You never know how something small can make a big difference.

My daughter couldn’t stop coming to sleep with my wife and me in our bed every night, even when she was nine years old.

Nothing we tried to keep her comfortable in her bed all night worked. We spent time reading and singing to her before going to sleep—even falling asleep with her and then going to our bed later.

Anything we could do to make her feel at ease and comfortable, we tried it. She had stuffed animals and dolls that helped a little, but still not enough to keep her in her own bed all night.

I’m unsure if she was anxious or truly wanted people with her all the time because it felt more comfortable. When we visit family in Japan, she sleeps on the tatami mat floors on futon mattresses with family members next to her.

Traditionally, this is how most Japanese people sleep, all together in one room, even though beds and separate bedrooms for kids are becoming popular.

I have no problems with her loving sleep time with family; I think it’s adorable, but our bed is only so big when we're in America. I’m a tall guy and need space to sleep deep comfortably.

When my daughter’s in with us, I end up pushed to the edge of the bed with my body forced to stay stiff as a board. My wife and I usually wake up the following day with neck pain.

All this wasn’t so bad back when she was three, but a growing nine-year-old did not give her parents enough space to sleep comfortably. Plus, I firmly believe she needs to soothe herself by learning to wake up in the middle of the night and get back to sleep without help.

Something changed when a baby Yoda toy arrived in the mail.

I was obsessed with The Mandalorian series on Disney plus, and my daughter got pulled into it, too, mainly because of Baby Yoda. Yes, I know his real name is Grogu, but I’m not a fan of it.

It seemed like forever for them to make a toy version, and as soon as pre-orders were available, I put my money down. Several months later, we were pleasantly surprised with our Baby Yoda. He makes cute sounds when you squeeze him and truly is super cute.

My goal was to have him as a collectible toy, but my daughter was so excited that she started asking to carry him around and play with him. Pretty soon, he became the most popular toy in the house. So much so that we gave him a name.

Earl.

Maybe to you, that’s no better than his real name, Grogu, but we love calling him Earl and, as crazy as it sounds, started having fun acting like he was a part of our family.

Naturally, my daughter asked if she could add Earl to her stuffies on her bed and sleep with him there too. At first, I wasn’t too keen on the idea. This toy was supposed to be for me and something I would keep in decent condition. But after a couple of days of begging with puppy dog eyes, I gave in to her.

Thank goodness I did.

She cuddled with Earl at bedtime and went right to sleep. I’m not sure if it’s because of the toy’s size, shape, or the fact that we pretend he’s alive for fun at home, but my child’s been sleeping through the night on her own for several years now.

My now twelve-year-old daughter admits to needing Earl with her to sleep well at night. She’s not ashamed of this at all. We take him with us on trips and even to Japan.

Even though we’re thankful for her little green, pointy-eared security blanket, I’m pretty sure she can sleep well without him at this point. She just enjoys having a little buddy with her for that familiar feeling of comfort and safety. I get that.

It’s cute how Star Wars fandom has helped my parenting. Not to mention adding good vibes to our home and family relationships.

I’ve learned the power of staying open to receiving assistance from the unlikeliest places. You never know what will make a difference to you and your loved ones.

Let it in and let it flow.

We talked in a previous post about how planning to submit your project to a publisher or online can help give you the energy to get work done. But what if you need something to motivate you to start the kind of work you do?

This is about more than just your “why” reason for doing what you’re doing. Even if you’re solid on your intended outcomes, you might not feel like making stuff for a day or several weeks.

You can easily lose motivation.

Knowing how to pull yourself back into creating again is what I’m talking about in this case. You don’t need a baby Yoda toy to hold when you’re feeling lazy, but having something similar, like a way to inspire yourself or a system to follow that gets you going again, is vital.

Planning time every Saturday morning to work on your personal project for two hours, for example, is an excellent way to make it actionable. That’s how this newsletter gets done. I think, read, sketch, outline, and plan here and there during the week, and on the weekend, I put in the time to finish it.

I love this schedule.

Perhaps many things exist that can keep you going each day and pursuing what you love. If you haven’t found them yet, keep trying new techniques or hacks. Don’t give up on your motivation.

I have something to look forward to with this weekly newsletter and feel a sense of accomplishment finishing creative work I hope inspires you.

Thanks for being a part of this creative journey.

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