|
To receive future issues, enter your email address and click the button below. |
|
|
 |
Volume 7, No. 4 | Friday, April 18, 2008 |  |
||||||
|
The Project
ast month the manuscript of my first book, Ground of Your Own Choosing, finally went to the publisher. You can’t imagine the relief I feel to be approaching the completion of this intense, time-devouring project. Putting your voice in the world in whatever form your creativity takes—writing a book, designing a bridge, developing a branding strategy—is exquisite agony. And how long it takes! My journey with writing began fifteen years ago in Bend, Oregon. I was attending a training with Richard Bolles, author of What Color is Your Parachute? He was leading us in a skills exercise, encouraging us to think outside the box, and at the time I thought I added the word “writing” to my list of skills simply because I had a pencil in my hand and it was a handy response. Today I would be more inclined to see it as divine intervention. Later, when I prioritized my list of skills, much to my surprise, writing ended up on top. I would have expected it rather to be public speaking or counseling which come much more naturally to me than writing. After this experience I began to honor the act of writing in simple ways. I refinished my great-grandmother’s desk so I’d have a special place to compose letters to friends and family. Occasionally I wrote poems and essays, some of which found their way into the newsletter published by our church. Being a contributor led me to the idea of creating my own newsletter which would force me to write regularly, and that’s what I have been doing for the last five years. To make the leap from newsletter to book, at the beginning of 2007 , I committed myself to using my column as a venue for book chapters, one a month for a year.
The Inside Story The poems and essays I mentioned had only got written on long weekends because I didn’t know how to give myself time to write, nor did I feel that my efforts were worth the investment. Writing was then a luxury which I could afford only after I’d cleared my to-do list, and unless I had a windfall of extra time, it didn’t happen. Even after my newsletter was being distributed to eager readers and I started receiving positive feedback, the idea of writing a book seemed totally unfeasible. To offset my self-generated negativity, I found a writing teacher and mentor, and I spent several years in dialogue with her. She would sing a melody of direction and encouragement, and I would answer in counterpoint with all the reasons why I couldn’t write more—a demanding professional schedule, elderly parents, children, grandchildren, community service commitments. I’m tempted to say that “on paper” all of these excuses were real, but of course the issue was about not getting anything on paper. All of my justifications came down to my belief that I didn’t have the time, which I now know is just an excuse for not being ready to commit myself fully to the creative process. On the Train My decision to take a long train ride rather than a short flight was a last-ditch attempt to impose a business solution on a creative problem, i.e., the book. The train would give me an expanse of time in which I could force myself to churn out an outline and few chapters to get things rolling. This sounded reasonable, but it didn’t work. I not only didn’t write anything that came together in a way that made sense to me, I also got very angry at myself for failing to achieve my goal. In the middle of the night on my return trip, with nothing to show for my Amtrak writing “retreat” but a page of illegible scribbling (which incidentally later became a column), I learned what I’d really come for—the realization that even my best business disciplines were not going to drive a creative process. My forced march was a total failure, but by wanting to write enough to at least try it, I was able to break through an invisible wall and accept operating at the precarious edge of my own growth instead of relying on my known strengths. Thinking back, I realize that this was a wonderful example of a saying I heard recently: “Don’t worry about falling—just lean into it so that when you fall you fall forward.” Trying to mandate a solution to the book had caused me to stumble, but when I did I fell forward into a much better place. And Now That It’s Almost Over By allowing the work itself to teach me how to do it, I gained something far better than the false security I had tried to create with file folders full of outlines and notes. When in the despair of a blank period I would rummage through them—usually they were strewn all over the place because I no longer had the delusion that organizing my external space would be mirrored internally—I would find a comment or a snippet of information written years earlier which was still be right on the mark, and it always came by accident. The affirmation of seeing the core message of the book slowly materializing out the rubble of five years of false starts was more comforting than any master plan I could have come up with. A creative project requires a combination of discipline and looseness. In my fear-based attempts to build a rock-solid structure to support my writing, I had left no space for surprise, no room for the magic of pieces of the story coming together in unexpected ways. By trying to orchestrate how it would happen, I took the energy and excitement which would invigorate and sustain my efforts out of the equation. Yet, without the discipline of establishing a regular writing time and a commitment to being productive, my efforts would not have gone much beyond wishful thinking. Trying to strike a balance on the tightrope between will and creativity is ultimately an act of trust, not just that the project will somehow get done, but that by staying in the process you will become who you need to be to complete it.
Readers Write
Writer/World Travler
This is sooooooooooooooooooo good! THANK YOU for keeping me on your newsletter email list! Account Executive, Hyannis, MA
A GREAT explanation of the added benefit you provide. I especially liked the opening—it made me chuckle! Strategic Planning/Branding consultant, New Jersey
In May, Beverly will return to the Gestalt International Study Center for the first week of the Cape Cod Training Program: Creating Change Through Positive Feedback. Since 1980 this highly-esteemed program has provided a distinctive learning opportunity for therapists, coaches, consultants, executives and leaders from all over the world.
Transition in the Second Half of Life The second half of life today brings the expectation that many will live independently into their 90’s with active minds and bodies. Yet while the spirit is young, many acknowledge and mourn the unmistakable signs of aging. This workshop will give participants an opportunity to share what they are experiencing, and to begin the process of planning for the coming years rather than waking up to find they are gone. Participants will gain a deeper awareness of the transitions in their own lives, be inspired by the stories of role models and guides, explore practical ways to move forward with more comfort and joy, and enjoy new perspectives on the unique value of the aging journey.
40 Oak Leaf Rd About Us Our long-term relationships with clients, recognition by peers, and growing reputation as a community resource speak to the excellence of the services we provide and our commitment to making the world of work a better place for all.
Privacy Policy We at the Center for Career and Business Development respect your privacy: we do not sell, rent, share or otherwise misuse any data which we may have about you; its only purpose is to send you information which we believe will be of value to you. If you don’t want to receive this newsletter, use the SafeUnsubscribe™ link below and your name will be promptly and cheerfully removed from our list.
The stick illustrations in this issue are by Eloise Morley.
Copyright © 2007
|
|
|
Also in this issue ...
As we move forward into the 21st century it’s pretty obvious to just about everyone that work isn’t what it used to be. Whether we work for ourselves, or for someone else, or are in transition, things are changing rapidly and we’re caught in a shift of seismic proportions. Many things are being demanded of us, and it’s going to require more than just new skills to survive and thrive. We’re going to need to learn how to get serious about taking care of the business of our professional lives. Taking Care of Business We invite you to share your thoughts by
|
|
|
|||
Loved your last newsletter. It took me fifty years to “claim the work I want to do.” Thanks for helping those presently in the workforce to realize happiness can and should be a goal when setting the criteria for a career.
