Just realized when I sent in my column this week, that this month is my 2-year anniversary writing for Blue Skies Magazine.
That seems totally nuts. I mean, I vividly remember the day that I came up with the idea of writing a life-coaching column, and subsequently the day I emailed Lara and Kolla, hoping that they would like it too. Of course I was also mildly freakin’ out that they would like it and I’d have to deliver. Thank goodness they did, and thank goodness I had to.
I have learned SO much in the last two years. I have grown as a writer, a person, and as a coach, every month engaging in this creative process, this personal inquiry, and the practice of extracting insight from all of it with the intention of helping others. For all of that I am so grateful to Lara and Kolla for welcoming me as part of their team, and part of their dream.
As a writer, having a monthly deadline is the best possible accountability there is. And I’m not gonna lie, the first year+ of writing my column was pretty torturous. I was crippled monthly by my perfectionism such that sometimes it took me days (hours upon hours) to finalize my 600-900 words. I would agonize over flow and get bogged down in word choice, totally stressing that if I picked the wrong words, or if it felt clunky, or whatever else, all my hopes and dreams would go down the figurative literary toilet.
Totally unfounded fears of course, yet completely normal and powerful at the same time. I worked hard with my coach, my friends, and myself to understand why I was wrapped so tightly around this particular axel. And thus begin to unwind myself from it.
Long story short said unwinding involved continued introspection, lots of affirmations shifting my focus to awesomeness and flow, post-it notes, dry-erase markers on the mirrors, and practice practice practice. Every month I did this. I sat down and I wrote. Every month I had a new experience to learn from and grow on. Torture as I said, but seriously, what a gift.
I am also eternally grateful to my two best friends, Shannon Hernandez and Carolyn Chow. They have been an unwavering source of support and feedback for me, happily proofreading pretty much every single column I have ever written. When I was too close to it.. they were there with mindful suggestions. When I was exhausted from my perfectionist approach.. they reflected back to me what was great, so I could reconnect to my confidence in the finished product. When I came through my over-obsessive ways into my new trusting, flowing, writer self.. they were there to congratulate me, and acknowledge all the hard work and emotional perseverance it actually takes to find your true voice. I know they would say I could have done it without them, but put it this way, I’m sure as hell glad I didn’t have to. THANK YOU, S & C, you know what you did. (And still do!)
So here we are, 24 columns later, the 25th in the queue, and I feel compelled to thank you all. Thank you for sticking with me. Thank you for your support, feedback, insight, and as always, thank you for reading. Also, any ideas you ever have for columns or blog posts here, I am am all ears. Sweet.
And with that…. Onward! Melsinore, out. 😉
PS. Had to punctuate this column with some photographic hilarity of those beautiful people I praise above hehehe….