Writing | Mindfulness | Mindset | Creativity | Mindful Expressions

No One In Their Write Mind

You fill in the blank

Why do I write? Is it a love of writing words? sharing my ideas? Searching for validation? Get all the spinning thoughts out of my head? Driven by an unspoken passion?

I ask myself this question at least once a month. I guess a more significant question is “why do I hit publish?” What inspires or drives me to share my words with another? Am I looking for a connection with others, like-minded or not? Am I searching for my tribe? Is it my deep-valued pursuit to help others?

Is it all the above reasons and none of it at the same time?

Sometimes, I think too much, or so I’ve been told. Communication is our number one commodity. It helps us maneuver the road of life we travel. I believe our words have power. But, I also believe our individual experiences attach different meanings to that same word. Attempts at being a writer can place you between a rock and a hard spot, depending on the reading audience. How do you convey the feelings when each word can have a variety of meanings based on each reader?

Every human, on average, has 60 to 70 thousand thoughts a day. In addition, according to the National Science Foundation, 80% of our thoughts are negative and 95% of our thoughts are repetitive.

WOW. That is a lot of negative, repetitive thoughts! No wonder people are anxious, worried, and depressed.

But how do you change that? How do you go from a mind full of negativity on a repeat loop to supportive, confident thoughts? (Bet you thought I was gonna say mindful thoughts, didn’t ya?)

Changing auto-pilot thinking takes a little more than awareness and positivity. It is creating detours in the repetitive cycle. Changing the habit of how we think, how we express ourselves, and how we react.

A close online friend that I met virtually back in my blogging days uses the term “The blender in my head!”

Taking those thousands of thoughts, throwing them into the blender of our minds, pushing the “on” button, and hoping for a powerful blend of words to spill from our lips or land deliciously smooth on the page. That’s what I always hope for.

Often, I try to ask myself why I feel so compelled toward artful avenues of expression. Asking why keeps me aligned with awareness and authenticity. When my values and my direction seem to go in opposite directions, I play a game with myself. I look up and ask, “Show me what I need to hear?”

It’s amazing how that simple question, shot out into the universe, can change the trajectory of what I expect the answers to be. Just last week, after journaling, I did exactly that. As I was clicking around the web reading, I stumbled over the words that made me stop dead in my tracks.

Your job as a writer is to THINK.

Hmmm……not writing words? Not sentence structure, spelling, or grammar? Not about teaching, inspiration, empowerment, or answers?

It is simply the art of thinking.

As someone who has had more than a few conversations, often sprinkled with negativity and not-so-nice self-talk, about my writing and artistic talents, that one simple string of words was a moment of validation!

Not my purpose, not my passion, but my job! That part of me, the deep thinker, is something about my life I don’t want to change or hide anymore.

Living life, using our imaginations for stories, poetry, visual artwork, and music, is not for the faint of heart. The term “no one in their right mind” follows an age-old adage of having a healthy mental state, sane, rational, and acting in a normal, understandable way. It stems from the belief in having control over our thoughts and, thus, having self-control.

It’s not the thoughts that need controlling, but the emotions, reactions, and definitions we attach to those thoughts. It is said that Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing repeatedly with the expectation of different results. He also said,

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.”

So perhaps, right-mind is a path to knowledge, while write-mind is the road lined with imagination for growth and change.

So back to the original significant question, “Why do I hit publish?” It is my value of changing my mindset to change my life. Each time I hit publish, I move away from the fixed mindset of being in my right mind and the underlying societal theme song of perfection. It is my action step of courage to be the change I want to see in the world.

A world of well-being filled with imagination, growth, and honor for our true value and uniqueness. A world of courage to honor the arts and the individuals who think outside the fixed box of being right and instead do the creative, artistic right things that feed the soul, especially when we think no one is looking.

Share with me, in the comments, why you write and hit publish. I truly want to hear your perspective — it helps me grow!