Bit #25 – Recognize Where You Are
How we think shapes how we live and our beliefs about ourselves. When we believe in ourselves, we have greater confidence which reflects in our daily activities. When we think negatively about who we are and what we are capable of, we can quickly spiral to a place where we are not our best. As Jennie Allen shares in her book, “Get Out of Your Head,” whether we realize it or not, our emotions trigger our thoughts. Our thoughts dictate our decisions. Our decisions determine our behavior. Our behavior shapes our relationships.
Our thoughts about who we are as a writer are no different. With so much riding on our thoughts, how do we refocus our thoughts on writing positively? Research shows that almost 70% of the thoughts we think are negative. To combat these tendencies, we need to take intentional steps to start on a positive note.
For today, let’s focus on you! Take some time to complete the following activity (inspired by Jennie Allen – click the book for more information) to become more aware of what you are thinking about concerning writing.
Step 1 – Take out a blank piece of paper or use a mind map program such as coggle.it.
Step 2 – In the middle of the paper, write the primary feeling or emotion regarding writing you are experiencing right now (e.g., anxious, frustrated, inspired, motivated, etc.).
Step 3 – Draw a big circle around the word (center of your mind map).
Step 4 – Write everything you can think of that contributes to that feeling or emotion around that large circle.
Step 5 – Draw a smaller circle around these contributing factors, connecting them to the larger one.
Step 6 – Near each smaller circle, list how that factor contributes to the emotion you are experiencing.
Step 7 – Keep going until you have exhausted all the possibilities prompting that emotion.
Step 8 – Look for patterns and common themes.
Step 9 – Choose one aspect you can focus on changing over the next few weeks or months.
Step 10 – Ask yourself what you can do or what you need to change your thinking and start there this semester.
Once you have a starting place, try to use the weekly “bits” to combat any negative thinking you have towards writing and the aspect you want to change this semester.
Changing our mindset about who we are as writers can make all the difference.
Congratulations on taking the first step today!
