The Rules of Writing: Stories about Substack + Heart
Opening my laptop to read her notes and ideas, my heartbeat quickened. A bullet point, impossible to ignore and still difficult to embrace, jumped out at me. Almost laughable and equally admirable.
I knew the thousand reasons why I shouldn’t and couldn’t. But she had put in out there with calm and decisive resolve. She titled the document “Book - One Year Plan”.
Now I’m not talking about myself in the 3rd person as an abstract poetic device. I’m talking about the person I hired a few months ago to help me get organized, more efficient and generally just ready for more. Shocker - she has been living up to her word. And better yet, she’s one upping her word by giving ME tasks. I couldn’t be more pleased.
I need to be held accountable. The last few years have brought me closer to a felt sense of love for accountability buddies. Wanting someone to keep me in check with a task as ‘easy’ and ‘joyful’ and creative as writing may sound silly. Writing, however, is not a silly little endeavour. If one hopes to undertake creating something of substance, of really writing something meaningful - buddies are a non negotiable. I think two, to be exact. Any more and the momentum of it will get swept out from under me.
The following is my list of absolute ‘don’ts’ when following goals:
Tell only one person.
Set a stringent and unattainable deadline.
Use substack as the platform. (JOIN HERE NOW)
Looks like I’ve ignored every single one.
Dear substack community, I’m here to write a book. I’m here to write lists. I’m here to write notes. I’m here to write stories, poetry, how-to’s, questions. I’m here to learn new ways of getting through the muck of sitting down to write. And to unlearn the insecurities about why I can’t do it.
And I won’t be following any rules to get to wherever this moment takes me. I will however be following my heart, the lessons from challenges in my own life and the tasks my team delegates to me. Writing has been waiting for me. She’s oh so tired of the emotions, the shame and the don’ts getting in the way.
‘She’ is the story that yearns to be written as well as me. In all honesty, I do love abstract poetic devices. I love reminiscing about the students, colleagues, lovers and ancestors who’ve been on this journey with me. I also love resisting tasks and then changing my mind about them.
I’m here to unveil more of my heart. This awkward, slow learning and rule breaking heart. More heart through the harmless pastime of writing. The only harm that’s come has been from me standing in my own way and from trying to go it alone. What will these words become? Only time will tell. I, however, will become more of myself.
Please hold me accountable for this, dear substack community, as I open up my deepest stories and learnings to you. I need to be here, undoing the narrative that writing is ‘hard’ or that I can get to it someday down the road. Now is the time. Rules and ideas do not belong here. Just others. All of our hearts.
As I have learned so much from many of you over the last 15 years of teaching, you have equally seen me change and shift and become more of me. As a yoga student, teacher, trainer to other leaders, parent and now with a renewed focus on writing. Flawed and passionate. A perfect trajectory I have not followed, but this is all that following an inner drive and passion has ever promised - that you will become more you.
