Writing practice – the soy sauce of personal growth
I don’t want to help you write you book.
That is … unless you want to write a book.
I get that this might be confusing, since I teach women how to use writing practice, but the writing I talk about is an accompaniment to whatever project, personal growth, life-improvement stuff you may have going.
So if you want to write a book, absolutely, what I teach will help.
But it will also help if you’re taking care of your aging parents while working a full-time job, and dealing with kids who are in that delightful middle school tear-your-hair-out phase, and you’re going batshit crazy with no time for yourself.
That’s because writing IS time for yourself.
It can help you get real about your drinking, and help you figure out if you need to stop, or maybe just make it an occasional treat, while finding a better stress-relieving outlet.
Writing will give you a place to vent about the job that feels like it’s killing your spirit, but you’re not-quite-ready to leave it and start that dreamed of business.
Pouring your heart onto the page about the lover who is gone will help you rile and rant and pick through the remnants of the relationship so you can make peace with it and move on.
Taking a few minutes every day (or every now and then even) will help you unlock the whispers in your soul and excise old hurts, break free of habits that no longer serve you, tame negative thoughts, gain perspective, find flow, and exercise that self-compassion muscle.
That’s because writing practice is a secret sauce – the perfect addition to any examined life.
It’s kind of like soy sauce at a Chinese food restaurant. You can have an Egg Roll, Chicken Fried Rice, and Broccoli with Garlic Sauce without it, but would you want to? Cause a little shake of that soy sauce sure enhances every bit of deliciousness it touches.
Writing’s the same.
Are you a yoga fan? Try sitting for 10 minutes after your morning practice and jot down the thoughts that come up.
In therapy? Take some time after your weekly session and write out the insights you gained, or the questions your therapist suggested you think about before your next session.
Learning how to read Tarot? Write what comes up after your latest reading.
Taking steps to improve your health? Write to yourself about what you’re working toward to lock-in your commitment to yourself.
Feeling overwhelmed with your business? Write about the stuck places, the obstacles that are in your way, and the goals you’re reaching for.
Feeling locked into a painful personal story that seems to shape everything in your life? Try rewriting your story from the perspective of a friend who believes in you when you forget to believe in yourself.
Taking a few minutes with pen and paper whenever you can has an almost magical (soy sauce-like) ability to enhance everything it touches. Try adding it to your personal growth menu, and watch everything get more delish.
Want to add a little pen-and-ink “soy sauce” to your life? Find out about the different ways you can write your way free with me here.
