Photo by Nathan Dumlao at Unsplash
As I'm winding down the writing/editing/publishing work of my upcoming book,
my emotions are all over the place.
Some of this "feeling all the feels" comes from pushing myself to make deadlines,
but some of it comes from a soul-aching sense of gratitude.
This book is 5 years in the making,
and it started with a graduate project in my Classical seminar class.
Thankfully, the professor gave me a lot of freedom, and autonomy was exactly what I needed.
My curiosity was allowed free rein, and I feel in love with all the tangents of the improv world.
His encouragement led to my submission and acceptance to present my work at an international conference.
My fire was fueled,
and I continued to go down the rabbit hole with an independent study and secondary project on the same topic.
More amazing input.
More words of encouragement.
More support.
More inspiration.
Then the beta-testing...the feedback was phenomenal!
Proofreading the final version, I realized how much better it was than what I'd originally conceived.
The (constructive and even not-so-constructive) feedback created something of which I was incredibly proud.
It hasn't always been easy.
When morale was low or difficulties during this process seemed insurmountable,
gratitude was a powerful tool for me to get connected with my spark again.
Practicing gratitude has powerful benefits.
- Inspiration
Gratitude is actually a catalyst for additional inspiration. -
Motivation
Focusing on gratitude motivated me to keep working on getting the book out into the world. -
Positivity
My thoughts became focused on the positive benefits of my book,
and these pushed out the negative thoughts associated with all the hard work I had left to do. -
Connection
I was part of something bigger than myself. It took a community of support to get me to this point. -
Altruism
The call to help others through my work took precedent over my ego's attachment to the achievement. -
Confidence
I felt like all of these people were cheering me on, which melted away any insecurities.
Thinking about the positive influences we've received from others makes us appreciate them,
which in turn makes us appreciate so much more around us and within us.
Dr. Nancy Williams is a musician and life & leadership coach. You can sign up for inspirational emails here.