How have you been?
Me: grieving my dad as these holidays approach, prepping his car for winter. My husband and I got our hands dirty and yanked the roof rack off on Saturday so it fits into the garage. Just in time for snow!
Taught a great class on Sunday about digital organization class about making project hubs. It was very exciting and gave me a free, clear feeling, helping people know their next steps to make progress.
And I have some big news about something going on this month….
This month I’m doing 3 things:
- On Mon, December 18: The next FREE 21 Day Heartfelt Writing Challenge starts! The theme is reinvention.
- On Thurs, December 14: Writing Class 1: Foundations for the 6 Month Winter Writing Group, Paths of Service. Know your next step even if you have many projects spinning right now.
- Ongoing: One spot open in the Deep Coaching 1-1 package. Write about your personal story or life experience, and decide how to share and write about it.
For fun, I will be writing and hanging out with my husband this month! Working on a new Medium article about our Japan adventures.
I know you may be busy so that’s the basic rundown for what I’m doing this month.
Let’s talk about being busy + juggling things that get in the way of writing.
Do you have a million things going on in your life right now?
I can understand that…
When I started getting serious about writing, I worked 60 hours a week.
I worked Monday to Saturday as an Americorps volunteer in Philadelphia schools,
7 am – 6 pm helping inner-city children.
I was 22. I woke up to a blaring alarm at 5:40 am every day,
“Grahhhh I hate mornings,” I thought. “I wish I could snooze this a little longer.”
I’m a chronic snoozer, but I had to be strong and get up.
My roommates said to “Be in and out of the shower by 6:00 am so I can take mine.”
Work said, “Be late to work 3 times and there are serious consequences.”
For context, I’d have normally woken up at 1 pm.
Life was tough in general: I was stressed, I was poor, I was single and looking to mingle but very full of self-doubt.
It was 2009 (post-crash) and thinking of my future plans after this job made my stomach tie up in knots.
To add insult to injury, my 12 year olds students thought my uniform was ugly and uncool:
Pleated khakis that made my butt look huge.
I felt gross.
When I came home, I only had three hours max to eat and rest before I had to sleep and do it all over again.
It wore on me. A lot.
- But when I wrote during my 30 minute lunch break I felt more like a human, and less like an ugly lump.
- When I woke up at 5:20 in the am to write for 20 minutes before work, I felt more sane. I even had time for a little eyeliner so I felt pretty.
Writing helped me, so I squeezed it in by waking up even earlier at 5:20 am (GAH!!).
It was worth it:
I started to feel more grounded at work.
The rude kids couldn’t push me around as much.
I gave my energy mostly to students who thanked me for my help and clearly wanted, rather than ones who wasted it.
The hard work I put into my job finally seemed worth it since I was making a difference.
Plus my personal life was better.
I felt creative, like an artist, a writer, and not a cog in a machine.
I did more in my 3 hours off than watch Netflix until bedtime.
I read poetry at open mics, worked on short stories, and recorded original music.
And I realized what my next steps were for my career:
to start a business so I could help people.
I know the holidays are coming and it can be a busy time for people,
but I decided to host my free Heartfelt Writing challenge this month anyway.
I have JUST decided that the 21 day writing challenge starts on December 18th
Will you have time to join us?
Only you know if you can fit writing into your busy schedule this month.
***Note: Sometimes you really can’t fit writing in and I get that.
You are only human!
And life is freaking complicated!
But if you CAN fit it in, you’ll probably feel better.
Even if it’s not daily: any little bit counts.
Maybe you can try to fit a little writing in this month for your own sanity.
Seriously: it makes everything better.
***What if writing this December isn’t an obligation or work but instead a nourishing gift to yourself?
Just another way to think about it, in case it helps.
21 Day Heartfelt Writing Challenge starts December 18
-Create a daily writing habit
-Unlock inspiration to write for your personal stories, book or business
-Feel the LOVE of the friends, followers or clients you attract with heartfelt writing
Sign up for all the free 21 day writing challenge announcements + resources here.
There’s a free digital tracker to help you build a daily habit + a free facebook community,
with prompts and inspiration from me to help you know what to write to connect to your heart.
Have a cool day
P.S. Here’s a video about all the good things that started happening when I wrote daily!
