19 Jun 3 Lessons, 6 Reviews, 5 Gratitudes from Writing for 365 Days

Today marks 365 days of showing up daily and making my mark.
I will not lie. It was not easy, especially on lazy, warm summer nights, or Zoom-ed-out days. One day, all I could manage was a simple “I woz ‘ere. Exhausted. Tank is empty.” But somehow over the space of four months I wrote and then published a book – Contours of Courageous Parenting – Tilting Towards Better Decisions.

“Do you write? Or are you a writer?”

I cannot tell you exactly when it happened. One day, writing was no longer what I “tried” to do daily. Like brushing my teeth and my morning coffee it had stacked its way surreptitiously into my daily routine and become part of my persona. I am now a writer – a person who shares their thoughts and ideas with others through this medium.  “But you wrote before!” you retort. I know. But it was not the same. Not in my head.

“Why did the habit stick this time?” I have often wondered over the recent months. After all, I have tried to be a consistent blogger/writer since 2014. Some of my regular readers may recall “The Karena Arena”, and the FUTURECasting newsletter. I know that once I break the rhythm – by an intensive class, a vacation, or an illness – I find it very hard to get back on the horse. I am still testing and learning what works for me.

Do you sometimes find yourself in this situation?

Have you been struggling to start writing?
Are you ‘always the writing workshop attendee, never the writer’. (😉 guilty as charged! Bright shiny object syndrome)
In that case, you may want to see if you resonate with any of the ideas I write about below.

I am getting educated about this concept of regular writing:

• Keep it short but stick with your schedule
• It never gets less scary, but it does become easier
• Don’t let perfect be the enemy of delivered
• Deliver what is within your capacity – kinda you do you
• You may skip one. But never two.

“The first mistake is never the one that ruins you. It is the spiral of repeated mistakes that follows.
Missing once is an accident. Missing twice is the start of a new habit.”

– James Clear in Atomic Habits

Celebrate your wins to cement your habits

I thought I would celebrate my anniversary of 365 days by reflecting on my journey this past year. Playing with numbers I figured I would share:

• 3 lessons I learned along the way
• 6 of the many reviews I have received for my book as part of my #gratitudeFriday thank you series on LinkedIn
• 5 reasons it may have worked – and my gratitude for my stars to have aligned in this way

I am still learning about the art and science of writing, in the hope that I learn to say more, with less, regularly.

Just getting started.

Having hit another milestone of 365 days, you may wonder what else or what next?

My children have enjoyed reading my book. They like sharing the vignettes from our journey with their friends. They are now fully on board and want more!
So I am back to writing. This time it is a travel memoir. A book about a hiccup in time, when the five of us had each other for company and traveled the world for (almost) a year. Maybe they will be willing to contribute to this one!

My first book has been a great way to grow my audience with parents, and offer me a platform to start the conversations with them on the societal impact of the Future of Work on their families. Parents, guardians, teachers and communities are raising our next generation leaders.
It has also opened doors for conversations with employers who are exploring the changing shape of work.

Could you start a writing habit and get to 365 days?

Make. Take. Talk.

Are you aiming for 365 days? Start small and see what you can make possible.

Make: a 15-minute commitment to write. Just for yourself.
Take: a look. What small i impossible or big I Impossible did you achieve this past year? Celebrate that.
Talk: Tell someone about your achievements and your commitments.

CREDIT & THANKS; DEFINITIONS & RESOURCES:

• In this 3-6-5 celebration series:
  • Celebrating 365 days of continuous writing (this post)
  • Simple Discipline Takes Big “I” Impossible To Simply Possible – 3 lessons learned from writing for a year
  • Read it and Reap: 6 wonderful reviews of Contours of Courageous Parenting
  • Habits come easier if you are blessed with these – 5 of the many reasons for me to be grateful this past year
• My book “Contours of Courageous Parenting – Tilting Towards Better Decisions” is available on your local Amazon site

• TILT the Future – my podcast discusses how little ideas, small shifts and minute moments can result in monumental changes in our lives https://karenadesouza.com/blog/
• Find a version of this thought for today article on LinkedIn, Medium, Instagram
• Photo, audio & video credits: Karena de Souza