Mom Writes First

31. Why You Need to Re-Choose to be a Writer Every Day.

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Why You Need to Re-Choose to be a Writer Every Day.

In this episode of 'Mom Writes First,' host Jen passionately discusses the power of deliberate choice in pursuing writing . She emphasizes the importance of making a conscious decision to identify as a writer daily, drawing parallels with everyday life choices to illustrate how intentional living can shape one's destiny. Jen shares a metaphor of shopping for the life you want, encouraging listeners to visualize and choose their writing path with clarity and purpose. She acknowledges the challenges women, especially mothers, face in carving out time for writing amidst life's demands but affirms that with intentionality, it is possible. 


00:00 Introduction: Embrace Your Inner Writer
01:33 The Power of Choice in Writing
04:23 Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Simplicity
10:52 Visualizing Your Writing Journey
14:37 Making Writing a Priority
16:11 Reflecting on Your Writing Path
17:47 Conclusion: Empower Your Writing Potential
18:09 Bonus: Discover Your Writing Strengths

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Why You Need to Re-Choose to be a Writer Every Day.

[00:00:00] 

[00:00:00] Introduction: Embrace Your Inner Writer

[00:00:00] Today, I'm here to explain why you need to reach you is to be a writer every single day. And how to do it using a favorite metaphor. 

[00:00:11] You are listening to mom writes first. We're all about inspiring busy moms to make their writing dreams a reality. Let's go. 

[00:00:23] Hello, and welcome to mom rights first. I'm Jen. 

[00:00:29] And I'm so glad that you're here today. 

[00:00:31] First of all happy fall. I love fall. It is for sure. My favorite season. I love the apples, the pumpkins, the leaves, all of it. I love the back to school season. Because it feels like a clean slate. I love the routine of it all. I love the plans. I'd love the family hikes. 

[00:00:54] At this point, my family and I have really settled into that back to school routine. We're [00:01:00] getting it all figured out between school and daycare and work. And even though there are always some hiccups and bumps. I do feel like things are going pretty small, like right now, which isn't really an awesome place to be. 

[00:01:12] Right. And of course, You know, I don't want shit to have the impression that it's always like that it's not. It's definitely not. But we try really hard to make some really intentional choices. Around what we're going to do and how we're going to do it each day in each season. Within our family. And that really helps us. Now, speaking of choosing. 

[00:01:33] The Power of Choice in Writing

[00:01:33] Let's get onto today's topic. 

[00:01:36] I want to talk to you about choice and specifically about choosing your writing. Choosing to write. Choosing to be a writer, choosing to think of yourself and call yourself a writer And making that choice. Every single day. Ultimately it's about re-choosing. On purpose to be a writer every single day. [00:02:00] One of the things that I was taught really from a really young age in which I am honestly, I'm so grateful for. Is that so much of life is all about choices. Particularly the little bit in life that we can control. Is all about the choices we make. The impact that those choices then have how even seemingly little choices can add up over time to make a big impact. 

[00:02:30] And of course, how sometimes that one choice can lead to a huge result. All on its own. 

[00:02:37] I think I was really lucky to have been taught this as a kid, because what I've noticed now as an adult and as someone who has helped, you know, coach hundreds of hours of coaching of other women, Is that people who really end up showing up happy and with a lot of seeming success in life. Are those who take on the responsibility or authority. In [00:03:00] their life of making the choices. In their lives. Even when it doesn't seem like they have a choice to make. They choose on purpose. What they want and they go for it. 

[00:03:12] They really go for it. Of course, that doesn't mean it's easy. And of course there are circumstances which can sometimes make making a choice more difficult. 

[00:03:23] 

[00:03:25] In everything we do every single day, we have a choice. And that is where so much of our power comes from. Oftentimes we think because of circumstances that we don't have a choice. Or even if we understand that yeah. Intellectually we of course get that we have a choice we're so wrapped up in the busy-ness of our lives or the expectations of ourselves or others that we don't actually take the time to make a choice really intentionally. Instead, we go through our lives. Running from thing to thing, putting out fire after fire or [00:04:00] completely living at the whim of someone or something else. This kind of default living. Is super common and it is so painful. And it almost always prevents folks from doing the big things in their life that bring them joy. And happiness, Including writing. It doesn't have to be like this, though. 

[00:04:23] Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Simplicity

[00:04:23] It comes down to making a choice to choose. your writing. And I know, I know I'm going to get backlash for this because I know that it seems like an oversimplification. And my friends, I. I love you. I adore you. I don't judge you in any fashion in any kind of negative way. And I want you to know, nonetheless, that I swear to you. 

[00:04:47] It really is this simple. If you disagree with me, then here's what we need to do right now. You and I, we need to hop on a coaching call and we need to work this out 

[00:04:57] If this is an issue for you, it is going to hold [00:05:00] you back in so many spaces, including when it comes to your writing and you can break. That cycle and you can set a different example for yourself, create a different result in your life, and then set an incredible example for everyone around you, including your kids. 

[00:05:17] Even though I do think that it is that simple. It doesn't mean that it is easy. So let me repeat that. It is simple, but that doesn't make it easy. If you are ready to choose your writing. Than I am here to support you and cheer you on each and every step of the weight and give you the tools and strategies to help you make it a reality.

[00:05:38] I want to encourage you. To re-choose to be a writer. And I want you to make that choice on the daily meaning each and every single day. You and your writing are worth it. Making this choice with a lot of intentionality. deciding each day that you want to be a writer. And then adopting that mindset and those behaviors of what being a [00:06:00] writer means to you is how you are ultimately going to develop the habits. And create the actions and the results that are going to make you a writer. 

[00:06:09] It's how you start to ultimately embody. Being a writer. 

[00:06:14] So today. Let me ask you this. Have you chosen your writing? What would it look like if you did choose your writing today? Writing is not a hobby. It is not a luxury. It is not something to be put into a basket or put into a cupboard for later writing as a part of who you are. 

[00:06:36] It is your voice. It is your soul and it deserves attention. It is essential to living and creating the type of life that you want. So if you haven't chosen it today, Why not. 

[00:06:50] I speak to so many women. Who want to write? But don't. 

[00:06:57] There are days when I don't write, [00:07:00] even though I say I want to, I know how hard it is to take time and space to write when there is so much happening in our lives. We have kids, jobs, homes, families, friends, pets. All the things. And all those things and all those humans and all those people in all those activities and all those jobs, they all need. And seem to require our attention. But so does writing. In life, we don't always get to choose our circumstances. But we do get to choose what we do with them. 

[00:07:37] And that is true when it comes to your writing too. There is so much power in realizing that we are at choice. Every single day. Even when it comes to being a writer, one of the most impactful ways in which you can really step into that power is tan brace that you get to make a choice every day on who you want to become as a writer. And then decide [00:08:00] on purpose what that means for you on that particular day. You get to make the choice, not anybody else. 

[00:08:06] So you get to choose your life. You could choose today to be a writer and you could choose tomorrow to never pick up a pen again and write. All right, you get to choose. This doesn't mean. That making the choices easy. In fact, making the choice every day to do something like this and to think of yourself as a writer and embody that kind of life. Is actually really difficult because when you make that choice in order to live, like in integrity with yourself, You're going to have to start taking action, because if you don't take that action to embody that person that you say you want to become, that you're choosing to be. You're going to have so much like cognitive dissonance within you. 

[00:08:44] It is like super painful and uncomfortable. So it is incredible that you get to make the choice and it does come with a consequence. 

[00:08:55] Now I know. thatyou feel like there's a lot on your [00:09:00] plate and that you couldn't possibly choose to take time to write today. I know that you feel that way in some days. I know that there are seasons where it is hard to write. I know that. I will always be able to look around my house or around my work and find a thousand things I could be doing instead of writing, returning emails, picking up toys, folding laundry. Logging in some more hours at work. 

[00:09:26] And honestly, there are days when it is easier to do those things. Than it is to write. 

[00:09:32] I also know that even when I go to write. Uh, part of me is going to tug at my heart and say, you know what? You shouldn't be writing right now. You should be playing with the kids or doing the activity with them or watching them at their hockey practice instead of writing. Because after all these years go by so fast and you are going to miss it. 

[00:09:52] You're going to miss it. When you look back on it. And to all those voices. Inside of my head and outside of my [00:10:00] head. Who are saying those things to me. just stop. Just stop. All those things matter. And writing matters to. My writing matters and yours does too. And we can make the choice to make our writing our priority and doing that. 

[00:10:17] Doesn't make us a bad mom. It doesn't make us a bad partner. It doesn't make us a bad sister or a friend or daughter, and it certainly doesn't make us a bad employee. Making this choice to be a writer to step into who we want to be, who we want to become Embody that writer persona within us. Making this choice on purpose. On the regular, if not daily basis. Is not easy. But it is necessary. One metaphor that has helped me to really visualize and think about. 

[00:10:52] Visualizing Your Writing Journey

[00:10:52] What it is that I want to embody and what it specifically means to me to create the kind of life I want to create as a [00:11:00] writer. Is to think of. The choices that I make as if I were shopping at a mall. So I think to myself, what kind of life do I want to have? 

[00:11:12] And what if it was really as simple as going to the shopping mall? And picking up. That life off of a shelf, maybe going to one store to get this part of my life and another store to get that part of my life. And that's how I can assemble and choose a life for myself. What if it was really that easy? Now think about it. 

[00:11:33] If I'm going to the shopping mall and I'm, you know, choosing on purpose from the shelves, the kind of life I want, I'm not going to be living on default. I'm not going to just dump whatever I want into my cart or my shopping bag. No, I'm going to pick out my life. Very intentionally. And I find it really helpful and clarifying to think of my life as one that doesn't just like, Automatically exist around me, but rather as one that I chose in the same way [00:12:00] that I go to the store to pick out a specific outfit for a particular, you know, upcoming event. 

[00:12:06] Thinking of it in this way can be really clarifying. And also give you a lot of insight into what you actually want because yeah, maybe those jeans look really good on your friend, but you don't want jeans for where you're going. Maybe you don't even like jeans and how they look on you and they're not comfortable and you don't want to wear them. 

[00:12:24] Just like with the jeans, it's the same thing with your life. What works for someone else isn't going to work for you and you may not want it. It might not be your style.

[00:12:32] Let's do this exercise together. Imagine you get to go to this store. And you get to pick out the kind of life you want to have you walk into the store. One section there's jobs, another section there's family and partners. 

[00:12:49] In another section, there's friends and activities and all that. 

[00:12:52] What would you pick? 

[00:12:54] What, you picked 10 years ago. I may not be what you want to pick today and that's okay. [00:13:00] And the same is true for your writing. What you picked yesterday for your writing? May not fit today, may not resonate in the same way. You may not want to put it in your cart. I know for me, for example, 20 years ago, I picked out a career in law. And I practiced law for 15 years before going into higher ed and into consulting and coaching. And I was recently talking to a friend of mine who is a doctor. And we were chatting about whether we would want our kids to go into our respective fields, medicine and law. And whether we ourselves would make the same choice again. 

[00:13:36] Even though I'm not going to gang up and question that past version of myself that made the choice to go to law school. I do know now that that's not the path that I am on right now. So when I'm standing in the store of life right now, and I'm picking my career, I'm not choosing or leaning towards the practice of law. Instead. I'm really focused on writing. 

[00:13:59] We can [00:14:00] give us that same kind of process for thinking about where we want to live. How we want to live. I live in a beautiful idyllic town in the Midwest of the United States. It works for me. It works for my family. But I totally get that. It's not for everyone. Everyday I wake up and I remind myself that I choose to live here in this little town, surrounded by nature. 

[00:14:22] And even in the winter. I know that when it's snowing and I have to bundle my kids up. So we don't freeze that I've still made that choice to live there. You can bring that same kind of analysis and thinking about being a writer. 

[00:14:37] Making Writing a Priority

[00:14:37] So imagine walking into a store and in that store, you could just choose. Whether you want to be a writer. You could choose what kind of writer you want to be. 

[00:14:47] No one else gets to make that choice for you. Only you get to do it. And as you walk into the store, you get to decide what type of writer you want to be. You get to head over to becoming a [00:15:00] non-fiction or a self published author. You get to decide if you're going to do e-books or maybe go for traditional publishing. Whatever being a writer. Means to you, you get to decide. And here's the thing you can return to this store over and over and over again. And although the store does not take returns per se. You definitely are free to browse you can try things on and you would come to the store as many times as you want. Maybe you are ready to choose not to be a writer anymore. It can be really hard to make that choice. Especially if becoming a writer has been a goal you've held for a really long time. And maybe as you walk about the store, You're realizing that it's time to take a break from writing, or maybe it's time to pick up a different hobby or profession. And there's no judgment in this store. 

[00:15:51] In fact, sometimes a break is very necessary. On this podcast, we believe that you are where you are meant to be, and we [00:16:00] don't judge. Wherever you are in the journey. You are welcome here. We are just curious. We observe where we are from a place of curiosity, love and blameless discernment. 

[00:16:11] Reflecting on Your Writing Path

[00:16:11] So let's say you walk into the store and you've made your choice when it comes to being a writer. What does it mean to you to be a writer? Again, this is something that you get to choose maybe for you. Like for me, being a writer makes you a better mom. Being a writer sets an example of being curious and persistent and fulfilled as an adult. Which is exactly by the way, the kind of adult that I hope each of my kiddos blossoms into. Ask yourself, other questions too. 

[00:16:36] Like what genre you want to write, how often you write and what your goals for writing are you again, get to choose this because there's not a right or wrong in this store and you can try out as many different possibilities as you can come up with. But once you choose it. Then it's your job. To live into it. 

[00:16:56] It's your responsibility to go about the work [00:17:00] of becoming it. I want you to ask yourself these questions. Am I going to choose to be a writer today? What does it mean for me to be a writer? And how will I implement that choice today? I want you to ask these questions because I want you to see how much power you truly have. You are capable of anything you can imagine in this life. And all you have to do is choose it and act upon it. And then every day, it's your responsibility and privilege and joy. To become that person to embody. That person. To make that imagined life a reality. 

[00:17:36] You get to do it for you and you get to do it for those around you. You get to set an example of what is possible in this magical world. 

[00:17:47] Conclusion: Empower Your Writing Potential

[00:17:47] Today. So, what are you going to choose? Thank you so much for listening to this episode. And in case no one has reminded you today. You are a resourceful, creative, whole human being. [00:18:00] 

[00:18:00] You are capable, you are loved and your ideas, your words, and your stories matter. I keep on writing. I will see you next time. 

[00:18:09] Bonus: Discover Your Writing Strengths

[00:18:09] Hey friends. It's Jen, listen, do you ever have trouble writing as much as you want to write? Do you ever wish you could write more? Well, what if you could uncover your unique strength as a writer and then use it to actually write more.

[00:18:27] If this sounds like something that could help you to write more. Then you have to go over to my website, mom, first coaching.com. And check out a quiz that I've put together just for you. It's the mom writer quiz. And it's going to tell you your writing style and your strengths, and then it's going to give you a ton of specific, actionable tips. That you can use to actually write more. If this sounds good to you, Then check it out at mom. 

[00:18:52] First coaching.com/quiz. And take the quiz for free right there. You'll get your results immediately. [00:19:00] And I'm promising you you'll get lots of actionable, specific tips that you can implement today so that you write more right now. 

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