Flexibility and Resilience
Years ago, as my writing career was growing, I focused on being consistent in maintaining a regular blog. For the most part, over the course of a decade, I wrote every week only missing one or two here and there. When this happened, several readers noticed and reached out to check that everything is ok, which is really nice (thank you). There was one time, however, when I had skipped a week and didn’t notice at all. I also reacted differently to how I had previously.
Like many other content creators, I normally had an immediate sense of guilt whenever I missed a post. This was typically followed by my mind scrambling on what to do next. Do I publish right away? Or do I wait until the next scheduled day?
On this particular occasion, however, I said to myself, “Oops. Oh well…” and that was it. In that moment, everything changed, including my relationship with guilt and expectations. Thankfully. Let me back up, though…
Originally, I had made a commitment to myself to write every week and to do so in a way that would benefit others. This weekly ritual was intended to be both an offering and a habit designed to reinforce my creative process. Over time, there have been a few occasions in which I stopped writing entirely, but for the most part, I have remained true to my original intent. So, why didn’t it bother me when I realized that I had completely missed a week?
Because I saw it as an opportunity to reflect on my reasons for writing and to create a new plan for the future. I started asking whether it was realistic for me to write a weekly blog when I am working on 3-4 books at the same time? Do people really read it or want it? And, perhaps most importantly, is it adding value?
All of these thoughts and questions (and more!) came streaming out of my mind in rapid succession. In the end, however, I returned to exploring the original intent of the blog, which was:
To make an offering
To maintain a creative flow
Those two things still hold true today, and are more important to me than ever. And yet, in that moment I also realized the importance of letting go of any judgment or self-criticism that would have had me reacting a differently than I did. I’m very happy with my response, because it shows that I have developed a level of self-compassion and patience that I didn’t have previously. It’s evidence of the fact that I am living more form a flow-state than a struggle-state. My response shows me that my inner seas are calm and smooth sailing while also being flexible and resilient, and that is worth more than anything.
Flexibility is a key component of flow, allowing us to adjust our sails along the way.
And I think that’s one of the most important things we can learn in life, isn’t it? Knowing how to respond to ourselves with kindness, compassion, and flexibility so that we can raise our awareness and assess whether changes need to be made from a place of inner calm. This kind of reset and perspective gives us the perfect opportunity to pause and take a step back, before we move forward with more compassion, awareness, and alignment.
Let me know your thoughts!
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