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Maggie Whitley

joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith & simple living

You are here: Home / inspiration / How to give inspiration an opportunity.

How to give inspiration an opportunity.

January 8, 2018 · 5 Comments
Filed Under: inspiration

“Write every day. Not every other day. Not tomorrow. Not after the party. But before. The more you write, the more comes out of you. If you don’t give inspiration an opportunity, it will never arrive.” – Ethan Hawke

Interestingly, I find this can be applied to a lovely variety of goals and personal interests. Perhaps for you, too?

Here are seven areas of my life where I apply this motto:

1. Want to be a better cook? Read through cookbooks, plan a menu, and put on your apron.

2. Want to learn how to sew? Visit the library and bring home a teetering pile of books, then borrow your family’s sewing machine and basket of notions. Next step: cut your fabric today.

3. Want to exercise more patience? Read text that encourages you, challenges you to bury your old self and bring to life better Fruit. Admit your faults, ask for help. (See also this.)

4. Want to have more energy as a mama of little ones? Start right now: promise to go to bed on time and wake up with the sun. Rinse and repeat. Also, see line above ;)

5. Want to have more money? Stop spending all the money you earn, stop it right now. Be intentional with saving your money, start that right now.

6. Want to have a better, more positive self image? Give yourself a morning pep talk, an afternoon pep talk, and an evening pep talk. Surround yourself with people who encourage you, challenge you, and pray with you. You are so valuable.

7. Want to learn to do something that you don’t know how to do? Take a moment to think of someone you want to learn from and reach out to them. Send them a message with your question, or better yet, invite them over to your home for a meal and cup of tea. Don’t forget to get out your notebook and pencil ;)

Do the things that matter to you right now. Talk about them with your peers, with God, and take it one step at a time. You’ll get where you need to be, however slow or fast it needs to be; I totally believe this to be true.

So. Write every day. Not every other day. Not tomorrow. Not after the party or once your child is napping or once you have all the dishes washed or once you finish school or your job or take that phone call or scroll through social media for just one more wasted hour of time, and certainly not in five years once you “have more time” but before — just as Mr. Hawke says.

PS. have a creative itch that needs scratching? Try this easy method.

xx

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5 Comments
Filed Under: inspiration

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Comments

  1. Katherine says

    January 8, 2018 at 10:59 am

    Good advice. ❤️

    Reply
  2. Michelle Markling says

    January 8, 2018 at 11:25 am

    It is nice to see you writing again.

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      January 8, 2018 at 12:31 pm

      Oh my gosh, ME TOO! :)

      Reply
  3. April says

    January 8, 2018 at 2:50 pm

    I have noticed that since you took your “pause” your writing seems to come so easily to you now. So fluent. I’m also thrilled you’re back writing. :-) Also, I love the knitted/crocheted thing your plants are on. Did you make it?

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      January 9, 2018 at 8:04 am

      I did make it, yes! I love the rhythm of crocheting :) and I totally agree with you on the fluency of my writing, one day I sat down to write and was able to write THREE posts. That felt like a miracle to me! I am creating a lot more personal projects verses sewing for Gussy. That is helping a lot. And I’m also in the Word daily which I had not been. This is turning into a small blog post ;)

      Reply

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie Whitley weaves her writings around joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith, and simple living. She homeschools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood. Maggie and her husband, along with their four young children, live in metro-Detroit. She has been writing online since 2008.
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maggiewhitley

JOY in motherhood & homemaking 🧺🌿💓✨

maggiewhitley
Reflecting on this today 💓🕊 When I reflect o Reflecting on this today 💓🕊 When I reflect on the moments I’ve felt my mind spinning, my emotions swirly, it’s almost always when I’m not feasting on the word of God. Not that reading scripture is the cure for anxiety —no! Rather, it’s hard to worry when we’re worshipping.
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#womenintheword #wearethehomemakers #scripture #dailyintheword #titus2woman #healthylifestyle #mentalhealth #anxiety #anxietyawareness
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A quiet night: the furnace is running, the tea is A quiet night: the furnace is running, the tea is hot, and the whisper of a page turning. ♨️☕️📖 // We are breaking from school this week, my plan is to read a lot, walk a lot, and rest a lot. How about you?

#mothersofinstagram #tea #winterreading #hygge
I fought every internal comment I could think of a I fought every internal comment I could think of and took my kiddos for a looooong walk today before dinner. ❄️✨ There’s just so much work required to raise children! I’m feeling like a tired lady. But sunshine & fresh air are good companions to keep around. 

We came home and I made “the best dinner ever”. Max specifically announced, “it’s so great you’re launching new meals to the world”. LOL— kids! 🤣👏🏻💓
How about a little Wednesday night introduction? 😘Social media sure has changed over the years and we don’t always SEE who we’re following or remember WHY we’re following certain accounts. 

So, hello! As you can gather, my name is Maggie ;) 

I started writing online (almost 13 years ago) to share the handmade products I was sewing. My shop was called Gussy Sews. ✂️👛I love the community that has grown from sewing & sharing online.

Let’s FFW to today: Zack and I live in Michigan and have four young children (2 boys & 2 girls). I slowly left the handmade industry and walked right into homemaking, homeschooling, and encouraging women through writing. 💕📝

Motherhood has been very hard on me. (And not just because of how close in age our four children are.) It’s been hard for me because I fought for years to accept that *it’s supposed to be hard*. 

I mean, how do you effectively teach another person to know and love the Lord? Bc that’s how I think of motherhood: a calling to nurture others by studying the One who nurtures me. So I gotta make the first move: study the Bible and seek Him first. As my friend Autumn reminded me, vulnerability births transformation. 

(I’ve had to be really vulnerable!)

So, yes motherhood has fully transformed me. But even more so, Christ has fully transformed me. My list of “all that He’s done for me” is off to a beautifully long start.

Something else I want you to know about me: I stalled for years before acknowledging I have anxiety and depression. It’s hard to talk about this because of course this isn’t forever “my hardship”, but rather because acknowledging this means to heal I have to work through some really difficult things. ✨

But my friend Jesus walks alongside me. He’s already done a mighty work in my heart, including helping me process my anger in healthier ways. I’ve also adopted a heart for sisterhood, mothering, and Titus 2 mentorship.

Sometimes our greatest losses are our greatest gains? That’s what I’m clinging to!

How about you? Tell me something about yourself so I can get to know you on a deeper heart level. 🖤🖤
How do you play in the winter? // We had a really How do you play in the winter? // We had a really great time visiting family in northern Michigan. On my blog I share a few ways we played outside, plus I describe a memorable childhood game ❄️☃️. Did you play it as a kiddo?
We had gotten a bit lazy with our rhythms: screens We had gotten a bit lazy with our rhythms: screens in the morning (HGTV), playtime before lessons, and not enough quiet time after lunch. This made for a really, ummm, unenjoyable learning experience. 

But today! Today we reset the rhythm, and we have had a much happier home & time learning together. 👏🏻
Visit my stories for a quick message from ME — t Visit my stories for a quick message from ME — think outside the box in terms of how you view the definition of “motherhood” 💓😘 (also: look at my little friend, she’s sooooo snuggly)
It’s another cold, winter day. ❄️Today I hop It’s another cold, winter day. ❄️Today I hope to bundle up for another family nature walk, knowing the fresh air sweeps out any & all frustration, inviting inspiration inside. ✨That’s something we all need more of.
seriously LOL: I’ve found the secret to calming seriously LOL: I’ve found the secret to calming the Laundry Beast (as a family of 6). Who wants the inside scoop? ✔️🧺👏🏻
Another batch of “fun mail” is headed out tomo Another batch of “fun mail” is headed out tomorrow :) small celebrations like this are very life giving! PS. thinking of starting a zoom book club — I need more sisterhood in my life. 👏🏻📖
The house is quiet. The heat is on. The pages are The house is quiet. The heat is on. The pages are turning. The tea is calm. 🖤☕️🧺📖
Breakfast with Buzz! If only you could see his ful Breakfast with Buzz! If only you could see his full costume and laser blaster and of course the Buzz action figure he flys around 🌟💚💙💨someone has discovered a superhero crush! #joyinmotherhood #slowmornings #surprisedbymotherhood // Landon @ 2.5yo
Today on my blog I have a list of books I hope to Today on my blog I have a list of books I hope to read this year. Plus my reading goal for the year. And a few practicals ways I fit in reading as a mama of four young children & homeschooling them. Basically, all the good stuff ☺️💓📖 #maggiewhitleydotcom #readersofinstagram #read #readmorebooks
It was the perfect opportunity to rearrange the fu It was the perfect opportunity to rearrange the furniture as we took the tree down Tuesday midday. Def one of my fav things to do.🎄👋🏻 We made it through our first week back to school since mid-December! It was rough to begin but ended with high fives. ⭐️✏️This morning I zoomed with a mama friend and I’m impressed with the many topics we covered. Sisterhood is sooooo necessary! ☕️👩🏽‍🤝‍👩🏼

Just a few cheery memories from my week! How about you?
Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activiti Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activities. I finished my last book moments before 2020 ended, which brought my started list to a close. Small joys add up to big joys ;)

What are you reading this year? Currently?

How many books are you planning to read? What’s your goal?

I’ll share what’s on my list for 2021 soon as I received some nice titles at Christmas. 📖✨🤍
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