Motivational books have always seemed wasteful to me. As are most declarations, protests that don’t involve at least the threat of violence and the idea saying something out loud is somehow more meaningful than thinking or typing it.

I’ve always associated these sort of practices as faith-based, religion-heavy figments of other people’s imaginations that they used as crutches to feel better about themselves. While I don’t doubt that positive thinking and actions can improve both your mood and lot in life, I’ve just shied away from ever doing so publicly.

It’s bad enough that most creativity comes from an unexplainable place (creatives make shit up for a LIVING, don’tcha know?), so every time what I know as religion creeps into my everyday life, I get defensive.

That’s what writing rituals feel like to me, That’s what personal declarations make me think and that’s what goes through my head every time I see some contest encouraging everyone else to make some statement about their life or what they think is their calling.

Yeah, I’m suspicious.

Well, until I tried it, anyway.

I may not not be a novelist, may not yet be famous and I sure as hell may not be as good as those I compare myself to, but I sure as hell can tell you that I’m a writer, whether I like it or not.

Go check out Jeff Goins’ YouAreAWriter site. If you don’t think what he has to say will help, I give you my sincerest congratulations for thinking just like me.

But you’re wrong and you should listen to him. Now GO.