Life goes in cycles: Day and night, menstruation, economic and even political cycles govern a lot of our daily lives. And in much the same way, creativity has a life of its own. So occasionally the writer within goes into hibernation. For most professional writers, this is a problem. Some will tell you that you should just write until someting valuable comes out; others will suggest that you go for a walk and change your everyday environment. Plenty of others have made lists of things to try to wake up your creative self.

Me? I just embrace it. My living does not depend on my writing, so when writer’s block hits, I acknowledge that my creative juices come and go in cycles; I simply accept it as part of my reality. Of course, I care about my loyal readers, so I look for opportunities to highlight previous work; share unpublished poems; or simply take a break.

How about you? Are there things in your life that bug you, yet you’d be better off embracing, and letting them come back to you in their own natural time? I’d be interested in knowing your opinion, so feel free to leave a comment below.

Welcome to another addition to The Crazy Colombian’s Hall of Fame, where I have been sharing with you, my dear readers, some of the most amazing writers of the internet. In the last month and a half, I told you of the following writers:

• I, Cringely (link)
• Leo Babauta’s Zen Habits (link)
• Seth Godin’s blog (link)
• Randy Cassingham’s This is True (link)
• Dan Millman’s The Peaceful Warrior’s Way (link)
• J.D. Roth’s Get Rick Slowly (link)
• New Scientist’s Environment blog (link)

If you’d like to review what I’ve said about each of them, you may want to go to this page. For now, let’s get on to this week’s addition:

Brian Clark’s Copyblogger (link)

Is writing good ‘copy’ a lost art? Not when you subscribe to this blog about great copy-writing for online success. The brain child of Brian Clark and founded in 2006, this blog has quickly become a Mecca for aspiring internet writers and marketers alike. Full of good advice on how to get traffic; gain subscribers; attract links; and sell something (anything!), Copyblogger gives you the required knowledge to master the Art & Science of writing compelling copy.
If you have an online presence, and want people that visit your web site to respond in specific ways, Copyblogger is a must have subscription (and like all other entries in this Hall of Fame, it’s free)

A bit over a year ago, I had an epiphany. I realised that I am one of the few people in this world who is blessed enough to have had a functional family; a good education; well paid jobs; and a lot of TLC (Tender Loving Care) surrounding me all my life. Yet with all those things, there was very little I was doing for others.

I started thinking about how to change it. I thought of donating more to charities; of offering my knowledge and services on a ‘pro-bono’ (ie. free) to others; I even thought of being nicer to people at work, and try to loose my lack-of-patience as an attribute.

Then, I remembered a movie I watched many, many years ago, and which really touched me deep within my heart. Pay it Forward, with Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt is based on a book by the same title written by Catherine Ryan. And I thought to myself: Why can’t I start a Pay it forward movement?

I toyed with the idea; discussed it with Ines, my wife, confidant and advisor. And then decided to go for it.

The program has a goal: To encourage at least 1 million people to do a Random Act of Kindness by 2,012. I am not sure how will I track its target, but that is what I want to do. I created the concept of a ‘business card’ that can be given to the recipient of the act of kindness, to explain ‘Why me?’ and to encourage the recipient to Pass it forward (together with the card). I have a web site that explains it all. I am yet to hear from a recipient of one of my cards; but the web site is getting some traffic, so maybe it is just a matter of time.

Want to participate? Go to the web site and download the card;Get some ideas for ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ you can do; Submit your own ideas; share your story (you may even be the first one!), or read some reflections on the concept and the movement.

If this post made you think about *your* personal contribution towards a better world, I encourage you to “Pass it forward“. Take the chance to inspire someone, and you may already have done a lot to leave the world a better place, one step at a time.