If you're subscribed to this newsletter, then you're likely a storyteller.
Perhaps you write novels and short stories like myself, or maybe memoir is your craft. There's also the chance that you're not a writer at all but an artist, telling stories through your painting, dancing, or some other creative calling.
Whatever the case, you are a storyteller — and as a storyteller, you understand that the nature of story is change.
What once was when your story began is no longer the same by The End. A shift has taken place. The subject of your story has grown and evolved, or fallen from grace, or found the strength to remain resilient in the face of great upheaval.
As a storyteller, it's important to recognize that you don't just have the power to enact change in your art; you have the power to craft this change for yourself. To take charge of the creation of your own story. To make your life a work of art.
I won't lie to you; taking charge of your story can be scary work.
As Glennon Doyle writes in her wildly impactful memoir Untamed...
"The building of the true and beautiful means the destruction of the good enough. Rebirth means death."
Ancient Stoic philosophers believed that we carry death with us each day. That the very act of living is part of the process of dying. That every day brings rebirth, and at dawn, our lives begin anew.
Each day that passes is a good enough for which we've settled. A good enough for which we've lived and died. In turn, each morning offers us the opportunity to choose the type of life we will lead. To re-write our stories.
There may be circumstances in our lives that we cannot change overnight. Rebirth doesn't always mean radical upheaval. But each day, we get to choose how we will act and engage with the world. We get to choose the scope of what we believe is possible for ourselves and our art. We get to choose who we are.
Are you imagining something greater for yourself, creative?
As Glennon writes (emphasis my own)...
"Once a truer, more beautiful vision is born inside us, life is in the direction of that vision. Holding on to what is no longer true enough is not safe; it's the riskiest move because it is the certain death of everything that was meant to be. We are alive only to the degree to which we are willing to be annihilated. Our next life will always cost us this one."
My question for you today, in this inaugural issue of Creative Wellness, is this: Are you willing to annihilate the person you were to become the creative you long to be?
I know this issue is heavy. I've thrown you into the deep end, but for good reason. If you want to lead your boldest, wildest, most abundant writing life, then you cannot pursue wellness is half measures. You must be willing to take bold action.
Again, rebirth doesn't necessarily mean radical upheaval. You can choose to go slow. You can choose to die small but mighty deaths. But you must be willing to act, to engage in the daily destruction of good enough.
To further explore what this issue means for your writing life, consider the following questions. You can journal through them if you'd like, discuss them in a safe and loving conversation with a friend, or carry them with you in a spirit of contemplation throughout your day. Whatever feels right for you.
In any case, take some time this week to ask yourself the following questions:
What have I accepted as "good enough" in my writing life? How have I chosen to create in ways that don't align with my truer, more beautiful vision?
What is my truer, more beautiful vision for my writing life? Not just in the grand scheme of the time I might have but today? Now?
What small steps can I take to kill "good enough" in pursuit of all that is true and beautiful for my life?
Once again, I know this is deep work for the newness of this journey. It's okay to go slow. Be gentle with yourself. Let the concept of the truer and more beautiful take deeper root each day — but don't deny it.
This prompt is likely to dredge up some measure of pain for you. Try not to hide from this. You don't have to do anything about it. Not now. But strive to sit with the pain, to see it for what it is: a good enough you're carrying with you, a weight that is slowing your progress toward all you can be.
This simple sitting might not seem like vital work, but it is. The pursuit of wellness begins with awareness, writer.
I'm so proud of you for showing up. 🌿
✍️ Author & Writing Mentor
🖥 www.well-storied.com
💌 kristen@well-storied.com
📸 @kristen_kieffer
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