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| Close up of milk glass candlesticks from last post. |
“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or
the mirror that reflects it.”
- Edith Wharton
I learn so much about myself by looking at candlelight. I
know the image is the second I have shared of candles on my fireplace mantle,
but the inspirational thoughts those flickers of light give me always lead me
down the path of self-realization.
In the workshop I teach on learning to write without fear
(which I will be releasing an online version through Udemy by the end of the
month!), I work with writers on figuring out what the fears are that keep them
from writing. Saturday afternoon I came to the realization that I’ve never put
much thought into how much the rest of my life is lead by being fearful of one
thing or another. It’s those personal fears that are the ones that hold me
back- moving out of my childhood
neighborhood, asking the guy out (or even just flirting), expanding my
business, writing my own books, strained familial relationships, and even my
relationship with God and religion- that I desperately need to address. Along
with my goals for 2018, I plan to face these fears head on. As I teach my
writing students, I will never actually get away from the fears, but I need to
learn how to make them work for me. I hope to develop the wisdom that will lead
me to take my own advice.
Some of these fears I have will only be settled by writing
them out. Some of them will require me to step outside of my comfort zone. It
may also be that one or two may not ever be resolved. All I can do is decide
that I will try. I am ready.