by Jenna | Dec 28, 2011 | Writing Articles
A few weeks ago, I wrote about getting up at 6 a.m. to write. I’ve continued with the experiment and I’ve been enjoying the results very much.
I’ve been surprised to notice a number of interesting side effects:
I feel better rested.
I’ve been going to sleep no later than 10 p.m. if I can possibly help it, and usually more like 9 or 9:30 p.m. I’ve read that you get the most regenerative sleep between the hours of 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., and I’m finding that it is true.
I’m using my time much more wisely.
Something I’ve struggled with over the past year in particular is how I use my time in the evenings.
I was watching shows on streaming video… and then watching just “one more” until the evening was gone and it was far too late. Or obsessively playing iPhone games or looking at things online.
I felt like an out of control addict who was doing unhealthy things in the name of having “alone time.”
Instead, now I reward myself with little nibbles of these formerly addictive devices when I complete a task, and it doesn’t stop me from being efficient and effective. If anything I feel more effective because I’m enjoying these little breaks as true play.
I feel calm.
In part this is due to Just. Doing. The. Writing., but I believe it also has to do with doing it so EARLY.
Getting up at 6 not only demonstrates my commitment to myself and to my writing, but also helps me get it done. Instead of having it hanging over my head for an entire day (“When am I going to fit it in?”), which makes me feel incredibly guilty, I feel at peace when I do it first.
It’s like I’m saying, “I’ve done my hardest work. Now, what else is there?”
I feel happy.
A big part of feeling happy is the result of actively working to fulfill my calling as a writer.
But there’s also a kind of freedom and joy that comes from doing it first that is highly compelling.
Contrary to how it might appear from the outside, writing triggers a huge amount of fear for me, so facing it first (while still half asleep, I might add), creates such a huge sense of relief that happiness seems to rush in and fill the void.
How cool is that?
by Jenna | Dec 14, 2011 | Writing Articles
Last week I wrote about aligning your day job with your creative destiny and there were a few objections about the practicality of such things in this day and age.
So I want to be clear.
- I’m not suggesting that you up and quit your current job that doesn’t work for you without having something new lined up.
- I’m not suggesting that work for peanuts and stress yourself financially in order to pursue your creative work.
- I’m not suggesting that the only way to have a more aligned day job is to work part time or fewer hours (though that may be part of your solution).
I am suggesting that:
- If pursuing your creative destiny is important to you and you believe it is your true source of life satisfaction and ultimate success, you must make it a priority.
- In order to make it a priority, you may want to reevaluate the current things you are doing and consider changing them to be better aligned with your creative work.
- Many people mistakenly assume there is no other solution to their current circumstances, and/or they are unwilling to challenges the choices in their lives that keep them stuck.
- Many people resist making changes because it feels overwhelming.
IF you want to make a change in your current life or job situation, rather than doing it in one fell swoop, I encourage you to tackle it a little bit at a time.
- Begin thinking of yourself in a new way (e.g “What would it look like to put my writing first?”).
- Take a look at what’s working and what’s not.
- Get creative about new ways to approach what’s not working. What could you try that you’ve never tried before? (Getting up early to pursue your art?)
- Brainstorm what your ideal scenario would look like.
- Resist deciding there are no alternatives that might work better until you’ve thoroughly explored the options.
- Open your eyes, heart, and mind to new possibilities and solutions.
- Take a active role in pursuing those solutions.
- Start making changes a little bit at a time.
- If something big falls into place, go for it!
For a long time, I believed that running my busy coaching business meant I couldn’t write. As I wrote last week, I had to shift what I was thinking and believing first, and then shift what I was doing to make a change in my life. And now it’s happening, bit by bit.
The mistake I kept making was not believing it was possible, so I kept waiting for something to happen to make it possible, rather than making it possible myself.
by Jenna | Dec 8, 2011 | Writing Articles
Being trapped between a “day job” and your true creative destiny can be awkward.
It doesn’t have to be.
All too often, having a “day job” or “support job” looks like doing work you don’t enjoy in the name of paying the bills, while you pursue your true creative calling on the side.
In a more optimal scenario it looks like doing work you enjoy, ideally closely akin to your creative work.
For a long time, I’ve wanted to be a “real” writer. You probably know that already. *grin*
And for a while it felt like my coaching business was preventing me from doing that.
What I’ve since learned is that I was the only one stopping myself from pursuing my creative writing, and I had to make a few adjustments to change my relationship with my business to make my writing life a priority.
Inner & Outer Adjustments
Here’s what I mean:
- I had to start seeing myself as a writer and believing that my creative destiny and future success lies in that direction.
- I had to reorganize the structure of my days and life around my writing.
- I had to start thinking of my coaching business as my day job — luckily one that I like very much, and fully intend to keep doing — but one that is not the only center of my universe.
- I had redesign my business model to be more in alignment with my writing so it didn’t feel like such a departure from my own creative work.
Ideal Support Job Alignment Checklist
Some things to take into consideration:
- Make sure your support job pays well. Support jobs are Good Things, because they give you breathing room, usually financially, so you can pursue your creative destiny free from needing to rely on it to keep a roof over your head. (Not setting it up this way = a recipe for feeling creatively blocked if I ever heard one. I made this mistake when I first started my coaching business.)
- Make sure your support job leaves enough time and energy that you feel like you have the bandwidth left to pursue your creative work. Support jobs are Good Things only when they work for you, so check to make sure your “day job” is truly supporting your creative work. If it is draining and deadening you, it’s time for a recalibration. Having a good support job that feels good to you can make all the difference in the energy, spirit, and passion you’re able to bring to your creative work.
- Ideally, make sure your support job is aligned with your creative work. In an ideal world, your support job will match or resonate with your creative work. If it’s not, can you make any adjustments? Your spirit will be so much happier.
by Jenna | Nov 30, 2011 | Writing Articles
I’ve been getting up at 6 a.m. lately to do something that feels remarkable.
Before you think I’m “just an early bird” let me tell you that up until recently: 1) my ideal sleep scenario involved NO alarm clocks and waking up naturally, usually between 8:30 and 9, and, 2) after a fairly recent and excruciating bout of sleep deprivation à la new baby turned into toddler, …
… if you had had the audacity to suggest that I would get up at 6 a.m. for ANYTHING I would have reacted with revulsion.
So.
That said, here I am, pretty much daily — even on weekends! — getting up at 6 a.m. to WRITE.
And I LOVE it.
Love it!
How insane is that?
My Fear of Writing Has Turned Into a Fear of Not Writing
Today a friend asked me to think back to what it was like before I was writing regularly, about what that was like. I almost cried. And a wave of fear went through my stomach.
See, the thing is, I’ve crossed a line.
It’s the invisible line between terror in the face of writing and terror at the thought of not writing.
How did that happen?
I mean, of course I know the answer (decision, commitment, regular and consistent action, accountability, passion, etc.) but How. Did. That. Happen?
It feels truly amazing.
Why Does Getting Up Early to Write Work So Well?
But why, you may be asking, why does it really matter if you get up at 6 a.m. to write? Why not write at 9 a.m.? Or 3 p.m.?
Here’s why it’s working for me:
- When I start writing before I’ve entirely woken up, my inner critic is a LOT quieter. In fact, I hardly hear from him at all. And that makes my life SO much easier.
- When I get up early to do my soul’s true work first, I feel a deep answer to the Powers That Be saying, “Here I am. I am doing my part.”
- When I put my Big Dream FIRST in my day, I feel calm for the rest of the day. And that calm is highly addictive.
- Because I’m showing myself, deep down, that I’ve reorganized my life around my passion for writing and I really, really mean it.
I don’t know if I’ll keep doing this — I think I will — but so far, it rocks as successful experiments go. I was inspired to try this by hearing about so many writers that get up so early to write. I figured they must know something I don’t.
Holy smokes, they were right.
by Jenna | Nov 17, 2011 | Writing Articles
A while ago I wrote a post about facing the dark creative void, which was received with slightly mixed reviews.
A few people noted (or responded privately) that for them creativity is about light and love and joyful expansion, not darkness, not ever. Many other people connected with what I was talked about.
I certainly can and do connect with the beauty of creativity at the high points along the creative path.
But there are also days when venturing into creativity feels like a terrifying journey through a dark forest laden with the most horrifying monsters I can image.
It’s no wonder why scrubbing the toilet can suddenly seem alarmingly important.
As I’ve been working on my current script I’ve been aware of a background conversation that runs something like this:
- What if it’s too dark?
- What if no one likes it and it’s too depressing?
- What will people think of me as a mother if I write this? (It’s a sci fi story about a mother.)
- What if they hate it?
- What if the ending is too bleak and horrible?
- What if it is too powerful emotionally and people judge me for it?
And today I noticed that all these questions have to do with my ego.
It’s my ego that cares what other people think.
But my spirit doesn’t.
My spirit says, This is a powerful, painful question you’ve been given to explore and to answer for this character. So don’t shy away from it, don’t hold back. This is a gift you’ve been given and you are giving, the power to explore this darkness. Don’t be afraid.
My ego died a little more today so that my story might live.
by Jenna | Oct 26, 2011 | Writing Articles
When Joss Whedon’s sci-fi western television series, “Firefly,” was cancelled by the Fox network in 2002, the fans of the show were devastated. But Joss told his actors that he wouldn’t give up and that he would find the show a new home.
Eventually, he found that place with Universal Studios in 2005, where they made a feature length movie called Serenity and resurrected the “Firefly“ story.
Joss says about his movie making, “It’s not to make things people like. It’s never to make things people like. It’s only to make things that they love.”
Refusing to Let It Go
What I love about this story (in addition to loving the show, though I’ve lost my affection for Joss Whedon himself as time has gone on), is that he was so committed to vision and believed in it so much, that he refused to give up. And his fans and cast did too. Joss says about the experience, “[People] fell in love with it a little bit too much to let it go, too much to lay down arms when the battle looked pretty much lost. In Hollywood, people like that are called ‘unrealistic’ … ‘quixotic’ … ‘obsessive’.”
He seems to be totally okay with that. :)
When he presented the first footage of the movie at San Diego Comic Con, he said to the assembled masses of fans, “This movie should not exist. Failed TV shows don’t get made into major motion pictures unless the creator, the cast, and the fans believe beyond reason.”
Isn’t that the most beautiful turn of phrase?
What Do You Believe Beyond Reason?
What are you so ridiculously over the moon about that it makes you giddy just to think about?
The word passion has become so overused in our culture today, I’m not even sure we know what it means anymore.
To most of us it apparently means something like, “What do you think is a realistic way to make money that you would enjoy doing?”
And while that is a useful question when one is paying one’s bills, it is NOT really the same question as “What are you passionate about?”
Seems to me it’s time to change the question.
Let’s start asking, “What do you BELIEVE BEYOND REASON?”
“What do you believe in so deeply, so permanently, so passionately that you can hardly keep yourself in your skin because you are exploding with joy when you consider it?”
“What brings tears to your eyes when you allow yourself to even just consider the possibility that you might be lucky enough to do it for a single minute of your life?”
Do that. And do it as quick as you can.
Because really, why would we do anything else?
Time’s a wastin.’
Warmly,
