Need a New Mantra? Try This!

by Elizabeth

What big project are you working on right now? Perhaps you have to give a speech? Maybe you’re compiling a huge report? Planning a retreat? Building a new website? Getting your kid registered for summer camp? Re-organizing your home office? Or, like me, writing a book?

You’re a good writer!

Your message is needed.

People are waiting to read it.

You can do it!

These are all the positive messages that have been swirling in my head for the past few months as I have really been digging in and working on my book. These are the messages from my coaches, mentors, colleagues and friends who believe in me and believe in my work in the world.

Who do you think you are, claiming to be an expert?

Everything has already been said that needs to be said on this topic.

Who’s going to care?

You’ll have more fun if you just go Play on Facebook!

And these are the other messages that have been swirling through my head these past few months. Can you guess where these have come from? Yep, you’ve got it. My poor scared ego. The part of me that is afraid of not being good enough, not being smart enough, and not being likable enough.

There are days when the voices of my cheerleaders ring strong and clear and I am able to compose 2,000 words in no time. My output is remarkable and I celebrate my prolific nature on those days.

Then there are days when the voices of fear drown out everything else and my default becomes input. I get lost down the rabbit hole of social media. I read articles about how to write a book. I research what other people are saying on my topic.

A few weeks ago I realized that I had too much input and not enough output. The scales were imbalanced and not in my favor if my goal is to finish my book any time before I turn 50! (Still a few years away!) I came up with the mantra of “Less Input, More Output” to remind me to ingest less and create more and had been saying it to encourage myself to write more. A few days later, Jennifer Louden, one of my favorite inspirational authors wrote a great article on the same subject! (Great minds think alike!)

Like everything in life, we need balance. We need yin and yang. We need dark and light. We need joy and sadness. We need movement and stillness. Contrast is one of the most delicious things in our human experience. But if we are too heavily weighted in one direction, it can upset the apple cart.

Revitalizing Action: What if you embraced the mantra of “Less Input, More Output” ? How might that help you with a current project that you’re working on?  Let me know about it here or on Facebook.

Here’s to less input and more output!

Elizabeth

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