Master your inspiration or your potential becomes nothing.

Nobody knows better than a writer how inspiration can turn one into a jack of all trades, master of none. It usually starts with inspiration to write an article on childcare and before it’s finished, another on hard work, then a story, a book, and more… Everywhere and all around, inspiration abounds. Unfortunately, inspiration is flitting; and sometimes does not hang around long enough for a page to be completed not to talk of an entire 50,000-word manuscript. Thus, instead of several articles and books, the writer has boxes full of unfinished manuscripts.

So, when next you’re inspired:

1. Take control of your inspiration: Don’t give in to flights of fancy. Instead, channel your inspiration towards the completion of any project you start. Better yet, before your start, count the cost. What would it take to follow your muse? Do you have the time to completely execute an inspired idea? Inspire completions not beginnings.

2. Perspiration trumps inspiration. Writing like any other form of creativity, is not perfected amidst glamour, glitz, and fun. Perfection comes through consistent, hard work; sitting at a desk or bench each day plodding away at the craft in attempts to produce a masterpiece. Work through the downtime, through the departure of inspiration till you accomplish your dreams. Great ideas are plentiful, but bringing those ideas to life is the big pay-off.

3. Reward yourself for work done not ideas hatched. When you get a great idea, don’t go around crowing about it unless you get paid for having ideas. Instead, get to work. When you’re done with the work, celebrate. Too often, we pat ourselves on the back for thinking of ingenious ideas, or crow all over town over something we think is simply brilliant. Execution however, is another matter. And if you rely on inspiration, all your crowing will be short-lived.

Be Inspired by mastering your inspiration.