Let's chat: What are you proud of?
seriously, think of one thing from the last week
I’m teaching a generative writing workshop this fall and I’m trying all sorts of different ways to help the writers in the room write what they feel called to write. I’m noticing just how many things there are that get in the way of actually writing (I wrote about my own frustrating attempts to get writing again here). And, once you DO start writing again, writing isn’t a wind-up toy that just runs and runs for awhile—you have to keep it going and fighting all those whack-a-moles that keep popping up that can take the wind out of your sails (like my AWP panel rejection, ugh!)
I’m also trying to hold the thread with my meditation practice in a daily rhythm I’m building with a new combination of teaching and writing work. I’ve lost the meditation thread a few days here and there and missed it deeply.
What helped me ground myself this week so I could keep working on my writing project and keep meditating was to do something I had my students do—to write down one thing I’m proud of from the last week.
I wrote it down, celebrated it for a second, and shared it with a friend.
We must make it a habit to recognize and celebrate our wins along the path. It shores us up for the tough days, the days we lose the thread, the days we meet rejection or just feel dumb and like the words won’t come. It helps us shift our mindset from allllll those things we haven’t done yet, still looming on the horizon, to what we have done, no matter how small.
So, I’d love to hear from you: what are you proud of in the last week or month? It could be from any of your practices (writing, mindfulness, wellness, actually folding the clean laundry rather than letting it sit in the hamper for four days)… 📝🙏🏼
What are you proud of?
Be Where You Are is a newsletter about how to use writing and mindfulness to be where you are. You can support this newsletter by liking, commenting, sharing it with others, and of course, subscribing. You can find me on Instagram or Facebook or find more info at my website. Thank you for reading! 🩵🩵
I made progress on a messy draft of this essay that's been dogging me on chronic migraines. I'm not there yet—not ready to share with readers b/c I still have a lot to figure out—but I spent some real time this week working on it.
I’m proud of myself for making a list of small “assignments” to work on—a range of mini writing tasks—which is helping to give me footing when I don’t have a lot of internal motivation to get started with writing on a sticky day! I can open that list and pick a task to begin.