’re sticking with it. Very admirable.
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Ian’s reply:

I’m pretty sure the desert is a small one. I like this idea of ‘just keep showing up’ – that really helps keep some perspective. Thanks Suze