I recall a buddy of mine saying that, probably more than once, many years ago. Since that time, it’s been sort of a mantra I’ve taken on as my own. When all signs point to something you should be doing, you do it. When Life presents you with a situation, seek to embrace it. 

Two of the most common questions I get are, first, “How the f–k do you sleep at night?” or something similar. That one is common after someone is finished reading one of my books. The other, more common question is, “Where do you come up with this stuff?”

The two greatest forms of what I consider “active meditation” are walking the dog, which is where the core idea for the book came from, and mowing the lawn. An hour of mindlessly circling the yard allows my brain to relax and go to that creative space where sometimes the craziest ideas come to me. 

But every once in a while, the ideas come to me in a dream. Sure we all have crazy dreams, but we usually forget them within moments of waking up, or later that day. Sometimes though, they will absolutely haunt you until you write them down. That’s the universe speaking, unlocking and tapping into that part of your brain normally repressed by the demands of our daily lives. 

For example, I woke up one morning a while back with the craziest thoughts going through my mind, a barebones plot for something so out of my wheelhouse I’m not sure I can pull it off. However, it’s such a cool idea that it went into my notebook that morning, as much as I could flesh out, so I could come back to it another time. 

Anyone can do this, I truly believe that, all it requires is belief in one’s self. Add to that a dash of chutzpah and you’re on your way. 

So the next time all arrows seem to be pointing you in a particular direction, it could be the universe telling you what you need to do next. So don’t say “I can’t do this.” Ask yourself, “How can I?”

Chris Sherwood writes from his home in North Chemung. He is the author of the In Times of Trouble and In Times Of Trouble: Aftermath, a post-apocalyptic series set in Upstate New York, and is currently working on the third book in the trilogy. To learn more, go to cmsherwood.com