Tag: blog

Mindset Hack



Thinking that you GET to do things instead of thinking you HAVE to do them, is a well-being hack I picked up from scrolling through social media this week.

Having a few minutes spare, I opened Instagram to vicariously enjoy friends’ holidays. I paused as a Reese Witherspoon video appeared and being a fan of this brilliant woman, I chose to stop and listen to what she had to say. Yes, it would take the few spare minutes I had, but that’s what happens on social media, so stay with me.

She has credited Steve Guttenberg for this insight, but I’m sure neither he nor Reese are the first people to pronounce it. The advice is: instead of saying you have to do such and such, say, I get to do such and such.

It changes the mindset – the attitude you have to the task or the situation.

I get to rise at dawn so I can write more of my novel. I get to exercise each day so I can stay healthy. I get to work, go shopping, do the washing, clean my house, make a phone call, go to the physio, walk the dog… You get the picture. I’m fortunate I get to do these things.

Changing the words you use changes the way you feel. Instead of feeling weighed down by a have to, feel uplifted by a get to.

The get to generates gratefulness and positivity.

I get to write my blog once a month. I love doing it because I get to express things that interest me. But I often reach the time it should be published – like today – and feel pressured because I also have a novel to write and a life to live. We all feel pressured by the things we need to do, right?

So, when I woke this morning thinking, I have to write my blog, Reese’s video came back to me. I changed that thought to I get to write my blog, and I instantly felt a little burst of positivity. It was just enough to make me see I also have a choice as to how much time to spend on it. And here is the result. I hope that you benefit from it.  

Why Write a Blog

Does anyone read my blog? Why do I write it?

These are questions I have been asked, from time to time, by close family and friends. Sometimes, I have asked them myself.

I don’t know how many people read it. I don’t look into the stats, and I don’t ask people I know. I do get a thrill when someone comments. Even a Like is enough to give me a ripple of satisfaction.

But I don’t write it for others. Not predominantly, anyway. I figure if my words are interesting and true, they will resonate with people. Perhaps someone will learn something. Perhaps I’ll change someone’s mind or expand it. That’s not my business. Expressing myself, is.

Self-expression is the main reason I write. I find it easier to write what I think than to say what I think. Writing gives me the chance to process a topic I’m interested in. I can research and whittle information down to concise points. I can think as I’m writing and then I can refine the words until I have a good understanding of a topic.

The reasons I specifically write a blog, though, are more diverse.

When I started writing a novel, I was advised by those in the know that a social media presence was necessary. That was a long time ago, back when I had no idea a novel was going to take me over seven years. I opened a Facebook page and started a blog. Regular input was advised, so I tried to write monthly. Sometimes I didn’t make it and there were blog droughts. But this year I am thoroughly committed because I can see the publisher’s light at the end of the tunnel. Blog Posts have renewed importance.

Another reason for writing a blog is that it gives me an excuse to follow varied and unrelated interests. I am interested in the natural environment, the topical issues in my community and my country, the mystical and spiritual, character traits, relationships, the craft of writing… so many things. My blog covers whatever piques my interest at the time. Sometimes it’s related to issues in my novel. India seems to be mentioned a lot.

Publishing monthly adds pressure to my life, but it also adds satisfaction. I get a buzz out of a Post’s completion. Since the novel has taken so long, these little bursts of goal setting and achievement are like snacks during fasts, roadhouses on a desert highway.

The writing is also practise. I get to refine my skill as a writer.

So, the why is clear. I write because I like to. It adds quality to my life.

As to the readers, I know I have a few. Sometimes, they have let me know that I’ve touched them. And that’s greatly satisfying. I like to think I have added quality to someone else’s life. It would be rewarding to know a Post of mine started a conversation.

If you enjoy a Post, it will help me if you hit Like, make a comment, and Share it. Two-way conversations are always better than monologues.

Maybe, after this Post, you’ll even be inspired to write your own.