The same here. Your words capture exactly how I’m feeling. There are times I feel small, dreadful and fearful...but I carry on trusting that all will be well even if nothing makes sense at the moment.
"If we don't start answering the calls in our lives, big or small, we will suffocate..." and "Fear has kept so many people we love stuck, silenced, and small." Thank you for these words of wisdom and encouragement. Thank you for the journaling prompts that are your community questions. Glad to be able to be reading your writing here. Thank you.
This could have been written by me! I have seen myself as a writer since I won a red 2nd place ribbon for a paragraph writing contest in the 2nd grade..Im 52 now. I have journals and journals where I repeatedly write about the tapping on the shoulder, the whisper in my ear, the nudging from friends.. Write!! you must! But life. Fear. doubt. The last 3yrs have been a hellish informing of what I feel I must write and I'm sort of freaking out because the call is getting so loud now. Not only this..I was able ro quit my full-time job to devote time to whatever it is that lights me up. I am so grateful to have come across these very words, I believe in no coincidences. I could use some classes and guidance for sure but I read somewhere "once you decide the universe conspires in your favor" I hope this is true. wow, looking so forward to tomorrow. What a great piece! Thank you!
“Answering the call of our lives will require a lot of us”
Truer words have rarely been written.
I’m 20 years into this writing gig. I’ve not found wild success along the way, but I keep answering the call because I know, in the deepest part of me, that to walk around this earth with an intimate understanding of why I am here, existing in and on purpose inside that calling, is a gift and privilege that relatively few ever get to fully know.
No, it’s not a grand living and I’m still often scared month to o month, or even day to day, where and when the money will come in to support this single mama, working artist life.
But when I get angsty about it I try to sit quietly and give myself a little talking to. I remind myself that though some wild miracle I’ve managed to pay my bills with words for a decade now. On my own. And if that ain’t a wild sort of miracle, I don’t know what is.
Yes. Answering the call has required so much. And it’s cost me too. But once you’ve heard the call, let in land in your bones, I don’t know that there is any other way to stay truly alive.
I went back and read all the comments again... It seems to me that we all feel the same way, we all see each other the same way, and - for the most part - we are all struggling with similar issues. Did you ever wonder why? How did we get here? I am convinced there are a lot of people out there who are feeling the same way we do. Do you realize how powerful we can be if we all come together? :-)
Reading you was like talking to an old friend, sharing the way we want to live our beautiful lives from now on. <3
My attention has been up to one of my dreams. Being and editorial designer and creative writer, yet I know fear is retaining me from unleashing my potential. Or is it that I’ve turned sooooo comfortable right where I’m at? Idk.
What is calling for my attention is being proud of who I am and what I do. Not taking my work for granted, honoring my boundaries, trusting myself and my needs, acknowledging my work and progress. Finding a way to give as much love back to myself as I give away to others.
Thank you for this validation....”Over time, I had to come to terms with people around me, not understanding my drive or dream. That alone became a lesson in answering the call of my life and choosing not to allow the fear of others to take hold of my soul and keep me stuck.”
This is something I know but it is truly hard to take action upon. It's so simple, yet so hard, but yes baby steps! I must take those baby steps! My fear lies in the failure I don't wish to achieve when trying to reach what I want, but I cannot let that impact my decision making. I MUST face what I want. The only way out is through. Thank you for this! This whole thing speaks many truths and Im glad I read it today!!
Thank you so much for sharing this! This has definitely inspired me to keep writing and continuing to develop my craft, as I have done over the last couple of years. I became a published poet in 2019. Your words give me so much inspiration to continue with my craft and to keep writing, even the words that are not published. I started writing poetry when I was 16 and I have continued with writing whether it is nonfiction, memoir or more poetry. I am now 26 and this gives me so much hope for the continued development of my craft in the years to come.
This resonated with me because I feel as if I have been hearing the call, yet I have been allowing fear and excuses to prevent me from moving forward. I have moments of bravery and take steps forward. Then I allow life or work or just procrastination to keep me in a place where I feel stuck. If I’m truly being honest, I sometimes don’t know if this is my rightful calling. I just know that I enjoy uplifting and pouring into people. That I love being a cheerleader for others. Letting them know how extraordinary and wonderfully created they are. I love being a light for others. I just haven’t figured out how to do that for myself.
But then I remember all the things I should be grateful for: I have a beautiful family, a caring wife who loves me dearly, two boys in college, a fairly easy, good, and flexible job, also had a rather complicated and emotionally devastating brain surgery last year I was almost sure I would not come out of it alive... I'm half blind, using medical marijuana against nerve pain and contemplating psychedelic treatment... there is so much widespread, unspoken pain in this world... and yet my soul vibrates with intensity and desires something I cannot quite put my finger on..
My art is calling for my attention. I dream of publishing art weekly or more, not because I'm strong-arming myself into it, but because it just flows. I know I have so many stories to tell, wonders to show, doors and windows to open.
Thank you for this. I am here now, and I believe I'm ready. I've slain a few dragons and shucked off some shackles and the next step it to answer the call. I know that's the truth. I've been standing on the edge of the deep end of the pool for a very long time now. The water is beautiful. It's time to get wet. I'm a little scared but that hasn't stopped me yet... and God said, it's time to write... so I will write. Your Gratitude Journal will be my springboard. Thank you.
I wanted to thank you for sharing this.. It speaks volumes to me and about me... it is as if you've always known me.. how can that be?!
... nevertheless, I am grateful..
The same here. Your words capture exactly how I’m feeling. There are times I feel small, dreadful and fearful...but I carry on trusting that all will be well even if nothing makes sense at the moment.
"If we don't start answering the calls in our lives, big or small, we will suffocate..." and "Fear has kept so many people we love stuck, silenced, and small." Thank you for these words of wisdom and encouragement. Thank you for the journaling prompts that are your community questions. Glad to be able to be reading your writing here. Thank you.
This could have been written by me! I have seen myself as a writer since I won a red 2nd place ribbon for a paragraph writing contest in the 2nd grade..Im 52 now. I have journals and journals where I repeatedly write about the tapping on the shoulder, the whisper in my ear, the nudging from friends.. Write!! you must! But life. Fear. doubt. The last 3yrs have been a hellish informing of what I feel I must write and I'm sort of freaking out because the call is getting so loud now. Not only this..I was able ro quit my full-time job to devote time to whatever it is that lights me up. I am so grateful to have come across these very words, I believe in no coincidences. I could use some classes and guidance for sure but I read somewhere "once you decide the universe conspires in your favor" I hope this is true. wow, looking so forward to tomorrow. What a great piece! Thank you!
“Answering the call of our lives will require a lot of us”
Truer words have rarely been written.
I’m 20 years into this writing gig. I’ve not found wild success along the way, but I keep answering the call because I know, in the deepest part of me, that to walk around this earth with an intimate understanding of why I am here, existing in and on purpose inside that calling, is a gift and privilege that relatively few ever get to fully know.
No, it’s not a grand living and I’m still often scared month to o month, or even day to day, where and when the money will come in to support this single mama, working artist life.
But when I get angsty about it I try to sit quietly and give myself a little talking to. I remind myself that though some wild miracle I’ve managed to pay my bills with words for a decade now. On my own. And if that ain’t a wild sort of miracle, I don’t know what is.
Yes. Answering the call has required so much. And it’s cost me too. But once you’ve heard the call, let in land in your bones, I don’t know that there is any other way to stay truly alive.
Thank you for this. ❤️
I went back and read all the comments again... It seems to me that we all feel the same way, we all see each other the same way, and - for the most part - we are all struggling with similar issues. Did you ever wonder why? How did we get here? I am convinced there are a lot of people out there who are feeling the same way we do. Do you realize how powerful we can be if we all come together? :-)
Reading you was like talking to an old friend, sharing the way we want to live our beautiful lives from now on. <3
My attention has been up to one of my dreams. Being and editorial designer and creative writer, yet I know fear is retaining me from unleashing my potential. Or is it that I’ve turned sooooo comfortable right where I’m at? Idk.
What is calling for my attention is being proud of who I am and what I do. Not taking my work for granted, honoring my boundaries, trusting myself and my needs, acknowledging my work and progress. Finding a way to give as much love back to myself as I give away to others.
Thank you for this validation....”Over time, I had to come to terms with people around me, not understanding my drive or dream. That alone became a lesson in answering the call of my life and choosing not to allow the fear of others to take hold of my soul and keep me stuck.”
This especially resonated with me too!
This is something I know but it is truly hard to take action upon. It's so simple, yet so hard, but yes baby steps! I must take those baby steps! My fear lies in the failure I don't wish to achieve when trying to reach what I want, but I cannot let that impact my decision making. I MUST face what I want. The only way out is through. Thank you for this! This whole thing speaks many truths and Im glad I read it today!!
Thank you so much for sharing this! This has definitely inspired me to keep writing and continuing to develop my craft, as I have done over the last couple of years. I became a published poet in 2019. Your words give me so much inspiration to continue with my craft and to keep writing, even the words that are not published. I started writing poetry when I was 16 and I have continued with writing whether it is nonfiction, memoir or more poetry. I am now 26 and this gives me so much hope for the continued development of my craft in the years to come.
Thank you so much Alex!
This resonated with me because I feel as if I have been hearing the call, yet I have been allowing fear and excuses to prevent me from moving forward. I have moments of bravery and take steps forward. Then I allow life or work or just procrastination to keep me in a place where I feel stuck. If I’m truly being honest, I sometimes don’t know if this is my rightful calling. I just know that I enjoy uplifting and pouring into people. That I love being a cheerleader for others. Letting them know how extraordinary and wonderfully created they are. I love being a light for others. I just haven’t figured out how to do that for myself.
But then I remember all the things I should be grateful for: I have a beautiful family, a caring wife who loves me dearly, two boys in college, a fairly easy, good, and flexible job, also had a rather complicated and emotionally devastating brain surgery last year I was almost sure I would not come out of it alive... I'm half blind, using medical marijuana against nerve pain and contemplating psychedelic treatment... there is so much widespread, unspoken pain in this world... and yet my soul vibrates with intensity and desires something I cannot quite put my finger on..
My art is calling for my attention. I dream of publishing art weekly or more, not because I'm strong-arming myself into it, but because it just flows. I know I have so many stories to tell, wonders to show, doors and windows to open.
Thank you for this. I am here now, and I believe I'm ready. I've slain a few dragons and shucked off some shackles and the next step it to answer the call. I know that's the truth. I've been standing on the edge of the deep end of the pool for a very long time now. The water is beautiful. It's time to get wet. I'm a little scared but that hasn't stopped me yet... and God said, it's time to write... so I will write. Your Gratitude Journal will be my springboard. Thank you.
Thank you so much for sharing this..
Truly the encouragement and motivation I needed to start my career purpose