For all of the beautiful souls on their book writing journey...keep at it. Look at these open rates - the excitement of starting quickly fades away. We set it aside and think 'Oh, I'll read this later when I have time to work on my book' turns into 'oh shoot, I forgot to do this today' which eventually leads to deleting the email, unread, so you're not reminded of the fact that you never got around to watching it... And meanwhile, your book is still waiting for you. Few will actually publish for exactly this reason. This isn't a judgment. I have a whole series of emails in my inbox with the same stories attached. But if you really really want this...then you get to make the choice to dedicate at least a little bit of time to the creation. You can do this. Open and click... And if you haven't started yet - go to http://writeyourbook.stacynelsonunlimited.com/ and get started today!
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I was so cranky yesterday...everyone survived the storm, but barely. I've just felt super busy and I don't do busy. I'm capable of it. I get tons done. But I don't prefer it.
All I wanted yesterday was a nap. And a cupcake. All I got was an MRI appointment for my son an hours drive away, paperwork minutia for the rugby club my husband and I run, nagging about said paperwork minutia from my husband, and in the midst I placed ads around Facebook for my free writing course (I've never placed a big-girl ad before so it was all new for shits and giggles). No nap. No freaking cupcake. No leave 'me the hell alone space' to write or dream or think. So yeah, I was cranky. I'm not judging myself for it. I was just off my center. I don't need to spiritually white wash it by saying I'm grateful for all the things I learned yesterday. I just simply was spiritual and cranky at the same time. Off to get me a damn cupcake for lunch... More content isn't better.
I remember years ago I read a post by a well known marketer that said something to the effect of "write less, promote more". That sounded boring as hell. Why would anyone write less? Given the option I wanted to write more. Until one day when I looked at all I had written and realized that it may have had a few likes but had long since been forgotten in the clutter of our quick world. Profound thoughts had become flickers instead of bonfires. I wanted bonfires. So I started paying more attention to what I was writing. I started wanting to share it all again. I started wondering why, while I was always creating, I didn't have anything more substantial out in the world. Where was my own bonfire? I realized that even though I was producing content into the world, the one and done was akin to hoarding all that awesomeness. I had become for all intents and purposes a content hoarder, adding more and more to my pile every day without really honoring any of it. So I found my bonfire. I lit it up with the flames of both my past writing and new words and published my books. And I get to do it again and again, always creating AND honoring the words, like these, by seeing where they fit perfectly into my future books...perhaps this will be the fuel for a book on writing? Or more importantly, perhaps a book on never hoarding your greatness again.... I was greeted by an old friend in the parking lot as we waiting for our sons last night. She said "you're so brave to post the things you do".
I was like, huh? These are just my thoughts and things I'm up to. I've posted that way for years. And she says, "I know. It's amazing" I wanted to argue with her, let her know that it was just normal behavior, that anyone can write what is in their heart and head, anyone can say the things they feel. Right? Is that really brave? To her it was. To her she had all kinds of things going on in her life. She separated from her husband, she's with her 3 kids alone, one who has serious learning issues. She has ADHD and has trouble concentrating on anything for more than a few moments and can't plan ahead more than an hour at a time. She has lots of things she wish she were brave enough to say out loud. And I say them without thinking, without seeing that it's anything more than feeling out loud I get frustrated, sad, happy. I succeed and fail. I have times in my life where saying something is hard. Sometimes I piss people off. Sometimes I inspire them. It doesn't matter. I just speak. Is that the definition of bravery? To do something that someone else is scared to do? You bet your ass it is. And I also bet your ass that you're being brave in ways you don't see, in ways you don't understand, but to that one person who is watching who would never have that kind of courage, you are a freaking hero.... This morning's writing in my next book, 'Active Surrender' on the 4th Chakra of Trust: Give & Receive....
This is the flow of life, to give and receive. To go way out, we discover that indeed there is no difference, that all energy is available to us at all times - bodiless in a pool of energetic goo. Our inability to really comprehend just how vast and limitless we truly are - without edges or me or you, just giant arrangements of the same stuff - means that we are fierce about our boundaries. We defend our boundaries and our hearts. We don't trust easily that we are truly one and that giving and receiving is a natural state. Like breathing. We can breathe in and out without thinking. We don't have to work to trust in ourselves to do it because we already trust ourselves to breathe. It's instinctual. Our hearts do it too, blood pumping in and out without thought. There is no conversation that sounds like whether we are worthy of accepting air into our lungs or that the world around us is unworthy of receiving our out-breath. We simply give and receive, in and out of our body, all day long. It is a pure state of surrender to simply breathe. So why don't we trust ourselves to give and receive in other ways, in natural balanced ways that support us? We create upper limits of how much happiness, love, joy, material things, ideas, creativity we are allowed to receive. We over give to others, depleting our lung capacity until we feel exhausted. We mistrust others and withhold giving to them, locking away our love and attention and gifts behind our makeup boundaries. We are territorial, stingy, greedy, desperate, isolated, misunderstood, hurt, bitter, exhausted. We pass out if we do not breathe. Why would we imagine that our spiritual bodies wouldn't also pass out if we don't allow energy to flow in and out of us as well? Trusting ourselves to be open to the flow of the universe makes us feel balanced, supported and expansive in all things"..... Hope you enjoyed today's writing my friends. XOXO Stacy Sometimes the way forward is to simply pick a different starting point.
Sometimes I get stuck in my writing. I put my book 'Active Surrender' on pause over the holidays not just because I didn't have space to write, but also because I was stuck. I was stuck in the middle of the 3rd chakra of trust: Power. It felt forced. Quite frankly, I think the section may be complete but I mentally I wanted to make it more robust and well rounded. I had a list of stories to add and dammit, I would add those and complete the section before moving on. This morning I remembered that if I'm forcing it, the words won't come, my creativity will be silenced and what comes out won't have the power I desire in my books. What a lesson in that 3rd chakra right? To surrender to my own power means to not force it out of me. So I gave myself permission to work on a totally different section... the 4th chakra of trust: Give & Receive. And it's pouring out of me, channeled connection, scribbling with tears in my eyes. I'm sitting here crying...in total awe and abundance
I received so many things today, most of them I purchased...but that feels abundant too. I kept opening packages like it was Christmas Day JUST FOR ME! A new money tree for my desk to replace the one that broke the other day, a new tripod for my iPhone that I must have left in a hotel somewhere at some point, a whole studio set up to be able to record professional looking videos in my home (lights and backdrop and the whole deal), a microphone, some amazing Dark Chocolate Ooling tea from my friend Monica Day's company Ducky Life Tea that is making my belly seriously so happy AND a whole package of gifts from my friend Mark J. Silverman with a hard copy of his book, a card with his drawing on it and a matted picture by him to hang. And I'm crying. Because receiving tests my limits of how much joy I'm allowed to feel and it feels FUCKING GOOD. So instead of dumbing it down and looking for things to help me crazy emotionally, I'm basking in this feeling of awe at just how good our lives can be some times. We are surrounded by gifts all of the time. In every moment there are gifts to be found...and I don't mean simple gratitudes - I mean MIRACLES. Expect Miracles is one of my themes for the year. The mailwoman delivered today for sure... The act of simply observing yourself instead of having to fix or change anything is a method of surrender that creates massive changes in who you are in the world. It's normal that this time of year we get to look back and reflect upon who we are and how far we've come.
In 2015, I published 2 books. Up until about 5 minutes ago, that was simply a statement. It simply was something I did, an item on the list of my accomplishments. No big deal - I mean it was cool and all but really, I was always meant to write at least one so... As I sat there with the thought and just observed it, I realized, holy shit, I put my soul into words and shared it with the world. I finally realized that it's a big freaking deal. And as I work on my next book I see it again and again - me completely surrendering to the greatness that flows through me. I get to change lives every day in black and white because I took the time to change my own by writing 'just' a book. That's pretty awesome. Sitting here in the quiet of the morning - even the sun has refused to peek his eye out over the hill. This is my magic time, when nothing happens but everything is started, and I dream in that half asleep daze between reality and fantasy.
I'm dreaming about my day, my year, my life. I'm imagining that what inspiration I read from others', I also am giving and creating wildly, freely, without abandon. I'm feeling what it would feel like to bleed my soul onto the pages of the world's journal. I'm pretending that the aches in my heart and in my body will disappear as soon as my feet hit the ground. I'm witnessing the passage of time and am hoping that I've squeezed every moment of love from each second. I'm banishing the fears and the self judgement that pops up into my mind not quite awake, laughing deliriously at the nonsense that comes up. I'm relishing in the sensations of warm creamy coffee and fluffy pillows and cozy covers. My heart pumps. My lungs fill. Over And Over And Over This is my moment. To be present and call in the day. To call in my clients. To create my life. Every day. Over And Over And Over Today is ours. What will you make of it? |