aligned
on feeling all the feels of being head, heart and hand aligned
Hello my dear Musers!
It’s so good to have you here and I hope that you are doing well.
Today I received an email from Substack telling me I now have 100 subscribers, which means that there are some newcomers here. If you’re new here, welcome! I’m so happy you have found my corner of the internet.
Last week, I ran my writing retreat in country Victoria and I’m still riding the high from it. For four days I facilitated workshops to help the writers deep their writing, conducted one-on-one coaching sessions and cooked food to fill their bellies and minds. There were many deep felt conversations, tears of joy and laughter (from me and them), sharing of writing struggles and tricks of the trade within the writing world.
It is a huge privilege to be entrusted with other people’s vulnerability and I came home so grateful for everything I learnt from them.
If I had spent four days away running a work conference that wasn’t as aligned to my heart, head and hand, I would have arrived home sapped of everything. Instead, I came home deeply happy. Such a great reminder that I am definitely doing the right thing.
When I was doing my six-day coaching intensive a couple of weeks ago, I volunteered to do my values tracking (one of the exercises) with the trainer. At the end of it, the trainer summed up my values (writing, creativity, psychology, thinking about how people think and books) and joked that if I was wanting to do anything other than what I am doing, he would need to chat with me about a conflict in values.
Since I last wrote, I have completed my coaching accreditation in dynamic and traditional coaching methods and have begun doing the extra things required to receive my International Coaching Federation accreditation. There’s still a heap to do including 100 hours of coaching!
Feeling stuck?
Often when I talk to creatives, they talk about feeling stuck with their project. Most commonly it’s because they are getting in their own way, which can be from a myriad of things. In a way, it doesn’t really matter what it is that is in the way, because some simple techniques can help to shift that.
Here’s a couple of techniques to stick in your back pocket:
1. Break it down
Instead of looking at the huge thing (for instance, needing to paint a massive canvas when you’ve only painted small pictures), take a step back and think about what are the first three achievable steps you can take toward the bigger goal.
These could be:
1. open the studio door
2. wet the brushes
3. squeeze out the paint.
If these first three steps seem really easy, then go to the next three and so on until you meet the next action where there is only a small amount of resistance. Then start with those three actions. It is a little like the ‘how do you eat an elephant’ analogy.
2. Ask your brain what it wants
Write the words: 'Okay Brain, what do you want me to do now?’ and be open to what your brain is ready to do. You could try writing this on an index card and keeping it close to remind you in those stuck moments.
Five things
My good mate Claire Sullivan has finally succumbed to the call of the Substack. Go and subscribe because she is funny and smart.
Sarah Wilson wrote about Moloch, something I hadn’t heard of before but a concept that I understood. I loved her explanation of what happens when we try to get ahead of others, striving for ‘better’.
Read her take on it as she says it so well:
Open house dinners have finally started at our place after a slow kickoff and it makes me so happy to have a busy and full table with great conversation. It’s a pretty simple concept of cooking big and telling others they can stop by for a meal. It’s kind going against that common perception that we have to invite/be invited by bringing back the drop in.
The Stella Longlist came out yesterday and it is a wonderful list of 12 books that are worth reading. I’ve read a few of them but am now going to read the rest. Congrats to all whose books are on the list including my mate Kate Mildenhall and her fabulous The Hummingbird Effect.
The 2024 Stella Longlist (Image from the Stella website) I’m plodding away with my art. I’m really enjoying the 100 days of wonder project and while I’m lagging behind, I’m still having fun. As some wise person once said, it’s not a race. It’s a beautiful thing to play with paint, pencils and pens and to let go of trying to be great at it; instead, letting myself be curious with it. You can see some of my imperfect art on MegDunleyIllustration
Other things
I’ve given my website a bit of a tidy up. Pop over here to see what’s changed
Coaching
My bookings are open for a free Coaching Strategy Call (woohoo!!). I’ve bit the bullet and created a Calendly account that makes it super easy for you to make a time with me.
What’s a Coaching Strategy Call? It’s a chat to see what you would like to have coaching for and to see if we are a good fit for coaching and take it from there. The chat will go for about 30 minutes. And it’s free!
My introductory rates of $297 for an eight-week (or sesion) program won’t last, so if you would like to have some coaching to help you achieve any goal (doesn’t need to be writing), don’t wait until the price goes up.
Retreats
My retreats are booked up until October, with only a couple of spots left for October. If you’re keen to have time to write and think and to have the opportunity to work with me to help you deepen your writing, pop over here to find out more.
Reading
I’m currently listening to The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka. It won the Booker prize last year and I can see why. I have the book on my shelf so I may read it as well as listen.
I’m also reading Kind of, Sort of, Maybe, but Probably Not by Imbi Neeme. It is a beautifully told story about fitting in and friendship and is set in Carlton/Fiztroy/West Footscray in the 90s. A hard recommend.
Recently finished The Eleventh Floor by Kylie Orr, a gripping and dark suspense, and Whenever You’re Ready by Trish Bolton, a magnificent story with older women about friendship, love and grief.
Writing
Writing is a long and quiet game. I’m still here, tapping away at the keyboard. I’m still working on the next draft of my contemporary rom-com and in the in-between moments, I’m writing a collection of tales from the road and sending out my historical fiction. As I say to other writers, keep going. So I do.
How are you? What are you up to now that summer has finished and the year is in full swing?
Til next time
xx M
I think I need 'Getting In My Own Way' on a t-shirt! So good to hear about your retreat confirming you are indeed doing the right thing xo