How to Get Your Writing Done in an Uncertain World (Part 1)

I just finished 5 days of life coach training as part of my commitment to helping authors with their mindset. And sheesh, it couldn’t have come at a better time!

We are in the midst of yet another rough news cycle.

I’m hearing from many writers that it’s hard to focus on their work and their marketing and they don’t even really see the point.

There is so much uncertainty out there.

I happen to have a few unfair “advantages” in times like these.

First: I came from a very dysfunctional family. (Ask me about my ACE score.)

My own mental and emotional health has always been incredibly important to me because I had cautionary examples in my own life.

I have spent much of my adult life cultivating, maintaining, respecting and cherishing my own mental health.

Second: I have type one diabetes.

When I was in my early thirties, I developed type one diabetes, which is the autoimmune and insulin dependent version of diabetes that most people get when they're kids. There is an adult onset version, which I was diagnosed with a few years after the birth of my first child. Managing this condition on a daily basis has given me damn-near superpowers.

And both of these experiences mean that I know what it is to have the ground fall away beneath me.

Collectively, this is what we’ve all been experiencing the last several years. The world we thought we knew is gone.

It takes time to process this.

I don’t want to rush you into silver linings, but I do want you to know that there are gifts to be had from these experiences.

With everything I’ve endured, I’ve come out the other side more empathetic, more resilient and more committed to being the best possible version of myself.

I'm not trying to put like a Pollyanna-ish sheen on this for and tell you to get over it. That's not what this is about at all.

But I do want you to know it is possible to go through extremely challenging circumstances without giving up on your art and/or destroying yourself in the process.

American coping mechanisms are generally not the healthiest. (I can only speak for the culture I’m a part of but I suspect this is true of just human beings in general.) Many people are drinking more, eating more, shopping more, scrolling more, porn-ing more. They’re doing activities that will take the edge off of the discomfort of the moment, but will weaken them in the long run.

And we need to be strong. Because bad shit just keeps happening and it's not going to stop.

The good news is that we don't need our circumstances to change in order to live a good life. That's not to say we're gonna feel good all the time, but too often, we think that the circumstances need to change before we can possibly live well again.

What I want you to know is that we can manage our minds and we can create our own internal experience. We can be our own safe space.

One of the gifts I’ve gained from going through difficult things is that I can use what I’ve learned to help alleviate or prevent the suffering of others. So I will always share my takeaways in the hope that it will help you. Look for a part two of this blog post soon.

If you need some mindset help right away, I've got you.

I’ve never done this before, but right now to try and get writers some relief and use all my new coaching tools, I’m offering 20-minute mindset sessions at a significant discount off my usual hourly rate. If you need some quick help managing your mind or processing your feelings, book a 20-minute session.

P.S. I’m also running a 20% discount on coaching call packages right now, to give some extra assistance with those having mindset challenges: use coupon code MINDSET22