What we fear most we need to do the most.

We crowd out our lives with things and events that are meaningless, with anything to avoid being quiet, to avoid listening to our inner selves crying out for attention.

Distracting our selves by watching TV or playing computer games,  prevents us from thinking about the next step in our natural evolution.

It prevents us from thinking about setting goals, dealing with problems and accomplishing a meaningful life. We want all the luxuries and the success and the happiness, but we prefer to live through imaginary peoples lives.

I recently listened to video course on setting goals. The method was unique. Called "Mental Banking" (an Hypnosis Motivation Institute trademark see link below), it uses a clever deposit and withdrawal system to encourage daily tracking of our accomplishments.

In just three minutes per day, you track what you do each day that contributes to reaching your goals of happiness, success and financial compensation.

The lecturer, George Kappas, warns us that it isn't likely that we will use the system even though it only requires 3 minutes just before bedtime to track our achievements of the day and to 'bank' our contributions.

So here we are with this great idea and we are just not motivated to use it because it is another obligation, another routine at an inconvenient time.

For me, writing requires a similar commitment, some quiet time to just let my inner voice speak.

Instead, I crowd out my time with reading, studying, researching and TV to the point where I can not even hear the trickling of that inner well from which springs all my verbal flow.

I have to be fascinated and curious about an idea. I have to begin to focus on some phrase, some sentence fragment that makes me wonder. What can I say about it? What has caught my interest? Can I discover hidden meanings and associations in that simple word or phrase?

As you may be able to tell from my articles which generally range in the 750-1000 word length, I go until the ideas start to turn to something else or I run dry. But, first I need to commit those few moments to listen.

I find this idea fascinating in itself. If listening to yourself is difficult, how difficult is it to listen to others.

I have never considered myself to be a talker, although I make every effort I can to deliver great speeches.

It's the on the spot, spontaneous, casual conversation, word association game I have the most difficulty with. I understand the rules of the game, but too often I say something contrary to what the other person says.

For example, if someone complains about the weather being too cold, I'll respond with something more positive like  "Yes it is cold, but refreshing".

The other person too often stops talking and I don't respond with anything else. My guess is most people really just want you to agree with them. They are just trying to find unthreatening, common ground.

One of the reasons I like our Thursday night reading group is that you can be as controversial as you want without fear of being contradicted. One of the rules is that we do not debate right and wrong. We respect each others opinions and different points of view.

And so it is with writing. We must train our critical mind to hold off its opinion until the work is done. We must retrain our fear so that it motivates us to write. I can take my fear and turn it around so that I am more afraid of not having written.

Writing makes my day. And, if all it takes to propel me is just a few quiet moments with my thoughts then I can't think of anything easier.

N.B. Mental Banking is a registered trademark of Hypnosis Motivation Institute.