With summer coming to an end and the fall semester around the corner, I find myself falling once again into the trap that life conveniently lays in front of me. Living in such a small, unexciting place (most days), I go through each week doing the same things, seeing the same people, and going to the same places over and over again. This makes it pretty easy to fall back into a mundane routine: work, school, eat, sleep, cry, repeat. When this happens, I tend to lose sight of the big picture. Instead, my long-term goals, dreams, and motivations are replaced with the short-term, living each day trying to make it to the next.
Every once in a while I will wake up from the haze and realize that I have lost track of what my purpose is and what I’m working towards. I’ll try to find motivation through trying new things and take more time to find adventure and admire the things around me. These bursts of awareness don't last long, as I eventually find my way back into the boring, mundane trap that’s waiting for me.
With that being said, sitting down and trying to think up a topic to write about was not an easy task. The longer I tried to brainstorm ideas, the angrier I became about the lack of creative thoughts I was having. I couldn't understand why I was having such writer's block, as I am usually very good at coming up with ideas.
I began to think about where it is that inspiration stems from. In order to create something, you must experience things that evoke feelings/emotions. Therefore, it can be quite impossible to conjure up any type of inspiration when you're going day-by-day feeling, seeing, and doing the same things that you take for granted. How am I expected to think of new things if I’m surrounded by the same old?
At first, this made me even angrier, knowing that I not only am hindering my own creative personality from thriving but that I am allowing my life to pass by in such an ordinary, mundane way. Then, however, I realized that everyone needs to go through the mundane cycles in order to better enjoy the adventure that occurs when they pull themselves out of it. Without these mundane ruts, I could not fully enjoy the most exciting moments in life. The mundane is an important step in being able to become motivated to break the routine and do more.
As the summer comes to a close and the adventures come to an end, I will try to remember that I will eventually break away from life’s trap once again. Although I cannot escape it for good, I can appreciate it’s ability to motivate me to make change happen, and to seek more.