Lucy Maud Montgomery, the beloved author of the Anne of Green Gables series once said “I cannot remember the time when I was not writing or did not mean to be an author. To write has always been my central purpose around which every effort and hope and ambition of my life has grouped itself.” Montgomery in fact did not always enjoy life as a full time published writer, but sneaked in moments of writing in between jobs as a news office assistant and teacher, caretaker, wife, and mother.
Is that a wonderful idea? To identify who you want to be and then to group all the things we have to do and want to do around it? To state "I am...." looks simple at first, but turns out to be an idea that many of us explore for the rest of our lives. I think that's ok. We don't need a hard and fast answer all the time, but rather need to make sure we are open to asking the question.
When I think about who I want to be, my answer right on, on this snowy Tuesday is an actor, a writer, a present human being, a seeker, an artist. With that answer, the questions I ask myself on a daily basis start to evolve. The question become less “How am I going to make money as an artist?” and more “How can I design my day to allow myself to do something creative?” When I ask myself the first question, I feel so overwhelmed and stuck that I shut down. But when I ask myself the second question, I have a flow of possibilities that I feel like I have the power to make happen. Eat a good breakfast, walk in the park at lunch, take a nap because I’m tired, call a friend to reconnect and keep a friendship thriving, read a book on something I feel curious about. The possibilities are endless, and many of them are within my control. And free.
Who do you want to be, honestly? What is one small step you can take right now to be true to that intention?
Is that a wonderful idea? To identify who you want to be and then to group all the things we have to do and want to do around it? To state "I am...." looks simple at first, but turns out to be an idea that many of us explore for the rest of our lives. I think that's ok. We don't need a hard and fast answer all the time, but rather need to make sure we are open to asking the question.
When I think about who I want to be, my answer right on, on this snowy Tuesday is an actor, a writer, a present human being, a seeker, an artist. With that answer, the questions I ask myself on a daily basis start to evolve. The question become less “How am I going to make money as an artist?” and more “How can I design my day to allow myself to do something creative?” When I ask myself the first question, I feel so overwhelmed and stuck that I shut down. But when I ask myself the second question, I have a flow of possibilities that I feel like I have the power to make happen. Eat a good breakfast, walk in the park at lunch, take a nap because I’m tired, call a friend to reconnect and keep a friendship thriving, read a book on something I feel curious about. The possibilities are endless, and many of them are within my control. And free.
Who do you want to be, honestly? What is one small step you can take right now to be true to that intention?
