Body-Mind-Spirit - Inspiration for Writers, Dreamers, and Seekers of Health & Happiness
Last week, when I sat down to write my New Year’s letter, I felt a ton of resistance. I didn’t know why, but the thought of writing it made me both squeamish and sluggish. I procrastinated for a week. Finally, I forced myself to sit down. I picked up a thin green magic marker, thinking, This might help. Afterall, magic markers are fun, right? I didn’t have to take the task (or myself) so seriously. Plus, green is the color of the heart chakra . . ..
Two sentences in, a voice in my head said, Oh my God. How trite. I picked up a black magic marker and let that voice speak. It said, I don’t want to do this. I’m feeling vulnerable. I picked up a magenta magic marker and soothed the black magic marker voice. It said, It’s okay, you can chill. Have fun. I let myself play with the black and magenta magic marker voices, the magenta one soothing the black one. Then I picked up the green marker again, and finally, the words flowed, uninterrupted and uncensored. Giving my resistance a voice, respecting and honoring it rather than resisting, fighting, or denying it was what freed me. I completed the letter, posted it to my blog, and emailed it to my newsletter subscribers. Later that day, one reader, inspired by my Happy New Year! post about resistance and resolutions, emailed me and asked: How do you push fear and procrastination away? This was my response to her email: Procrastination is a byproduct of fear, which we cannot push away, because the harder we push, well, it pushes back. Instead, we cultivate a loving relationship with our fear. We woo it. And it softens. When that happens, words flow. If you feel stuck in any area of your life, try sitting down with a bunch of magic markers, or colored pens and pencils, and expressing the various voices in your head in different colors. You will see the contents of your mind on the page. It will help you understand the thinking that’s creating your resistance. Call upon a loving voice and pick your favorite color pen to represent that. Let that voice comfort whatever voices keep you from writing. These are often voices of fear. Pick any color you want to represent your fear. Be gentle. Be kind. The voices keeping you from your writing will dissolve. Love is greater than fear. I’m fascinated by the creative process, which I experience as healing. If you’re struggling with any stage of your creative process, or if you just want to hang around with people speaking truth from their hearts, you will be inspired by two free upcoming events this week: an open writing circle where you’ll get to see firsthand what it's like to work with me and a literary salon featuring my student's reading their work. Please let me know if you'd like to attend the open circle. I have two spaces left. It’s limited to the first eight people who respond. If you'd like to attend the salon, or receive a recording of it, please register here. The reading will last about an hour and will be followed by a Q&A.
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