One of my favorite passages from Carrying My Father’s Torch
How do you coax a persistent, yet reluctant, dream?
It’s a powerful question that many of us ask ourselves at one point or another.
Please join me for a peek behind the curtain. The opening lines of my book arrived last. My editor waited for copy approval, but I delayed. I did not want to release my book into the world without writing a way in to the book that took my breath away. The opener eluded me. Then, one precious early morning, I sprung awake. To fully realized lines in my head. All the lines that make up the first vignette. The words arrived, bidden, not forced. I frantically scribbled the lines from what was in my head to the pad next to my bed. Went hurling down the stairs. “I got it!” I screamed to my husband, completely energized before getting within 10 feet of my coffee.
In the spirit of coaxing a persistent yet reluctant dream, here is my list of 7 ways that I think we can all bring to the fore with some soft-focus attention:
1. Slow down. When I am fortunate enough to spot a heron while on a run, I pause to take a photo. Because endorphins + beauty in nature = my running experience. What are you missing when the focus is solely on the outcome? What would it be like to notice the signs along the way?
2. Get curious. Pay attention to what you want to learn. What are the sources you learn the most from? Maybe it’s lessons, art, podcasts, sports, or conversations. Give yourself permission to incorporate what you want into your day.
3. Pull, don’t push. Dreams, and people, do not respond favorably to being forced. What are you doing to create access and receptivity? How do you allow–or squash a desire to shepherd a dream to life?
4. Release what you cannot control. Place attention and energy on priorities. What are a few actions that have the most positive impact on your day? You are what you prioritize.
5. Get outside. Walk, bike, run, garden. Your Inner Critic hates fresh air. Experiment with getting outside of your comfort zone to experience different perspectives and grow your mind. What are a couple of things to explore with fresh senses in your own home, neighborhood, and community?
6. Don’t go it alone. Who are the handful of people that have the most positive impact on your life? Reconnect. Spend more time with the positive people in your life.
7. Don’t bury what you treasure. For reasons vast and confounding, what’s in the steamer trunk of our being often remains invisible–until we learn to pay attention, find accountability and cultivate self-compassion. What will you do to open the trunk and bring your best attributes to light?
GG’S FAVORITES
What I’m reading: Snag my reading list.
What I’m streaming: Trying on Apple+. Addressing the trials of adoption, the show is a poignant and laugh-out-loud British dramedy. Clever screenwriting and charming performances.
What I’m Learning: The Disappearing Computer, How the future of AI will be hands-free.
What I’m Sharing, published article: How to tell if you’re using weak verbs (and what to say instead.) And here’s a related post from the archives when I got busted.
What’s Uplifting on Instagram: A fox family plays in the yard @susannahconway
Quote: “It generally feels better to run toward something than to run away from something. Focus on what is pulling you in, not what you’re trying to avoid.”- James Clear
What I’m Cooking With: If you’re grilling this summer, these $8 grill mats will make your life easier.
And finally, Life Hacks from the archives to enjoy summer to the max! Thanks for reading!
