This is so cool. I’ve been in a similar position. I’ve been writing in my car before and after work randomly with no routine for at least 6 months. I recently decided it’s time to have my own space and I am going to rent an apartment. I’m so excited for this chapter 🥰
Dear Safely secure: congratulations on your 6 month consistency! and on your new chapter! I'm so excited for you! Sounds like a very exciting new chapter for you! Cheering you on, M
Thank you so much. I didn’t think of it as consistency because I didn’t do it every day but I’m still doing it so I guess it counts as consistency 😂 we are so brutal with ourselves at times
This is fascinating. Can I ask what you were writing about every morning? I 'write' in my head during my morning shower or just before I fall asleep. Little snippets of funny stories, observations, ideas which will never make it on paper and no one will ever see. I often think I should write them down but there is never time
Dear Katherine: I love that you "write" in the shower - in your head - the observations, the ideas, and the stories - it's exactly the same for me - but then I make sure that I'm putting them all on paper, because in the past - I would just keep thinking - I will capture it later, after work etc - and it never happen, so now I do it right before I walk into building, before work starts. Cheering you on , M
Every morning I write a page in my lined exercise book. Each line is an affirmation of what I'd like life to be. When I first started, I was depressed, but the writing took me out of it. Now, 8 months later, I'm pretty sure I don't believe what I write. I can feel depression coming back. All of the good things I write down (and do every single day) are not landing anywhere within me. I still do it, but without confidence in the process.
Dear Rose: 8 months of consistency is a Huge win! so congratulations! from my experience affirmations never worked for me - I did the write it 50 times, write 3 pages, various flavors of affirmations and it just did not work - my brain was not believing in any of it. What did work was - writing detail scenes, including conversations, including emotions, sensory details, like a movie scenes on paper - and finally my brain start saying - yes now I believe what you are writing. Everyone is diffrent and diffrent things work for diffrent individuals - so consider trying that - AND keep writing! Cheering you on, M
Thanks for your input Magdalena! Yes, perhaps writing a scene where life is as I hope might work. I was grateful writing the pages daily lifted the depression back in September, but now, well, several factors in play, I suppose. Could be that once I've achieved the Big Win (book published) I feel a bit directionless, other than marketing, which is whole new game. I'm happy enough to play that game, but not much steam in the kettle to do it at present. I'm sure other people have bigger worries than this!
Dear Rose: congratulations on publishing you book! that's a huge WIN! and yes, marketing can be very overwhelming so grant yourself a LOT of self compassion and patience with yourself b/c it it was easy we all would be marketers :-) !
I love this. Thanks for putting it into words so eloquently! I love the fact that you showed up every morning and wrote in your car because that’s what matters.
I have been struggling to find the consistency to write lately. I have been journaling on and off since 2013, some years every single morning. Writing has literally saved my life. And made it so much richer. But since I gave birth my focus has been with my son in the last 3 months. I do hope to start getting back into it now that he’s following a more predictable daily pattern, though!
The best thing about journaling is also going back in time to read those past versions of yourself ❤️
Dear Ana: Congratulations on your new baby! that's so exciting and yet so exhausting! So it's truly remarkable that you are even thinking about journaling (lol). When my son was born all I was thinking was sleep (lol). And you are so spot on, looking back and seeing the diffrent versions of self is truly remarkable and awe inspiring! Cheering you on, M
Haha I can relate to wanting more sleep! That has been me for the past 3 months. Now I am bursting with energy because we are fortunate that our son only feeds once per night at the moment, and my partner and I can alternate nights, so I can get full night sleep half of the week ❤️
Happy to have found your substack! Keep going, your posts are great :)
Dear Ana: thank you so much for your kind and generous words! WOW! bursting with energy sounds amazing! I'm so glad for you! I was totally sleep deprived for the first year - but it was all totally worth it! Cheering you on! Keep going!
Writing garbage in a cold car at 6 AM beats rehearsing corporate bullshit in the rearview mirror any day. Respect for realizing that the unpolished act is what actually builds something.
Some killer lines in here! This is also not consistency for consistency sake. It’s simply showing up for yourself. Without performance. Or expectation. Taking the moments that hone your craft.
And you can tell 🫶
I know a best selling author who wrote her book outside the school gates waiting to pick her children up. In the queue for fuel. In the moments between the madness :)
This is so cool. I’ve been in a similar position. I’ve been writing in my car before and after work randomly with no routine for at least 6 months. I recently decided it’s time to have my own space and I am going to rent an apartment. I’m so excited for this chapter 🥰
Dear Safely secure: congratulations on your 6 month consistency! and on your new chapter! I'm so excited for you! Sounds like a very exciting new chapter for you! Cheering you on, M
Thank you so much. I didn’t think of it as consistency because I didn’t do it every day but I’m still doing it so I guess it counts as consistency 😂 we are so brutal with ourselves at times
Spot on! we are our own worst critics!
This is fascinating. Can I ask what you were writing about every morning? I 'write' in my head during my morning shower or just before I fall asleep. Little snippets of funny stories, observations, ideas which will never make it on paper and no one will ever see. I often think I should write them down but there is never time
Dear Katherine: I love that you "write" in the shower - in your head - the observations, the ideas, and the stories - it's exactly the same for me - but then I make sure that I'm putting them all on paper, because in the past - I would just keep thinking - I will capture it later, after work etc - and it never happen, so now I do it right before I walk into building, before work starts. Cheering you on , M
Every morning I write a page in my lined exercise book. Each line is an affirmation of what I'd like life to be. When I first started, I was depressed, but the writing took me out of it. Now, 8 months later, I'm pretty sure I don't believe what I write. I can feel depression coming back. All of the good things I write down (and do every single day) are not landing anywhere within me. I still do it, but without confidence in the process.
Dear Rose: 8 months of consistency is a Huge win! so congratulations! from my experience affirmations never worked for me - I did the write it 50 times, write 3 pages, various flavors of affirmations and it just did not work - my brain was not believing in any of it. What did work was - writing detail scenes, including conversations, including emotions, sensory details, like a movie scenes on paper - and finally my brain start saying - yes now I believe what you are writing. Everyone is diffrent and diffrent things work for diffrent individuals - so consider trying that - AND keep writing! Cheering you on, M
Thank you so much for your suggestions!
Thanks for your input Magdalena! Yes, perhaps writing a scene where life is as I hope might work. I was grateful writing the pages daily lifted the depression back in September, but now, well, several factors in play, I suppose. Could be that once I've achieved the Big Win (book published) I feel a bit directionless, other than marketing, which is whole new game. I'm happy enough to play that game, but not much steam in the kettle to do it at present. I'm sure other people have bigger worries than this!
Dear Rose: congratulations on publishing you book! that's a huge WIN! and yes, marketing can be very overwhelming so grant yourself a LOT of self compassion and patience with yourself b/c it it was easy we all would be marketers :-) !
I love this. Thanks for putting it into words so eloquently! I love the fact that you showed up every morning and wrote in your car because that’s what matters.
I have been struggling to find the consistency to write lately. I have been journaling on and off since 2013, some years every single morning. Writing has literally saved my life. And made it so much richer. But since I gave birth my focus has been with my son in the last 3 months. I do hope to start getting back into it now that he’s following a more predictable daily pattern, though!
The best thing about journaling is also going back in time to read those past versions of yourself ❤️
Dear Ana: Congratulations on your new baby! that's so exciting and yet so exhausting! So it's truly remarkable that you are even thinking about journaling (lol). When my son was born all I was thinking was sleep (lol). And you are so spot on, looking back and seeing the diffrent versions of self is truly remarkable and awe inspiring! Cheering you on, M
Thanks Magdalena 🙏
Haha I can relate to wanting more sleep! That has been me for the past 3 months. Now I am bursting with energy because we are fortunate that our son only feeds once per night at the moment, and my partner and I can alternate nights, so I can get full night sleep half of the week ❤️
Happy to have found your substack! Keep going, your posts are great :)
Dear Ana: thank you so much for your kind and generous words! WOW! bursting with energy sounds amazing! I'm so glad for you! I was totally sleep deprived for the first year - but it was all totally worth it! Cheering you on! Keep going!
Writing garbage in a cold car at 6 AM beats rehearsing corporate bullshit in the rearview mirror any day. Respect for realizing that the unpolished act is what actually builds something.
Some killer lines in here! This is also not consistency for consistency sake. It’s simply showing up for yourself. Without performance. Or expectation. Taking the moments that hone your craft.
And you can tell 🫶
I know a best selling author who wrote her book outside the school gates waiting to pick her children up. In the queue for fuel. In the moments between the madness :)