Writing can be stressful, especially when you set the bar high. In writing a career memoir to help others find well-being at work, I set the bar very high. I wanted it to be:
- Easy-to-read
- Honest
- Of value
- Interesting
- Concise
- Logical
- Inspiring
I scared myself with these aspirations and I felt inadequate and overwhelmed.
The biggest thing I learned was to acknowledge my resistance (see it) and just start writing. And once I went back to read what I wrote, I had to be fearless to keep it when I felt vulnerable or throw it out because it was just a warm-up.
I had to have clarity to overcome fear and make decisions about what to keep and what to discard.
I got that clarity, purpose and sense of service with mindfulness meditation. I sat formally in the morning before I wrote. This centred my mind and allowed distractions to fall away so creativity could arise. I took breaks to mindfully walk, eat, fold laundry and whatever else I could add some mindful moments to. I would go back to read what I wrote and mind my ‘judgement voice’ so I could be constructive, yet positive in revising.
Mindfulness helped me realize when I was being too harsh to myself. It helped me realized when I was getting too consumed and needed to focus on self-care. Being mindful gave me the courage to write the truth when I wanted to do anything but that.
Mindfulness was with me every step of the revision process and it kept me on purpose: To write a story that was in service to others, one that my soul feels completely aligned to.
I speak more about this process in an interview with Iguana Books editor Lee Parpart: