As I finished the first lesson in a new course to become a freelance writer, my brain spun for a topic to write my first article about. Cue a lightbulb moment while staring at a blank screen -write about how challenging it can be to take the first step, to take something from this vision in your mind and make it a tangible thing in reality.
This is not my first rodeo -I’ve come to this arena of writing a few times to show up differently for myself. Knowing I have the talent and capacity within me, yet FEAR is the great big, bucking bronco. Having this vision of what we can be as individuals to create and contribute to our collective AND to feel terrified to be witnessed by one human, let alone all the humans on the internet…
Publish an article anyone can see??? Hard pass.
Except… If not now, when? Who says this fear has to stop me?
Finding my Voice
There comes a point where we do the thing, a philosophy I’m learning from The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. Sitting down, putting words on a page even if they’re terrible. Simple, if not easy with a lot of lead-up over the months and years.
The strangest thing I’ve noticed is that the softer, more compassionate, and graceful I am with myself, the easier to put words to the page. The confidence and core sense of self, cultivated over said months and years, have led me to this place -where it doesn’t feel like the words get stuck in my throat trying to escape from my head.
Finding my voice. What a novel concept…
The Path Forward
To not move through life from a place of fear, insecurity, people pleasing, and scarcity (not to say those feelings aren’t present, but to not let them stop me from action).
To move from a place of joy, fulfillment, purpose, love, light, and trust.
I’m on this journey of figuring out what that all means to me. One of the most profound lessons I’ve learned is to follow those glimmers. The passions, activities, hobbies, people, and careers that light us up and spark our curiosity and child-like wonder. The quiet, small whispers of gut feelings and intuition that lead us from one small action or connection to the next, where we can start to see how these small shifts compounding together can lead us to greater discovery within ourselves.
To be patient with ourselves and others. I know… but slow down to speed up and all that, right? 😉
Learn to trust ourselves because if we can’t, who can we trust? It can be a felt sense as well as a conscious choice to trust and one of the beautiful gifts we’ve been given as humans is discernment. To decide what feels right for us as individuals.
This physical, human experience is one wild ride, and this first step has been taken. Let’s see what the second step has in store…