Nine years ago, when I hired my first writing coach to help me with my book, I made it clear that I was not a writer.
“I’ll be the judge of that,” she staunchly declared.
Kate provided me with short writing prompts and instructed me to write for no more than twelve minutes. Each Monday through Thursday morning, in my quaint local coffee shop with a frothy cappuccino and my favorite music, I committed to writing before I did anything else. With my earbuds in place, I’d shut out the world and type for twelve minutes.
Through Kate’s prompts, I developed a rhythm of writing and letting my thoughts flow without purpose, without a destination and without judgment. I didn’t worry about what I was writing—I simply answered her queries, followed interesting tangents and shared my stories.
For weeks, I enthusiastically woke up early to head to my creative haven. Typing for short sprints built my writing muscle, and gave me confidence that a writer existed within me.
That journey, which I’ll share more about in future posts, culminates this spring with the release of The Book of Choice, a guidebook to making choices and understanding how and why you choose the way you do.
In this book filled with gorgeous and relatable stories, I teach a self-discovery method designed to help you find your way from where you are to where you want to go. You’ll learn a practical approach to making meaningful choices and navigating the fears you’ll likely encounter along the way. (I’m so excited for you to read it!)
In the editing process, while many treasured stories did not make the cut, my plan is to share them with you.
It’d be a waste to keep them buried in my “Escrow” document. Instead, I hope each nugget will inspire you to consider how it might apply to you.
I want to share a story that’s a great example of the power of personal choice.
Our personal choices involve bringing something into our lives that matters or removing something that doesn’t.
Making a personal choice is a powerful springboard to orient your life in a direction that has meaning—to step into what you trust is in your best interest and remain faithful and confident that you’re moving in a direction that’s right for you, regardless of what others may think.
During a commencement speech at Stanford, Steve Jobs shared that his conscious, proactive choice to drop out of college was one of his best life decisions. Instead of taking the required classes that felt dull, he spent his energy pursuing courses that looked interesting.
Fascinated by decorative calligraphy, he took a class about typefaces, different letter combinations and what makes great typography great. While the class didn’t seem to have a practical application, it called to him. Years later, when Apple was designing the Mac, he used the knowledge he’d gained from this class to create the first computer known for its beautiful typography.
His original choice led him to wisdom that proved priceless down the road.
Like Steve, you may be choosing to say yes or no to an opportunity. You may be choosing to do something that feels right to you but strange to others.
Today, spend a few moments thinking about a new choice you’re ready to step into. There’s great power in speaking what you want and what matters to you. If you’d like to speak your choice to me, please reach out, I’d love to hear from you.
PS. Watch this short video where I ask you to imagine speaking about the choice you’re ready to step into.
