The Kaleidoscope Project February Challenge: Roundup - How does it feel to take action?
Shares from 11 writers in The Kaleidoscope Challenge
Emotional rollercoaster
I had conflicting feelings when I’m publishing this post.
February has been a rollercoaster ride in my writing journey. It started on a high point when I created the Taking Action Challenge and it was so heartening to see such positive responses. I was very excited to post the challenge as well as take part myself!
Read the challenge post here:
This is a montly challenge hosted by myself and
from the Curious Detour, where we will be taking turns each month to host a challenge, collect the entries and feature a roundup post of all participants.So the theme for February is Taking Action, and as the host, I wrote 8 entries, but they were mostly at the beginning and the end of the month. I was ashamed that I missed taking action in mid Feb where I was overcome by work and stress, so was almost non-existent on Substack.
I only came back on a high again when I wrote some notes about this and received encouraging comments from friends here, and it was then I realized, I had a lot of support, and this spurs me on my journey.
But enough on my pity party and back on theme.
Taking action
How does it feel when you take action? Maybe it feels like you’re on a free fall with no safety net and it’s terrifying…..!!! Your mind starts spinning at a crazy rate, shouting all the “what ifs” “I’m no good“ “going to give up“ doubts and fears at you.
My rollercoaster ride felt exactly the same, but would you rather stay on the ground and imagine the possibilities? Or take action and bring the possibilities either to life or to death? You know what I’d choose.
And let’s hear the take from the other 9 writers here.
- surprised me with several poems this month, The Edge of Maybe sets the tone for challenge, as he brings us to the starting point, where we are facing the unknown and about to take a leap. Of course, after the jump, we have to land somewhere and he came up with a genius experiement of writing notes to nobody, a gesture that can changed the lives of people, and only if you believe Why Taking Action Matters More Than Thinking About It.
- had similar experiences with me when he also had a down period during mid-Feb, it’s great that he took action at the start and gave us some gems:
Taking action is the natural conclusion of your thinking process
Taking Action brings the most valuable element for progress: Feedback
Taking Action is not complicated but your fear is
So now we know, taking action is non-negotiable!
- gave us a nuance about the psychology of brain health, where she shared why hesitation brings us harm and that Taking Action is The Missing Link to Resilience & Mental Health. There are some scientific proof and references for further reading and it’s a topic well worth delving into.
A movement is triggered when this woman who got tired of being pushed decided to challenge the law. The story may be old but the lesson is evergreen.
shared a great mindset change in showing us how to Manipulate Your Thinking to Take Action.What does it take to accomplish an important goal? You know where this is going…taking action. But why and how?
gave us a breakdown here he said Action is the catalyst that produces results.Ever thought how you use your non-core skills to make earnings?
gave this very interesting perspective in Take Action. Get Good. where she displayed her brilliant floral arrangement skills, something she picked up 2 years ago and surprising, the earnings from one piece of work outshines her “real“ job. 3 days ago when I was down at the dumps, she gave me a nice tart message on conquering mountains by not wasting precious time, so here I am, sharing her wisdom.I found another poet in
when he started writing many delightful poems on his daily musings and weekly learnings. He shared his dreams so many in the challenge, and of course many more sprinkled throughout his publication and notes. It would be fun if you could spot them when you read his words. He also has some fresh take on how do you perform better as a writer, he didn’t specify this as a challenge entry but I included it as it’s such great inspiration.Aha, Kaleidoscope Dreams by
, started with a story generated by Perplexity.ai. Even if you are against AI content, you’ll be captivated by the amazing creativity of Rubin in writing the prompts and by the in-depth analysis. There is so much potential here if we could harness the power of AI.- didn’t enter his name but tag me in a comment that sparked a discussion on whether “waiting“ is taking action. There’s no conclusion yet, so to be continued…
Adding this on the updated web version, "Make it happening!" (Let's talk about taking action) by
, it’s really something in action as she explores different paths, because we are different, what’s good for you may not be good for another, it depends on our abilities and circumstances, but the point is to take aligned action, one that is your own best fit.As for myself, I have different formats for my entries, a poem Think and don’t act, you are a fool, a note, Complaining changes nothing. Taking action changes everything. and an inspirational story:
I really enjoyed writing this roundup post where it deepens my learning and I can leverage on the knowledge of all of you great writers here. Thanks for the participation and I look forward to seeing you in the next challenge.
P.s, Mark is warming up his coffee and toast and preparing to blast us with yet another creativity challenge, watch out for it!
Not quite so many entrants for February, but I know so many people who fell into a slump this month, myself and you included. Something about February just does that to you I think.
However a great roundup of some fantastic entries, including one or two that I hadn't spotted from tags.
March edition coming soon...
As I told you Moon, I had a great time writing for February's Challenge. Thank you once again for keeping us going through your highs and lows. All the best, Moon <3