Begin Where You Are: A Guided Reflection for Writers, Journalers, and Creative Souls
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 45 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 15 minutes
“One way to begin anything is to start where you are.”
-Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life
Pause.
Sit in silence while taking three deep breaths. Use the words below for a breath prayer or breath meditation on each of the inhales and exhales:
Inhale: I am here.
Exhale. Begin right here.
Repeat as many times as you like.
Prompt.
“It’s easy to believe that, to move forward with our work, we need a grand beginning to a perfect writing session. A brilliant idea with plenty of energy. Four hours uninterrupted. A deliciously quiet house. A cheering section full of social media followers telling us how talented we are and reminding us that our art matters. But if we wait for ideal circumstances to write, we’ll spend more time waiting than writing.”
-Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life
Practice.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and take notes in response to the quotes above and the questions below.
—What is happening in and around you right now? Describe as much as you can about where you are at this moment.
—What perfect circumstances are you waiting for so you can write or do other creative work?
—If you had perfect conditions and circumstances, what would you write, do, or make today?
—What’s keeping you from writing or making art for 15 or 30 minutes today? What’s keeping you from writing or making art for an hour today?
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Read Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life.
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Today’s Daily Nourishment was provided by Charlotte Donlon.
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