🦋 💜 🌿 I hope you have a lovely week ahead.

whether you spend it alone or in company,

in celebration or in grief,

in peace or in chaos…

Every day is an opportunity to remember you are breathing and living while other people aren’t.

No one is perfect but let’s do our best to appreciate what we have and

have the courage to seek out what we desire more of instead of only picking at our flaws.

Best to you!

Xo Sofia

Is it time for you to take a big breath &

evaluate what you can get done before the end of the year?

I’ve learned some simple lessons about productivity that I want to share with you.

It will help you make sure you are moving the needle on what really matter sto you

and not waste time spinning your wheels.

Here’s what I made for you

​This is a Youtube video to help you move the needle this year! ​

Because your time is valuable, and

wouldn’t you like to look back on these last few weeks in the year with a smile, seeing all that you accomplished.

There’s still time to do a few things!

​Watch the video here for tips on how to make faster progress without burnout this year (or next).​

Sale!

Everything below is on sale right now if you need support xo

Are you ready to email your people more?

Relying on social media to write, communicate your message, or market your business is not enough!

Social media can be taken away at any time:

you don’t own it & not everyone who follows you will see what you post.

People get hacked, locked out, frozen, or shut down all the time.

Take your control back and

protect your ability to connect to the people who want to hear from you

by using more EMAILS in 2024!

And this week my favorite email provider is having their biggest sale of the year.

I have used convertkit (now called Kit) for years and have been totally satisfied!

It has every feature I need,

helpful customer service,

training videos and more.

This week is the best week to give it a try as your new email provider, 30% off.

Here’s what that means in real savings on your first year:

• Up to 300 subscribers: $75.60 (normally $108)
• Up to 1,000 subscribers: $203 (normally $290)
• Up to 5,000 subscribers: $553 (normally $790)

​Claim your 30% off → Click here

​

Want to make faster progress writing for your book or business?

Get 1-1 support from me at a huge discount until Dec 1.

Imagine waking up each day totally clear on what to do next to make faster progress on your writing projects or business marketing.

Whether you’re working on a book or business content, this is an affordable, high-impact way to move the needle in a big way by the end of the year. You can accomplish a lot, without burning out or having a life that sucks!

The Rapid Progress 2-Month Program Includes:

✅ Clarity & Prioritization: Sort through ideas with me so you always know what to focus on next ✅ Weekly Feedback: Check-in with Sofia via voicenote or email—no live calls required! ✅ Editing Support: Submit up to 6 pages of your writing per week for feedback

Sale ends Dec 1st!

Ready to make faster progress without the burnout?

​Click here for more information about the 2 Month Rapid Progress Program​

🦋 💜 🌿 Are you feeling

-anxious or hopeless,

-discouraged about the future,

-unmotivated or overwhelmed in the face of your challenges

The Optimism program is designed specifically for you to gain the resilience, hope and drive you need to climb out of difficult situations.

✅ Feel Lighter & Stronger:

Feel more optimism and hope despite facing real challenges with a 1 hour class on somatic tools to sooth and shift your emotions.

✅ Clarity on What to Do Next:

Feel more alive and motivated on a regular basis by writing in the 28 page printable Workbook & discover what to tweak in your life to be more optimistic.

✅ Long Term Optimism Transformation:

Follow the step-by-step process through thick and thin to increase your long-term optimism by following the instructions sent by email over 30 days (that you can turn on or off anytime).

You GET IT ALL in the Optimism Course Bundle!

💥 Get it on sale!

​Click here to read more about Optimism

This is a Youtube video I put out last week to help you be more optimistic. ​

​

Because I refuse to be depressed anymore.

​

I’ve been punching that feeling down since the personal tragedy of losing my dad, my last parent, at 34.

​

Yes to feeling your feelings. No to sinking down in the spiral forever.

​

​In this video I share some simple things I’ve been doing to be more optimistic no matter what. 

🦋 💜 🌿 Are you feeling

-anxious or hopeless,

-discouraged about the future,

-unmotivated or overwhelmed in the face of your challenges

The Optimism program is designed specifically for you to gain the resilience, hope and drive you need to climb out of difficult situations.

✅ Feel Lighter & Stronger:

Feel more optimism and hope despite facing real challenges with a 1 hour class on somatic tools to sooth and shift your emotions.

✅ Clarity on What to Do Next:

Feel more alive and motivated on a regular basis by writing in the 28 page printable Workbook & discover what to tweak in your life to be more optimistic.

✅ Long Term Optimism Transformation:

Follow the step-by-step process through thick and thin to increase your long-term optimism by following the instructions sent by email over 30 days (that you can turn on or off anytime).

You GET IT ALL in the Optimism Course Bundle!

💥 Get it on sale!

​Click here to read more about Optimism

🦋 💜 🌿 How have you been? Are you doing okay?

I am okay,

I am concerned about other people not doing okay which is why I put out a PSA about how we can support our LGBTQ+ friends.

I have decided to try to shine my light a little bit brighter and be a little bit louder.

Of course, this was after a few days in hiding. You gotta do what you gotta do.

​But if there’s anything that life has taught me with the many times it has pushed me in the mud like the last few years grieving my dad (as I mentioned last time).​

It’s that, sure I can hit rock bottom, but I just can’t let anything keep me down for long.

The world has never needed your light more than now.

Of course you need to take care of yourself

AND that doesn’t have to take away from your ability to help others; in fact, done right it can increase your capacity for generosity.

Today I want to share an interview I have done about an article that I wrote for On Purpose Woman Magazine.

This is about a personal health journey that started in 2021 with injuries in my hip and wrist that prevented me from doing basic things like sitting and writing without pain.

It took a lot of persistence to make it through to where I am today with a lot less problems, still some but a lot less.

I’d like to share what helped me to continue to keep going on this health journey,

in case you’ve gotten stuck in your health and need a boost of encouragement and optimism to keep going.

(I know I’m not an expert on health but I think I know something about persistence and optimism.)

​See the interview on Youtube here​

You can also read my written article on the topic in the free On Purpose Woman Magazine here.​

Pg 60: How I Made My Health Dreams a Reality and Got Results Over 2 Years

And good luck on whatever goals you need persistence and optimism to tackle!!

health, mental health, work,

go for it, yeee haaa

Everything below is on sale right now if you need support xo

Want to make faster progress writing for your book or business?

Get 1-1 support from me at a huge discount until Dec 1.

Imagine waking up each day totally clear on what to do next to make faster progress on your writing projects or business marketing.

Whether you’re working on a book or business content, this is an affordable, high-impact way to move the needle in a big way by the end of the year. You can accomplish a lot, without burning out or having a life that sucks!

The Rapid Progress 2-Month Program Includes:

✅ Clarity & Prioritization: Sort through ideas with me so you always know what to focus on next

✅ Weekly Feedback: Check-in with Sofia via voicenote or email—no live calls required!

✅ Editing Support: Submit up to 6 pages of your writing per week for feedback

​Click here for more information about the 2 Month Rapid Progress Program​

🦋 💜 🌿 Are you feeling

-anxious or hopeless,

-discouraged about the future,

-unmotivated or overwhelmed in the face of your challenges

The Optimism program is designed specifically for you to gain the resilience, hope and drive you need to climb out of difficult situations.

✅ Feel Lighter & Stronger:

Feel more optimism and hope despite facing real challenges with a 1 hour class on somatic tools to sooth and shift your emotions.

✅ Clarity on What to Do Next:

Feel more alive and motivated on a regular basis by writing in the 28 page printable Workbook & discover what to tweak in your life to be more optimistic.

✅ Long Term Optimism Transformation:

Follow the step-by-step process through thick and thin to increase your long-term optimism by following the instructions sent by email over 30 days (that you can turn on or off anytime).

You GET IT ALL in the Optimism Course Bundle!

💥 Get it on sale!

Click here to read more about Optimism​

Warmly, Sofia Wren

Tips to make people feel seen and heard. Say:

That must be hard to feel that way. I am sorry to hear that. I am here for you: I love you. I know you deserve to feel safe. I respect what you are feeling right now even though I want you to feel better I won’t tell you that you are feeling something wrong or unreasonable. It is ok to feel that way. I am sorry I don’t have the answers but let me know how I can help.

These are the things that I like to hear in my dark days. I do not appreciate people having a pat answer like just be positive, or dismissing my feelings because they don’t feel the same way.

You may not share someone’s feeling but you can shut up about that. Just help them. This is not about you. Helping is about the other person.

Just be there for them if you want them to be on the planet

🦋 💜 🌿 A light in the darkness

I have cried through a million tissues, been angry, felt like exploding, and other a lot of nasty stuff.

Losing my father, the only parent I’ve had my whole life, in 2021 and officially being an orphan at the young age of 34,

was absolutely horrible.

But I am a fighter. I found the power, the ferocity to say:

👉👉🏽👉🏼 I am here to live. I will make use of the life I have. I will survive and I will thrive.

Full stop.

🔥 I will make art. I will find beauty.

🔥 I WILL EXIST.

Damn if I will not live!

I began to pound on the glass of my cage, shouting damn if I will not live!

Out of my grief, out of ptsd, out of the worst possible feelings that wanted to suck me dry and take me down so I never wanted to wake up in the morning, I chose this.

I chose this.

🔥 To live. Again and again and again I chose it over and over because it took so long for anything to really feel any easier.

My wedding wasn’t easy. The quote happiest day of my life was tinged with sadness that I lost my dad.

So many moments have been hard instead of happy. Days and years I can’t get back, like water I just had to tread.

If you think I’m someone who has always had an easy life then you don’t know the truth about me at all.

🔥 And if you’re struggling with loss right now, I’m speaking to you: you can do this.

Just keep fighting you guys

To reach from the edge of the cliff to the security of grounded land.

🌿 If you are feeling bad

Please remember:

You are needed here.

Stay with us, keep shining.

Even if no one else sees and your light is just for you.

💜 Feel free to retreat into yourself if you need to,

Goodness knows I did.

Many of the words above are ones I wrote over the last few years that I keep coming back to.

I kept them private for a long time. I just was not ready to hear anyone’s thought on it yet, although I am happy to receive thoughts on it now.

​I wrote them, and saved them in my digital writing archive in Obsidian (It’s a free writing app I teach in my Digital Organization Club.) ​

Retreating into my words means no one can see me in my vulnerable, tender times. It helps me cope.

Private space is gorgeous and safe.

​Today I did a live on facebook about the beauty of PRIVATE notebooks and password protected documents on your computer. ​

Remember that those are available to you.

Do whatever you need to take care of yourself.

If you need to feel or grieve or rest, please prioritize that.

🦋 But no matter how long being in a dark place goes on,

(I have been there when the night was so so long)

one day I hope something changes.

What I mean is your mood shifts

It can happen any day or time.

And the light shines out of the clouds for you, if only for a moment.

Bask in that moment, and stay curious.

When will it come again?

And what can I do to create more moments like these?

🌿 What I have learned from facing my own internal darkness in my life is

We have to meet the gap.

We have to cling on to light and life and our fire.

FUEL YOUR FIRE.

Grab this discount while it is available on Optimism:

The program I created to escape the internal funk exquishing my motivation and joy.

I have decided to extend the sale on it indefinitely.

I’m not sure when the discount will end but I want you to have access to it if you need it.

From one tender soul to the next

xoxoxox

---

🦋 💜 🌿 Are you feeling

-anxious or hopeless,

-discouraged about the future,

-unmotivated or overwhelmed in the face of your challenges

I hear you.

Here’s the good news:

we can cultivate optimism even in challenging times.

Don’t ignore things happening around you, but figure out a way to thrive in spite of it.

Imagine having a lighter feeling when you wake up,

a greater resilience to challenges that you face.

You could even feel a sense of joy and inner fire, &

be motivated to take action and make positive changes.

The Optimism program is designed specifically for you to gain the resilience, hope and drive you need to climb out of difficult situations.

✅ Feel Lighter & Stronger:

Feel more optimism and hope despite facing real challenges with a 1 hour class on somatic tools to sooth and shift your emotions.

✅ Clarity on What to Do Next:

Feel more alive and motivated on a regular basis by writing in the 28 page printable Workbook & discover what to tweak in your life to be more optimistic.

✅ Long Term Optimism Transformation:

Follow the step-by-step process through thick and thin to increase your long-term optimism by following the instructions sent by email over 30 days (that you can turn on or off anytime).

You GET IT ALL in the Optimism Course Bundle!

💥 Get it on sale!

Here’s a peak inside the printable workbook included:

​

P.S. If you missed the story of how I created this course during my personal tragedies, click here to read​

P.P.S. Looking for more personal support as you dive into your writing for private, personal transformation, a book, or to market your business?

I have a special on mentorship going until December 1st. ​Click here for 1-1 support from me to help you write even better

🦋 💜 🌿 How are you?

Hope you are well!

Here in the USA we have our election coming next Tuesday and tension is in the air.

I’ve been really anxious about the future because of it. Like since July, but yes definitely now.

CREATIVE DISTRACTIONS are the order of the day for me.

My dishes are clean, my laundry is done, my car is hand washed and waxed, my floors are vaccuumed, my taxes are done.

I have A LOT of work as a writer, writing coach and editor keeping me busy right now.

I am volunteering to canvas in my community because my Dad taught me that voting is important, especially where I live in a swing state.

And… I AM SO PROUD OF THIS:

My recent cool distraction is sewing and mending.

And I made a Halloween costume!

My husband and I made a skirt by hand which took over a week to make. Our backs are still recovering from being hunched over the sewing machine!

I also I thrifted at several stores to find a yellow top to go with it.

I am Cher from Clueless!

Here are some pics

Happy Halloween!

Below I share a piece about how I use mending as medicine in this election season.

Please take care of your mental health this week.

& Please consider making a plan to vote if you live in the USA.

Hugs!

ON MENDING AS MEDICINE FOR ELECTION ANXIETY

I put this on social media a few weeks ago, if you didn’t see it!

Written October 12, 2024

I know this has nothing to do with anything. It feels weird to share about this mending job I did on my jeans in wake of the crazy in the world today. It’s small. It is perhaps random. There is no purpose in this other than I am happy with this. But it feels like a good time to be honest.

Social media has become a 🤢 sort of place when we are literally arguing about if the government is controlling the weather to make Helene even when scientists have been warning us of our impact on the globe since the 90s. Climate change means more storms, as well as more droughts and more weirdness in general. We knew this years ago. We keep seeing it.

I feel old and a bit jaded and definitely wary of being on social media. I don’t want to make people mad and have them attack me for disagreeing as they so often do. And virtually no one changes their mind anyway. So I am trying to keep my mouth shut to seek my own peace. I don’t want to be mad. I don’t want to be sad. I don’t want to be scared.

I do want to be connected…but this is why I have been mostly quiet on social media for months. Been peaking on here a little bit every so often. Lately it feels like a mule kicking me in the chest to see how misinformation can spread and actually be believed. All of this is why I have been embracing the art of creative distraction.

Mending broken things with a little (preferably cotton) thread. Polyester is necessary sometimes but it’s just one more plastic thing we have no idea how to get rid of. I hope to mostly disappear from this earth with as little trace as possible. Plus cotton feels nice.

These jeans were ripping and I like them a lot. Didn’t want to lose the knees like I did with another pair. Didn’t want an in your face patch job for these as they are “fancier” jeans in my mind. So I hand stitched 2 color threads about a million times over the whole area that was weakened. The patch is a bigger spot than the rip for strengthening but it is sort of camouflaged, my husband didn’t notice it. I am wearing the pair right now and it is 100% comfy.

The end of the story is the rips in this fabric have been nullified and my fears have been put to bay. About one thing at least.

You, too can have a creative distraction…

Writing is another one of my favorites!

Writing is a powerful way to connect, be yourself, serve others & feel the love.

Don’t forget about this opportunity available this month only…

Perfect for you if you want to write a nonfiction book or content to market your business

Write with the 2 Month Rapid Progress Program

💥 Only 2 spots remaining

Imagine waking up each day totally clear on what to do next to make faster progress on your book, writing projects or content to market your business.

Whether you’re working on a book or business content,

this program is an affordable, high-impact way to move the needle in a big way by the end of the year.

The Rapid Progress 2-Month Program Includes:

✅ Clarity & Prioritization: Sort through ideas with me so you always know what to focus on next

✅ Weekly Feedback: Check-in with Sofia via voicenote or email—no live calls required!

✅ Editing Support: Submit up to 6 pages of your writing per week for feedback

🎁 Bonuses: Get access to the Optimism Challenge E-course + 2 months of the Video Vault packed with resources to support your business and writing goals.

💥 Only 2 spots remaining

at the discounted price of $300.

(That’s $200 off my typical rate.)

​Click here for more info about the 2 Month Rapid Progress Program​

Or shoot me an email to talk more.

…

‘Sofia is an amazing editor. She’s helped me in the past and is currently helping me. I highly recommend this talented woman. This is a quote I texted Sofia the other day “Your work is amazing. I love what you’ve done for me and the book!”‘

Melissa Feick, Spiritual Teacher & International Bestselling Author.

…

“Sofia masterfully guided me to tune into my own wisdom to discover what my business was telling me. It was such a unique and empowering experience. Sofia’s approach is unique and highly effective.”

Keasha Lee Ince, Striking Statements

…

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great week.

Warmly, Sofia

{{ snippet.signature }}

P.S. Take EXTRA GOOD care of yourself this week, please.

🦋 💜 🌿 How is your week going?

Hope it is going well!

My husband and I have been working on hand-sewing a Halloween costume.

We’ve been learning how to sew clothes over the past few months, which is pretty cool. It is a useful hobby.

Deciding to make a costume really put us into power drive.

Are you going to wear or make a costume?

I’m not going to give away what my costume is, but I promise to include a photo next week.

Speaking of photos, I have been taking a lot of them.

Over the weekend, we went to an event for my husband’s work team held at a local farm.

I took a bunch of photos as a way to make friends.

People liked the photos but I realized afterwards that I hadn’t taken that many of myself.

But it’s never too late!

Yesterday as I was treating myself to a hot cocoa topped with pumpkin whipped cream, I ran into the perfect spot for a solo fall photoshoot.

Scroll all the way down to see one of my new autumnal photos!

If you haven’t treated yourself to a fall selfie session, go find a good spot for it!

And I would be remiss if I didn’t spread the word about a new article I published last week.

It’s about work-life balance.

That is below.

There’s a lot of heart and soul in this piece because it is a culmination of my learning over the last decade.

I’ve always wanted to make rapid progress in my career as a writer and business owner, but it’s important to have a life, too.

Read on for a clip.

I hope this article helps someone else avoid the struggle I have grappled with.

From Workaholic to Conscious Creator

Lessons in work-life balance after 10 years in business…

As I sit here on my cozy couch, reflecting on my journey as a writer, coach, and entrepreneur, I can’t help but smile at the twists and turns that have led me to where I am today.

My name is Sofia Wren, and I’ve spent over 25 years writing and publishing online, as well as more than a decade as a business owner.

But my path hasn’t always been smooth or balanced. In fact, for many years, I was the quintessential workaholic, hustling non-stop in pursuit of success.

My journey began in childhood, when traumatic events led me to hide my true self, including my creativity.

Writing became my secret outlet, starting with a blog at age 10 in 1997.

As I entered my twenties, I realized I was suffocating in a box of fear, giving up a huge part of my soul. I knew I had to change.

In 2013, I took the leap and started my own business. It was exhilarating and terrifying all at once.

I threw myself into my work, showing up at events, building connections, and using my writing online to keep people updated.

Success followed – I was recruited as the head copywriter for $10,000 marketing campaigns, ghostwriting jobs and editing books. I was living my dream as a professional writer!

But something was still missing in my personal life….

Read on for 3 lessons about work-life balance in my latest Linkedin newsletter.

​Read the rest of the article on Linkedin here​

2 Month Rapid Progress Program

💥 Only 2 spots remaining in the Rapid Progress 2-Month Program!

Want to make faster progress writing for your book or business?

Imagine waking up each day totally clear on what to do next to make faster progress on your writing projects or business marketing.

Whether you’re working on a book or business content,

this program is an affordable, high-impact way to move the needle in a big way by the end of the year.

You can accomplish a lot, without burning out or having a life that sucks.

The Rapid Progress 2-Month Program Includes:

✅ Clarity & Prioritization: Sort through ideas with me so you always know what to focus on next

✅ Weekly Feedback: Check-in with Sofia via voicenote or email—no live calls required!

✅ Editing Support: Submit up to 6 pages of your writing per week for feedback

🎁 Bonuses: Get access to the Optimism Challenge E-course +

2 months of the Video Vault packed with resources to support your business and writing goals.

💥 Only 2 spots remaining

at the discounted price of $300.

(That’s $200 off my typical rate.)

​Click here & learn more about the 2 Month Rapid Progress Program

(Or feel free to contact me now if you are interested).

…

“Sofia masterfully guided me to tune into my own wisdom to discover what my business was telling me. It was such a unique and empowering experience. Sofia’s approach is unique and highly effective.” Keasha Lee Ince, Striking Statements

…

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great week.

Warmly, Sofia

🦋 💜 🌿 How are you doing?

I hope this message finds you well.

A lot has been happening on my end, and I wanted to share a quick update with you.

I’m mindful that I have limited energy for what I can do in 2024.

I’m taking things slower lately to avoid burnout and so I have time to rest; because, as I like to remind myself, rest is productive. 😊

Thus, I have to put some things on the shelf.

What is not happening:

• There will be no 6 Month Winter Writing Group this year
  
  
  

I normally run this writing program 2 times a year, but I’m skipping it.

Why? At the beginning of this year, I acquired my family business, and am working hard to juggle that with the writing + coaching busness I’ve had for 10 years.

I have to streamline my offerings for the moment, although I will probably teach it again in the future.

What is happening:

We have two major things on the docket for the next few months.

1. There will be a Winter series of live organization classes:

• the Winter Session of the Digital Organization Club will be dedicated to Notion Classes.
  
  
  

If your ideas feel scattered it can slow down your writing progress. The Digital Organization Club will help you get your ideas in order.

I’ll tell you more about the Winter Digital Organization Club and our Notion focus as time goes on.

If you need help with writing for your book or business in the meantime, I also have something else for you.

2. I’m excited to announce that doors are open for a limited-time offer:

• the Rapid Progress 2-Month Program!

Here’s What You’ll Get

This Rapid Progress program is designed specifically for busy people who need extra support in their writing journey.

Imagine waking up each day totally clear on what to do next to make faster progress.

Whether you’re working on a book or business content, this is an affordable, high-impact way to make meaningful progress before the end of the year.

• Clarity and Prioritization: We’ll sort through your ideas so you know what to focus on next at every turn.
  
• Weekly Check-ins: Get my personalized weekly feedback via Voxer or email—no need to schedule live calls.
  
• Optional Editing: Submit up to 6 pages per week for feedback, or 3 pages for line-by-line edits.
  
• Bonuses: You’ll receive access to the Optimism Challenge E-course & 2 months in the Video Vault, packed with resources to support your writing goals.

Only 3 spots are available

at the discounted price of $300.

(That’s $200 off my typical rate.)

“I definitely am so so happy that I reached out to you because I feel like you have helped me motivate myself and helped me to boost my confidence and self-esteem when it comes to my business ideas. You helped me with the process. Since we’ve talked, I’ve literally built an Instagram network, built a Tiktok network. I’ve been more comfortable with posting my things on LinkedIn, and Facebook. Oh and my website, you’ve helped with that. Just from April, when we started talking, I’ve literally built an entire website and I have over 1000 followers on social media, which I like never thought that would happen.” – Kristina ​

Why Now?

This offer is only available from now through December 1st.

If you’ve been waiting for the right time to push forward with your projects, this is your sign.

Imagine starting 2025 with your writing well underway…

—whether it’s a book you’ve been dreaming of or content that will grow your business.

This program is for you if you want to make progress writing,

but feels stuck or overwhelmed by too many ideas

It’s time to move from stuck to unstoppable.

‘Sofia is an amazing editor. She’s helped me in the past and is currently helping me. I highly recommend this talented woman. This is a quote I texted Sofia the other day “Your work is amazing. I love what you’ve done for me and the book!”‘ Melissa Feick, Spiritual Teacher & International Bestselling Author.

Sofia masterfully guided me to tune into my own wisdom to discover what my business was telling me. It was such a unique and empowering experience. Sofia’s approach is unique and highly effective.” Keasha Lee Ince, Striking Statements

What to Expect Next

If this sounds like a fit for you, let’s connect!

Contact me to say you are interested.

We can have a conversation over email or the phone to discuss your goals and figure out if this program is the right next step for you.

If you’re ready to wrap up the year strong and always know what to do next to make rapid progress,

contact me now to talk more.

Let’s get started!

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great week.

Warmly, Sofia

How has your week been?

Hi! How has your week been? My husband and I have been sick.

I’m finally feeling on the mend but not quite there.

Here’s a few things we’ve been doing to wait this cold out

Shows:

• 90210

I never watched the show when it was on TV. But I started watching the series from the beginning on Paramont. I love all the 90s vibes, very nostalgic for me.

• In Vogue: The 90s

Speaking of, this documentary about the fashion industries in the 90s just came out as a Hulu Original. Loving all the looks and faces I remember, with extra history I didn’t know.

• Bob & Bill

This documentary was recommended by my husband. It’s about the real story of Batman, and the creative mind behind the comic that never got recognized during his life-time. It’s incredible and emotional: the story of how they got Bill Finger his proper credit as co-creator.

• My Old Ass

This is in theatres. and I actually saw it when I didn’t feel sick. But it was a must-watch. You might not relate to the main character but the universal message about change and appreciating what we have now, is so profound.

Other activities

• Cooking soup

My husband is addicted to my chicken noodle soup. We already made 2 batches, and will probably make a third.

• Sewing and mending

Making clothes is a skill we both want to learn together. Also, I’m into mending my stuff. Lately, I’ve been on a personal mission to mend my jeans so I can wear them longer this fall.

Mindset

Now getting to a more serious topic…

I have to watch my mindset when I am sick.

To be able to rest is something that I’ve had to work on over the years.

I have a t-shirt that says, “Resting is productive.”

That’s something that has taken me a long time to learn. And I have to remind myself.

This week, there have been times when I’ve felt frustrated to be sick.

This month I’ve had so many unexpected roadblocks to the things I need to do, that I want to accomplish.

It feels like it has wasted a lot of valuable time. It makes me angry at times.

But you know life isn’t all in our control.

It is what it is.

And the fact of the matter is that I need rest right now.

Learning by Tracking Themes

Recently, I was talking to someone about tracking important, ongoing relationships with things like rest. We all have these ongoing themes. Maybe you never thought about tracking them?

The woman I was talking to was going through years of old journals.

Why? To get the written contents into their computer so some notebooks can be discarded. Paper journals really add up over the years. And it’s heavy.

I get it because it’s one reason I got into digital organization, as well.

I recommended that they track one of the themes they’d found in an old journal. (You can do this in the free app we both use, Obsidian, that I teach in my Digital Organization Club.)

Every time you notice yourself talking about the topic in a journal entry, you link that to your main theme.

Tracking these themes and relationships is something I’ve been doing now for years in what I call my Encyclopedia of me.

You may have heard of my “Encyclopedia of Me” if you saw

​A. This video: 10x my healing with this tech tool.​

OR

​B. This written post on the same topic: 10x your healing, writing this way.​

If so, then you might remember that

I’ve got a whole section in my digital archive dedicated to RELATIONSHIPS to things that I have been tracking across my journals.

Examples:

• relationship to your body
• relationship to money
• relationship to work

One of the relationships most fascinating to me lately is my relationship to time.

Over time, I started to notice that the theme of time played a lot in my psychology:

• feeling rushed,
• feeling like I didn’t get enough done in the time
• the clock is ticking…

Time has been a recurring source of stress for me.

And that’s a problem.

One of the things I’ve been working on this year is to take my time more, take things slower.

And leave that hustling, speed demon, stress energy behind me. It’s for my mental health.

I’ve been carrying around that need for speed for a long time and it’s hard to quit.

But because I have been tracking this theme across all my journal entries and notes,

whenever it comes up in my journal,

I’m able to revisit my history with it and my insights,

explore it in more depth, and try to learn the lessons I need to.

What I discover by going down the rabbit hole to explore all the information I’ve connected around this theme can surprise me.

I’ve been so wise in the past.

Sometimes it can take us a while to learn our lessons.

We learn them over and over again, forget them, and then learn them again, yes?

Well, I do my best to shorten this learning curve, but I am human all the same.

In 2017, I wrote

feeling a sense of rush or not getting there fast enough is related to not wanting to feel my emotions, like grief, or not wanting to rest, and instead, just push on to some “destination”.

In reality = faster progress equals faster letting go

Letting go means letting go of control.

Just being with whatever feelings I am trying to avoid.

Just being at rest and taking care of myself.

That doesn’t seem like a “solution” or

like “doing anything”

but it can be really powerful and effective.

Sometimes just being with the present moment is the hardest thing for me to do

especially when my feelings are intense, I’m scared or things are really uncertain.

In 2017, I had an emotionally hard year because we anticipated my dad was going to lose his house.

And although that situation is long gone now, (the house, too),

there are new challenges I face today that bring up the same theme.

And my goal is always to learn from the past.

To try to shorten that learning curve.

So even though, I would like to make progress quickly on things that really will move the needle in my life.

And it drives me crazy to have constraints on my time and then on top of that to get sick…

Sometimes you just have to be sick, drink your fluids and wait to feel better.

I know that if I don’t, then I’ll probably just be sicker, longer.

And that’s that.

Hope this message means something to you.

Not only is it safe to rest or pause

but, ironically, sometimes that is how you make the fastest progress in the end.

Have a good week

Thanks for reading

-Sofia Wren

P.S. Are you interested in organizing old journal entries?

Want to whittle down your collection of paper notebooks, but get all of the good stuff out of them?

Get help organizing your ideas and get them off of paper, and into your computer so you can make better use of them. Soon you’ll be able to let those notebooks go.

​Join the Fall Digital Organization Club. It’s not too late.​