Monthly Archives: May 2023

Personal writing

In my cedar trunk are cherished artifacts from my past: calendars, notebooks, letters, and photographs. I’ve carefully curated them, hoping they’ll be discovered by future adult children, or their children or their children, etc. seeking wisdom, like browsing a website or favorite social media feed. These treasures embody the essence of my life, transcending mere desk-bound tasks.

I write at varying frequencies, driven by the seasons and my preferred platform at the time. I find solace in journaling with a dollar store notebook and a thin-tipped Sharpie, clarifying my thoughts. I sometimes send letters on my Smith-Corona typewriter.

I photograph my children to capture fleeting moments, storing the memories securely in the cloud, and use these pictures as writing prompts.

Ultimately, how I express myself matters little; writing, collecting, or documenting. What’s essential is faithfully recording life’s significant moments. Each entry, like a precious bookmark, holds immeasurable value to me.

Where to start

I often talk about how to start? Usually in the context of taking yourself online and hanging a shingle. This post is about where to start, and who to start with.

My first piece of advice in building your personal business, or anything of personal business value, is to start as if you already have a platform. Express the body of principles for which you will take a stand. Then be clear about who you want to hear it. Doing this will build a presence, develop your voice, and be a place from which you share those principles and ideas.

Reflection

I gain insights and intuition based on my experience and taking time to reflect. Every day — I have the opportunity to use yesterday as the wise counsel I need to make the most of tomorrow. I have a journal and digital white space to wayfinding what I remember by recording the reflection of what these everyday stories teach me.

Thoughts on creative work

Creative work encompasses endeavors that have the potential to both fail and improve. It begins with the desire to bring about change.

Many individuals yearn for someone else to dictate their path, leading them to feel trapped and discontented. The fear of potential failure haunts them, reminiscent of the embarrassment felt in childhood when they misunderstood something and faced ridicule from peers and teachers. Such experiences can have long-lasting effects.

However, true creativity cannot thrive within the confines of waiting for instructions. It demands a fearless dance with the possibility of failure. This courage is essential to the creative process. If you can’t acknowledge that your endeavor could fall flat, it’s probably not “creative work.”

I consider creative work to carry with it these characteristics consistently:

  • Creative work involves the transformative power of change.
  • Relying on external guidance can stifle true creativity (yet true creative collaboration can be powerful).
  • Fear of failure stems from past negative experiences, impacting self-confidence.
  • Waiting for instructions hampers the creative spirit.
  • Embracing the dance with fear is crucial for creative work.

Creative work requires taking risks and accepting that not everything will succeed. By embracing the dance with fear, we unleash our true creative potential.

How to start

Health is not important. But sickness is. If you are sick, your thoughts will be stapled to that sickness. You can’t get rid of it; you’re in pain, and pain takes up the mind. This is why being healthy, capable, and strong is not about looking good in a bathing suit and feeling attractive (although that has a place, too).

The point? We don’t think about our health unless something is wrong, and then that’s all we think about.

Focusing on your spiritual life is the point of the bigger picture. And to do that, we must become and stay physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy. Spiritual can mean many things to many people. In this context, spirituality means gratitude, gratitude means God, and God means miracles.

So if someone were to ask me Where or how to start – start anything? I would say, Start with physical, mental, and emotional health. Then document that process and what it looks like for you. What unfolds will inspire the right people to take the course of action you recommend.

Specificity rules

Using “To Whom It May Concern” in a letter differs from addressing someone specific. I will write to a person, not a department head, and create content as if addressing a human with a name, not a general demographic.

When I write content, I will think of them by name and consider them individuals, which helps me understand their needs, preferences, and interests. By tailoring content to one specific person, I will create personalized and engaging messages that lead to more effective communication.

After all, excellent communication is about arriving at the intended outcome, nothing else.

Writing to unlock discovery

In life, it’s not just about what you know but also about what you don’t know you don’t know. The hidden possibilities, the undiscovered talents, the unexplored paths. It’s about the music in the silence and the epiphanies that come from instinct.

Sometimes, the only way to truly see is by being blind, allowing dreams to rise from the depths of our subconscious. And sometimes, by giving up, we gain a new perspective.

Writing can also be a powerful tool for discovery. As you put pen to paper, you may find yourself renewing your covenant with the mysterious and enigmatic. Embrace the furtive pen as it saunters across the empty page, allowing the dark, brimming mist to give way to daylight and reveal its secrets.

So, don’t just focus on what you know. Embrace the mystery and the unknown, and let your instincts guide you toward discoveries. Who knows what you might find?