I read a wonderful post today by Jennifer Louden called, “Mood vs. Desire.”
She eloquently makes a case that we must “Learn the difference between mood and desire” if we want to feel more alive and fulfilled.
She states:
“You are always in a mood…. if you are in a light hearted mood, life seems easier. Tired or feeling put upon, you see your choices in a whole different light…. Desire, on the other hand, is life force running underneath everything. The Divine at play. A reflection of your deepest values. Desire is the most current flavor of your calling.
“We get mood and desire confused…. Mood is influenced by what you ate for breakfast, how your morning meeting went, if your partner and you are getting along, how you slept. We say ‘I’m not in the mood’ thinking that means we have no desire. No. Mood covers desire. Desire runs under mood, sometimes deep under, but it is always there.”
This is a lesson that many creatives and sensitives (and Enneagram Fours in particular) are confronted with regularly.
So many of us want to wait to be in the right mood to create, write, work, or even to complete household chores.
In the case of writing, what we’re finding in my Writer’s Circle is that when we write on a daily basis, whether we’re “in the mood” or not, we’re much happier on the other side of it than when we don’t.
It’s all too easy to think that we’re too tired, too stressed, or too unhappy to reach for what we deeply want, but when we do it anyway, we answer our soul’s calling and say “Yes” to life.
Ignoring that deeper calling and acting only on mood is one of the biggest mistakes we can make, yet so easy to fall into. It requires will, discipline, and strength to make the hard choices, do the work, and prioritize our deepest desires. But it’s so worth it.
Your turn
Tell me what you think in the comments. You know I love to hear from you.
Warmly,
~> September 27th. Register by September 27th for the next 4-week session of my “Just Do The Writing” Accountability Circle (starts October 1st). For serious writers and for writers who want to get serious about their writing. http://JustDoTheWriting.com
~> October 4th. My next Life Purpose Breakthrough Group. SOLD OUT. http://LifePurposeBreakthrough.com
~> Ongoing. Working on my script, Progeny, with screenwriter Chris Soth after finishing the ProSeries.* There’s always more.
~> Sacred writing time. My schedule is in flux right now but I’m writing regularly nonetheless.
~> Reading: Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows with my son. We’re also watching Merlin, which he loves.
* Affiliate link
