I was in a group coaching session this week and we were given this question to journal on: What might your heart want you to notice? This felt like an apt and timely question for me (I find these things often are) for two reasons. First, I’ve realised that being led by my heart is a key value for me as a writer and a business owner. And I know the people I love working with share this value. Second, I’ve noticed a sense of frustration and discontent around my writing.
More on being heart-led and what this means for me in a future blog post! Today, I wanted to share what my heart wants me to notice about my writing.
I have two creative projects on the go at the moment, and both are taking longer to complete than I want them to. Now, I don’t mind if deadlines change. Life happens and sometimes goalposts move. Any progress, however slow and imperfect, is still valuable progress. With my writing, I’ve wondered whether it’s just a case of learning to be better at prioritising my time. Perhaps other things need to give so I can write more. Perhaps I need a stricter deadline or more accountability. Or perhaps I need to learn more about my craft, so I can be a better and more efficient writer. All these things are possible, and some may be needed. But I don’t think this is where my discontent is coming from. It seems to run deeper.
What does my heart want me to notice about my writing?
When I considered the prompt, what might your heart want you to notice? my pen quickly wrote two phrases: ‘lifeblood’ and ‘at heart, I am a writer.’ These are powerful words! I could have written that I feel called to write, that I want to write more or that I love to write. All these things are true. But I instead, I wrote about my writing being connected to and led by my heart. I wrote about my writing being my lifeblood.
‘Lifeblood’ means this: ‘the blood, as being necessary to life,’ and ‘the indispensable factor or influence that gives something its strength and vitality.’
Through asking, what might my heart want me to notice? I’ve realised something I think I knew all along. For me, writing is not just what I want to do, it’s much more than that. Writing creates and sustains the energy I need for other things. It’s my fuel. It brings me joy.
In other words, it’s vital.
And the truth is, I’m not feeding the vital thing I need to thrive. If my writing is my lifeblood, it’s not surprising that I feel frustrated and discontented when I don’t give it the attention it needs. If this lifeblood is to give me strength and vitality, I need to nurture it, not starve it.
Calling heart-led entrepreneurs!
If you’re feeling a sense of discontent or frustration in your life, you might like to ask yourself the same question: what might your heart want you to notice?
A feeling may arise that reveals or reminds you of what your ‘lifeblood’ is. Whatever this is for you, it can energise, fuel you, and bring you joy. So, it’s certainly something to nurture and give attention to.
And what does this mean for me in a practical sense? I’m on a journey, exploring how I can nurture my writing and give it the attention it deserves. I have ideas which I’ve put into practice for September and I’m looking forward to seeing where this takes me and if my feelings towards my writing change.
I’d love to know what came up for you when you asked yourself the question: what might my heart want me to notice? What is your lifeblood and how can you nurture it more?
