Being Brave for Big Dreams
A Dear Friend Missive
Hi! I’m Lenaleah, writer, storyteller, mystic. I offer a weekly dose of inspiration, with a story or two along the way for good measure. My ultimate goal is to remind you that you are a sacred little bean and the world needs your special kind of genius. Thanks for letting my words share your space.
Dear Friend,
How are you? Really and Truly, how is your heart, your mind, the well-being of your body? I ask only because there are times when I’m going full tilt and I forget to pause to ask myself what is true within me. I hope this asking helps give you a moment to pause and reflect on the sacredness of your being. You know I’m hear to listen.
I’m writing to share some big news.
I’ve created another step towards my biggest most grandest dream. Which dream, you ask? I will share shortly. I need to build the drama up tad, right?
Imagine the scene:
I’m living my best writer life, exhausted from another full week of schooling and I decide to chill on Substack and catch up with all my favorite writers. I’m slowly scrolling through my stack of reading and come to a post by Tammy Evans about the last 100 days of 2023. The idea is based off the question she asks, “What will you do for the last 100 days of 2023?” Meaning, how will you spend this last 100 days creatively? I internalized it to mean, how can I harness these last 100 days and make them work for me?
Now, you know how I love to do things with a numbered amount of days. If I can create a spreadsheet filled with check marks, I’m in. So, without a thought of what I would actually be doing for 100 days I responded to the post with: I’m in! Mainly because I still have work to do around being impulsive, and also because it was a whole body yes!
My goal is simple: write something daily for the last 100 days. I have a spreed sheet created with prompts I gathered on an outing with my girls, through some inspo over at Erica Drayton Writes, as well as divine creative sparks that lit up once I started letting the universe guide the process.
Here’s the thing. At first I wasn’t going to tell you I was doing this. I was going to just go about my business writing down my words each day and announce a celebration at the end. Then I remember what I said in our last note. You know, about how when we share our dreams they hold power. Well, here I am practicing what I preach.
Backstory on how I arrived at the big dream:
In The Writing Life by Annie Dillard, she shares her story of learning to chop wood. She tells the tale of pitifully chipping away at the blocks of alder wood, never getting more than kindling out of any wood she attempted to cut. In a dream she came to understand just what it was that made successful chopping. It was aiming at the block below the wood, not the wood itself.
I’ve practiced this idea back in my martial arts days. We would break blocks with our kicks or hits. The idea is simple, the follow through is all mental. Sometimes I couldn’t get past the mental.
Then a few weeks ago I gathered this quote:
“Write books only if you are going to say in them the things you would never dare confide to anyone.” -E.M.Cioran
Both the story from Annie Dillard and this quote from E.M. Cioran have blended themselves inside my creative heart and birthed the truth and fullness of what I desire to be, the essence of my big dream.
I want to be one of the greatest known writers of all time.It’s taking all my restraint NOT to delete that line above and make up something bold but less true. You see, I’m not 100% sure I’m even an okay writer. But here is what I do know- I’m not going to get better unless I start writing more, with as much enthusiasm as I can muster each and ever day, come what may, forever and ever, amen.
So, daily writing for the last 100 days of 2023 starts today! I have to aim for the block below the wood I want to chop. I have to aim for the golden dream and maybe I will land somewhere close to exceptional in my own right.
It is you, dear friend, that I strive to reach exceptional levels for. It is your heart I am reaching towards. Because I was given this gift of words and they must be for someone. I believe that someone is you.
May the work be the reward. May the spark kindle the shine.
Now let’s get chopping!
Loving you in all your glory,
Lenaleah 💕
100 Days of Writing Details
Here is how it’s going to work:
Each day I will be writing in my notebook. Sometimes I will share my creation on NOTES, a feature here within Substack. If you are in the app or on the website you can see them here under the Notes tab above. If you are reading this in email you will need to click here to see my notes: https://creativemystic.substack.com/notes
I will share some of my favorites each week, so if you miss them, look to this space for reflections.
I’m going paid
Tomorrow is the first full day of Autumn. The change is upon us and I am so excited to experience the slightly cooler mornings and longer nights. It’s also time to change the sacred little spaces in the house to honor the shift and welcome in the snuggly months of holidays and cooking smells. It’s also time within Creative Mystic to honor the work I do. Starting on Sunday, my Weekly Draw message will be switching to paid subscriber access only. Paid subscribers will also have access to other surprises that I will be rolling out over the next few months. More details to come. If you have the ability to support me, I will be my honor to receive the support.
Until next time. Stay Golden.