Notes of appreciation
Reflections, Creativity and Gratitude
If you were to truly follow your heart this week – or rather listen from it, to sense what the world is offering you right now – what might be possible with a little courage? What may you start? Ditch? Explore? Run towards? - Beth, Soul Circle
I realised I should have answered this question earlier in the week … before I hit the wall of frustration. This week was the week I decided to embrace NOTES. A step I’ve resisted for the 7 months I’ve been writing on Substack. I’d never really given it my attention, but now was the time!
I researched. I planned. I scheduled. I made a promise to myself: six months of consistency, just to see what unfolds. I congratulated myself on crafting a detailed plan, a process with a schedule.
Day one went well. I can do this I told myself. My “one hour” slot became “three”, but I didn’t mind. I was learning, experimenting, finding my flow. A few replies and a new follower felt like small sparks of connection. This could work, I thought.
The schedule felt heavy on day two. I’m not enjoying this, it’s taking too long. I petulantly thought I’d rather spend my time crafting a longer piece. Inside I screamed, I’ll have to find another way or this will squeeze the life and joy out of me. But it’s ok. I am the Queen of finding a better more efficient way.
So, I paused. I reached out to Soul Circle - a place of creative kinship. I’ve been missing in action for a few weeks and had lost my writing rhythm. I opened this week’s journal note and bathed my mind by reading others’ reflections and posts. I’m reminded that I’m not alone in this push and pull. Thank you to Lea S. Jusi for sharing your thoughts this week. I’m not alone in the quest of discovering my sweet spot - between effort and ease, creation, connection and the elusive audience building subscriber numbers. I took a break and joined in with Beth Kempton in her #tinyautumnpoem 10 minute challenge. My poems are school girl style but they stretch my creativity muscles. I feel refreshed.
What might be possible with a little courage?
What may I start? Ditch? Explore? Run towards?
Courage, for me is listening deeply to my heart and trusting what I hear enough to take aligned action. It’s stepping forward even when the outcome is uncertain, trusting that each act of faith will serve and fulfil me.
It’s time to ditch the angst, the frustration, the comparison energy. It’s time to explore tiny bursts of creativity. It’s time run towards energising and loving my approach with NOTES.
My heart already knows where that energy lives - in the ideas that stir me, the written thoughts that spark a reply, a smile, an emotion, the writing that feels like truth rather than content. Maybe it’s time to let my inner compass lead.
Running towards creativity lights me up. Being courageous in my note writing to realign with my heart, to choose depth over metrics, connection over control.
Day three feels lighter, I dedicate my hour to reading and writing notes of appreciation to writers who make me stop to think, to smile, to intuitively desire to share their work.
Going forwards I courageously choose to listen for what feels alive and follow its rhythm. May my notes be small ripples of what I truly care about. Trusting that each one will find its way to the right reader in its own time, and in its own beautiful, unique way.
Hi Aileen. Thank you for the mention here, and thank you again for reading my post about finding the courage to be my own guide.
It is tricky to find the right balance, isn’t it, between writing long form (I just wrote a long one just now 😅) and writing notes? I find myself really preferring to write and read newsletters (like how I enjoyed blog posts) versus writing notes and feeling like I’m feeling a social media machine.
Indeed, let’s continue this journey together of learning to find our pace, our rhythm that feels right to us, that is nourishing and challenging and not stressful.
Also, I appreciate you being here.