It’s especially hard when you value and practice a writing habit. And like all habits, if practiced to the extreme it can start to be harmful. Exercise is good, but you can’t exercise 24 hours a day or your body will fall apart.

So, it’s important to build in times of rest when you take a break from writing. The breaks can be just as important as the times when you’re active. Without breaks, your creativity doesn’t have time to marinate.

Plus, nobody likes a workaholic or someone who only talks and thinks about their work all the time. It’s not good to live an unbalanced life.

So, make sure to take a break. Your health, mental energy, and your very life might depend upon it. These next few days after Christmas are a great opportunity to relax, take a breather, and catch your breath. There’s more to life than getting more writing done.

Question: How do you plan on spending the next few days before New Year’s?

The post Take a Break appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

Christmas means many things to many people. Some people look forward to parties and social events. Some people enjoy the lights and holiday displays in stores and homes. Some people love all the holiday entertainment you can enjoy, such as Hallmark movies and music specials.

And of course, everybody loves gifts, especially kids!

But for people of faith, Christmas is the time of year when we remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Even though we may enjoy all the festivities, gifts, and celebration, nothing is more meaningful than remembering the hope we have in Jesus.

It’s fascinating to read the accounts of Jesus’ birth from the Gospels. Those passages have been immortalized not only in church, but in pop culture as well. We all remember how Linus quoted from Luke chapter 2 in the popular TV special “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

But have you ever stopped to consider exactly how these passages were written? We think of the Bible as a sacred text, which it is, but it was also written by regular people who chose to be obedient to the Spirit’s leading in researching and writing down these accounts of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection.

In Matthew chapter 1, just before the main action of the Christmas story kicks off, there is a short phrase in verse 18. We tend to ignore it as a passing phrase that links the previous section to the next one, but it’s absolutely vital to appreciating the writers of the Gospels. Matthew writes, “This is how the birth of Jesus came about …”

In other words, Matthew is saying, “Listen up, I’m about to set down a definitive account of something really important.” But what if he had not been obedient to his calling? What if he had not taken the time or the trouble to sit down and record this account of Jesus’ birth? Would someone else have done it?

Perhaps. Even though we have three other Gospels, they are all different. If Matthew had not done it, we would have never had his specific account of Jesus’ life.

Somebody had to make the effort. Somebody had to take the time. Somebody had to write it down.

So today, on this Christmas Day, as we relax and celebrate, let’s take a moment to appreciate Matthew and Luke as writers who took the time and effort to record their versions of the Christmas story.

And let’s also reflect on this: if God can use the writing talents of an ordinary tax collector like Matthew, then maybe, just maybe, He can use you and me to make a little dent in history.

Merry Christmas!

The post Somebody Had to Write It Down appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll recall the basic plot. The main character, George Bailey, feels like a failure because he’s spent his life working at his father’s Building & Loan, and never getting to achieve his dreams of traveling the world and being involved in what he perceives as a more successful career.

One day, it all comes crashing down when his Uncle Henry misplaces $8,000, which sends the business’s finances into a downward spiral. The only way George sees out of the mess is to take his own life by jumping into the river. Clarence the Angel saves George and gives him the priceless gift of seeing what the world would be like without him. As a result, George comes to realize what a difference he’s truly made in countless people’s lives.

The final scene shows the townspeople coming to George’s rescue, donating more than enough to make up the $8,000 loss. On the pile of money, George finds a copy of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, miraculously placed there by Clarence. The inscription reads, “Dear George, Remember no man is a failure who has friends.”

What a powerful reminder during this season when so many people struggle with depression and sadness. Although Christmas is a time of joy and giving, the honest truth is that many people listening to this episode are struggling just to make it through this season.

Maybe this year, your expectations have been dashed or you’ve experienced failure of some kind. Maybe you’re struggling to get out of bed each morning, wondering why you should continue putting in the effort. Maybe you, like George Bailey, mistakenly think the world would be a better place without you.

I’m here to tell you that you can’t begin to imagine all the good you’ve done in the world.

Book sales, business, client contracts, social media metrics, podcast downloads, and income can all go up and down. But if you have friends, you’re indeed a rich man or woman. Don’t ever believe for one second that you’re a failure. We need your gifts, your talent, and your writing in the world.

So, if you’re going through a hard time, keep your chin up. Keep pressing on. Even on your worst day, remember that your friend Kent Sanders is here on the Daily Writer Podcast, cheering for your success and rooting you on!

Question: If you had the same chance George Bailey did, to see what the world would be like without you, would you take it?

The post No One is a Failure Who Has Friends appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.