Getting (Re)Started

You’ve probably noticed that it’s been a while since I’ve written a blog post. Quite a big longer than my once-per-week commitment would allow, given that my last post was on August 23rd and it is now almost one month later. That was one heckuva long week, wasn’t it?!


I could tell you about all the many challenges I’ve faced during this time, but frankly that would be beside the point. The simple truth is that I didn’t feel at all inspired to write…but I couldn’t just let myself be at peace with that. No, I would vacillate between giving myself permission to suspend work on the blog and taking myself to task for failing to honor my commitment. And as I ping-ponged back and forth between those two perspectives, I stirred up that age-old fear that every writer faces from time to time: I have nothing to say. I may as well just hang a digital “closed” sign on the blog, pack up and go home.

And so I did, for a time. I rolled over and allowed the weary voice of failure to call the shots, even as a tiny part of me was tugging at me to get back up and start blogging again. Just do it, she exhorted me! I liked her energy at first, but as I continued to avoid my blog day after day, her voice became a bit more urgent. She was trying her best to rally me into action, telling me all kinds of good things and assuring me I could just get back on that horse and ride.

And as encouraging and affirming as she was, I found her just the teensiest bit annoying and decided to ignore her.

More time passed. I wondered if I still remembered the login and password to my blog. And then I stopped thinking about it.

Until this morning, when I decided to consult my Wise Self about the situation in my journal. I already knew, of course, that judging myself for procrastinating would never provide the motivation I actually needed to get moving, and in fact would shut me down further (which it already had). So I’d moved past the self-recrimination but still hadn’t found an opening for action. Trying to coax and prod myself into writing – even in the most gentle and loving of ways – just wasn’t working.

And that’s when my Wise Self offered a whole new perspective. She encouraged me to share everything that I was feeling right now; and so, along with disappointment in myself over not maintaining my blog, I offered to her my sadness at having to cancel my beach vacation this week. I love the beach, and here on the East Coast the weather is beach-perfect. I would love to be there. I long to stand at the ocean’s edge and gaze at the horizon, with my feet sinking into the warm, moist and yielding sand.

So I wrote about that and paused. Deep breath…then my Wise Self reminded me of the wisdom of canceling the vacation, and suggested that my image of sinking into the sand was just what I needed to support me in restarting the blog. Rather than holding it as something apart from me that I had to do, or as some kind of small mountain I had to climb, why not view my blog – and all of my work – as a warm and nurturing presence that supports and comforts me? Why not sink into my longing to help people see themselves and their lives through the eyes of love? Why not see my writing not as a task, but as a natural and accommodating ground for my work? Why not simply soak in my love for what I do?

Why not, indeed?

I thanked my Wise Self and closed my journal, resting a moment in deep appreciation for her simple yet powerful suggestion. And I have to tell you, I’ve been looking forward all day to writing this post! I’ve been looking forward to sinking my heart into a connection with you that I hope brings some needed reminder or the spark of a new insight.

Perhaps you will be comforted to be reminded that…

…You have a Wise Self and he or she is always with you, just waiting for your attention and curiosity.

…Speaking openly and honestly with yourself about your feelings – acknowledging them without wallowing in them – clears space for new perspectives to be recognized.

…Changing your perspective of anything changes your experience of it.

…Working with imagery is a powerful way to change your perspective.

…Judging yourself will never lead to inspired thought or action.

…What you love is an integral aspect of who you are.

…Surrendering – sinking in – to your longings fosters internal wholeness and integrity, whereas seeing them as “things to do” that are outside of you promotes inner conflict.

…Writing blog posts really isn’t all that hard.

So I’m back and delighted to be reconnecting with you through this modern medium. And I’d love to hear about your experiences with your Wise Self, with imagery and journaling, with releasing self-judgment, with sinking in to your longings – or with any other insight this may have sparked in you! I hope you’ll post your comment so others can benefit, too.

Until next time…