Really Want it? Write it Down

I'm not exactly sure when I discovered the amazingly ridiculous power of writing something down.

Perhaps it was a little over 10 years ago when my life was in an absolute mess and I read a book called, "The Artist's Way".

Interestingly enough, this book was mentioned this week by someone in my local Chamber of Commerce doing their spotlight talk about their business.

In any case, in the book, "The Artist's Way", the reader is encouraged to write what's called, "Morning Pages." The purpose of these morning pages is so that one can clear their mind, or as they are writing, get into what's really bothering them. Hence freeing you up to create without distraction.

Over and over again, I'd see a common theme. When I'd write about this one particular person in my life- most everything I wrote was, as a very good friend characterized our relationship- "problematic"- and that was putting it mildly.

I remember writing and have saved this- "I can either take a risk and do nothing or take a risk and do something. If I do nothing, I'm still going to be in this same boat."

Granted, that was not a "specific and measurable goal". Nor did this goal have a time value on it- "I'll take a risk in one month." However, this general idea that I gave myself of changing a very bad situation, seemed to give me three powerful things:

(1) Awareness

(2) Accountability

(3) Action

Hmmm. There's the Triple "A"s. Not to be confused with roadside assistance, but ironically enough- it's pretty much roadside life assistance, is it not?

Once I wrote down a few things that were extremely relevant and important to me- sure enough- I began to see my life changing.

No. Not all at once. Small things at first. A little bit at a time. But great changes start with just a few small things that will snowball into very large, good things!

We have a saying around our house, "How do you eat an elephant?"

"One bite at a time!"

I read a book once, when I was very down and despondent and so tired of being tired- and going through the Oh-Here-We-G0-Around-the-Same-Mountain scene. It practically fell off the shelf in the bookstore!

"I've Been Poor. I've Been Rich. Rich is Better- How every woman can find economic security and personal freedom" by Judy Resnick

"Ha!" I said out loud. And then silently thought to myself that you'd have to look very long and very hard to find someone, as the country song says, "jacked up" more than myself.

So between my morning pages pointing out to me that things were very bad and I better do something about it- and the VERY idea that maybe I can get some economic normalcy in my life- (Thank you, Judy Resnick) I began writing down and posting somewhere- maybe just a private drawer at first, but writing down and posting what I expected and what I wanted and what I was going to do.

This is exactly when my life turned around for the better. I am not exaggerating- my life has not been in the toilet since that time.

Sure, I've dealt with some issues- but what I'm talking about is how I have a control and a plan and healthy, happy situations to live in as comparative to how it was before.

More tomorrow on the process I used and how you can use it too!