#dailyprompt2764 — Public Fediverse posts

How do I stay motivated when learning something new? I had to answer this WordPress prompt because of what I am going through right now, and what I thought about this morning is totally me!

I paint flowers, lots of them. I am currently trying to figure out this whole Etsy keywords SEO thing. I woke up and wanted to meditate and have a gratitude morning. Instead, I opened up my computer and headed over to my shop. AND, I felt hopeless. It has been 6 months, and I have a few sales. I like my work, but I know it’s all in the presentation. Have I created the art that people want to buy? Then there are titles, keywords, and the SEO that frankly, I am sick of.

Then something in me said, ” We have to make this work. There is no if.” This is my dream. I am putting this out there in the world and seeking guidance. I trust and believe the answer will find me! In that moment, I went back to last year’s work and added new pieces to my shop. Then I made a few changes to my keywords and switched out some frames. It was beautiful!

Inside, I felt like a kid in a candy store, or better yet, that kid who is told we are going to paint today, here are the tools, have fun!

How do I stay motivated when I am learning something new? I feel what I feel, give myself a pep talk when I need it, and get back in there and do what I love! Most importantly, I look for a positive lesson that I can learn from and move forward with.

Do I want to share my work with the world? I do! That is the biggest positive reason to move forward. And that made me smile. Here I am. I am going to go for a stroll and splurge on that dessert.

Motivation – Poem by the Pesky Poet

Motivation comes and goes,
Like cold waves on a sandy shore,
With high tides of learning loads,
And low tides of learning woes.

But through the storms,
And roughest seas,
The motivation that pushes me,
Is an urge to know what comes next.

What piece of knowledge,
Like driftwood floats,
On the waves,
Towards my thoughts.

And as the rougher the sea,
The larger the driftwood,
The rougher the learning,
The larger the reward.

I cannot command the sea,
My motivation commands me,
To paddle along the shallow shoreline,
And gather up the interesting sticks I find.

Share, if you’d like. If this post stayed with you, you’re welcome to pass it on.

—

From Poetry to the Stars: A Thought-Provoking Science Fiction Novel

🌌 The Tannhauser Gate: A Hope For Tomorrow is a science fiction novel for readers who enjoy big ideas, moral questions, and stories that linger long after the final page.

Set against a vast galactic backdrop, it explores power, truth, loyalty, and hope — asking what we owe one another when the future itself is at stake.

👉 Discover the book (publisher discount available)

Also available from Amazon, Waterstones, Barnes & Noble, and as an audiobook.

A reflective science fiction novel exploring hope, power, and the cost of truth.

Big, powerful secrets, that glittered away, unsaid, on dark nights.
Like stars.

Related posts on Pesky Poetry:

—

New information is almost always motivating… Weekly Recap 5/11/2026

The beauty about learning new things is that a small amount of fresh information is almost always interesting. Maybe that information is about the Gimli Glider or the Glasgow Ice Cream Wars—it doesn’t matter… it can be anything. I’ll bet you click on at least one of those links to find out what they are. I’ll also bet you find it interesting for about 30 seconds.

That’s why it’s so easy to fall into a rabbit hole on websites like Wikipedia. You can get small amounts of surface-level information on a nearly infinite amount of topics. You stay locked in a perpetual dive of “oh that’s slightly interesting.” And it’s probably also why people can so easily get locked into doomscrolling short videos and reels. The constant shifting of topics prevents your brain from timing out.

Well, that… and cat videos.

For me, the struggle with learning comes when you need to go beyond that surface level—when you need to know and retain the basic concepts for a much deeper exploration. That’s when it starts to become work.

You have to ask yourself: do I really want to know this?

And that, my friends, is why I know far more about Star Trek than I do about cars.

Good morning and happy Monday, friends.

And Happy Mother’s Day and such.

• Pre-Release on Patreon: New interview with Christopher Penczak!

It was Selene’s birthday this past week, so happy birthday to my amazing wife of almost a decade! Also, thank you to Trader Joe’s for providing me with gift wrap for her present.

To celebrate, we had a week filled with seafood. I should point out in advance that, generally speaking (and despite the frequent sushi pictures you’ve seen on my updates this year), seafood does not rank anywhere in my top favorite foods.

First, we went out to a local seafood place. I got a lobster roll. Selene got some sort of mixed seafood pasta.

Later, we went visited a restaurant that does seafood boils.

I think this was the first time I’ve really had crab. I’ve never cracked shells before… at least, not that I can remember. It was definitely an interesting experience. And you know what? I didn’t hate it. But it certainly makes you work for your food.

And look at my beautiful wife being such a good sport. I asked her very kindly to put on the bib and gloves that were provided so that I could take a picture.

In other news, I’m making new rune sets.

You can grab one on Etsy.

I’ve also been investing a lot of time in creating some new and interesting videos for you. Lots or recording and editing going on over here. I hope to have something cool to show off in about a week or so!

Earlier in the week, I was blessed by a bluejay visit.

That picture was with maxed out zoom on my phone. It got significantly closer—and brought friends—but I wasn’t quick enough with the camera.

Oh, guys… I need your help. I’m like 300 “watch hours” away from leveling up on YouTube to the point where they’ll let me apply for the partner program. If 10 of you watch this playlist of M3 episodes, I’ll hit the goal. Yeah, it’s a really long playlist… but you could just like, I don’t know… put it on in the background while you’re sleeping.

Okay, okay… you don’t have to.

Well, that’s all for now. Stay tuned for more soon!