How to Use Writing to Find Yourself
Writing is an invaluable tool to help you find yourself and live an authentic life. Through journaling and other writing exercises, you can gain insight into your thoughts and feelings, allowing you to better understand yourself and make decisions that are true to who you are.
Authenticity exercises such as intuitive writing can help you tap into your inner wisdom, enabling you to uncover what truly matters to you. Writing can also be used as a tool for self-expression, allowing you to explore different aspects of your personality without judgement or fear of rejection.
By taking the time for self-reflection through journaling or other forms of writing, we can gain greater clarity on our goals and values and live more authentically.
There is a time in each of our lives when we must make a choice. Do we continue living the life expected of us, or do we dare boldly and choose something different?
Something far riskier.
Something that lights us up..
It jolts us from the inside and makes us pay attention
Requires more of us than simply showing up to a job
It requires us to dive all in, head-first into the sea of life.
This type of something, is what separates the living from the dying. For only those who truly risk it all for the inner nudges, are they who truly live.
“Watch my soul speak.” - Kendrick Lamar
In generations past, our parents and grandparents didn’t necessarily have the luxury of going after their calling. Lack of birth control, access to education and information (no internet of course) and more of an overall emphasis on survival, not thrival, all contributed to the decisions they made which often boiled down to getting a job and paying the bills.
You and I are now growing up in a very privileged generation. Thanks to the hard-work and sacrifice of the many souls before us, we now have access to information at our fingertips. We can get a degree at night while still working a full-time job, without even having to leave our home (or children unattended). We have a chance to follow the inner yearnings of our heart. We can jump on those crazy inner notions, because we have the safety to do so.
That doesn’t mean it will be easy.
Our job is not one of spending days in the woods in hopes of finding an animal that will provide our family with enough food to make it through the long winter.
Our job, rather, is to go deeper. Into the psyche of our own mind. To heal and to make peace with the past that haunts us.
Forgiveness
Understanding
Acceptance
Release
The Journey to Authenticity is a Journey of the soul
The journey to authenticity is a journey of self-discovery and inner growth. It is about finding yourself, understanding your true desires, and living an authentic life. It requires a certain level of commitment and dedication to make the transition from an inauthentic life to one full of truth and meaning.
Authenticity exercises such as intuitive writing, journaling, meditation, and other mindful activities can help you find your true self. Through these exercises you can uncover hidden emotions and thoughts that have been buried deep within you for years. You can also learn how to express yourself in a more honest way which will help you create meaningful relationships with others. By taking the time to explore your inner depths, you can embark on a journey that will lead you towards an authentic life full of joy and fulfillment.
Because what stands in between yourself and your purpose, your calling -- is not your parent’s opinions, the haters on your ‘gram or your lack of money, talent, information or education. What stands between you and your purpose is everything in between your ears, and everything that separates your brain from your heart.
It’s embodying the person you’re meant to be, by first releasing who you’ve been programmed to be.
It’s finding the wholeness.
Releasing your victimhood mentality.
Letting go of the old stories, so you have space to embrace the new.
It’s not one decision, but a multitude of decisions.
It’s choosing your own path every single day.
It’s letting go of the stubbornness that holds on to an old story because you want to be “right.”
It’s taking step after step after step to heal your past and release the negativities that hold you back and keep you stuck.
Afterall, it’s all energy right?
How to begin the Journey to Authenticity
The journey to authenticity begins with getting in touch with your inner self. This can be done through various exercises such as intuitive writing, journaling, and reflection. These activities will help you uncover your deepest thoughts and feelings so that you can begin living an authentic life.
Authenticity does not happen overnight; it is a process that requires commitment and dedication. But once you start taking the steps towards finding yourself, the rewards will be great.
How must we begin such a transformative, courageous journey toward our own authenticity?
We start by tapping into the well, and letting it all come out.
Many of my clients come to me with a full well. What I mean by that, is that their emotions are on overload. They have lots of frustration, anger, resentment mixed in with big dreams, goals and heart palpitations for what they really want out of life.
Their first step? Not to talk to me, but to talk to themselves. All their emotions come through.
This is where we first grab the journal and pen.
With no reservations, no goals, no specific intentions….we let spill out what needs to spill out.
This is where the real healing begins to take shape.
Here are a few guidelines on how to use Writing to Find Yourself and Connect with Your Authenticity:
Writing can be a powerful tool for self-exploration and connecting with your authentic self. It can help you uncover your true passions, values, and purpose in life. Through writing exercises such as journaling and intuitive writing, you can learn to live an authentic life that is true to who you are and what matters most to you.
In this section, we will discuss how to use writing as a means of self-discovery and explore some simple authenticity exercises that will help you find yourself and connect with your innermost truth. We'll also look at how journaling can be used as a tool for developing greater awareness of yourself and the world around you. Here are a few of my favorite exercises in intuitive writing.
Use pen and paper, not a phone or computer.
Writing with a pen and paper is one of the best ways to find yourself and live an authentic life. It helps us to connect with our inner self, increase our awareness, and gain clarity on our thoughts. Pen and paper can be used for various authenticity exercises such as intuitive writing, journaling, or simply writing down your thoughts.
Journaling has been proven to be a great tool for self-discovery. It allows us to express ourselves without any filters or censorship. We can also use it as a way to document our progress towards achieving our goals. Pen and paper also allow us to write more freely than when using a phone or computer, which can lead to more authentic writing that reflects who we truly are.
This gets your whole body involved and puts you more specifically in the moment, in a position of being able to release and let go.
Don’t edit yourself.
Intuitive writing isn’t for anyone’s eyes, not even yours. The exercise isn’t to see how great your spelling or grammar or handwriting is -- in fact, the looser and choppier, the better! The goal of this exercise is to let it all out. Simply express yourself. Write how you feel. Period.
It doesn’t have to make sense. It doesn't have to be nice. It doesn't have to be anything but raw.
Writing is a powerful tool for self-expression and growth. But it can only be effective if you refuse to edit yourself while writing. This means that you should let go of any expectations and just write freely, without worrying about the outcome.
When we stop editing ourselves while we write, we allow our authentic selves to come through in our words. We can use journaling or intuitive writing exercises to help us find our authentic voice, and express what is truly important to us. This can help us live an authentic life that is true to who we are.
If you want to experience the power of writing without editing yourself, start by setting aside some time each day for journaling or intuitive writing exercises. You'll be surprised at how much more connected you feel with your inner self when you let go of all expectations and just write from your heart!
Don’t Let Fear be a Factor For You
Fear can easily stop you from fully expressing yourself - even if you don’t intend to let anyone read your work sometimes the fear is still there. If you fear someone will find these notes, Paint over them when you’re finished and allow something else to come through.
It can be hard to write from the heart when fear gets in the way. Fear can stop us from expressing ourselves fully and truthfully. But it doesn’t have to! With some simple authenticity exercises and intuitive writing techniques, we can learn how to let go of fear and write from our hearts with courage and confidence.
Matter-of-fact, you could even use one sheet of paper over and over again. Painting over each layer of writing, then writing over the paint, then painting over the writing again. I wonder what cool and interesting thing would come out of this process?
Remember the Goal of Authentic Expression
Authentic writing involves being honest about who you are, what you want in life, and how you want to live it. As you practice these activities, like journaling or intuitive writing, you will gain insight into yourself that helps guide your decisions and actions in life. By connecting to your deeper authentic and intuitive self, you will find the courage to live an authentic life that is true to who you are.
The point is to get comfortable expressing yourself and expressing your truth. Because trauma, life, society, parents, upbringing, your boss, whoever and whatever has influenced you over the years and as an act of self-defence you learned to stuff down your feelings. Hide what you really want to say. Cover your true desires; they aren’t wanted here.
You learned all this on a subconscious level, and now we have to unlearn it on a subconscious level. So you start by expressing yourself in a safe way. You are exercising the muscle of self-expression. We will work up to more free expression. This is just the first step.
We write to uncover what the subconscious has to say. We give it a chance to speak, because after all this time, it has been silenced and fearful.
Our subconscious is our soul.
Our soul is our guide in this life-journey.
YOU are here for a very specific reason.
Your soul knows the way, but to follow it you first have to let it speak.
That is why we write.
To hear the essence of our own selves.
We write as a way of listening to our inner guidance.
To hear God in us. The utmost love, guiding us to our most-aligned path of freedom, joy and proficiency.
That is why we write.
Ready? Here’s your first exercise.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and begin writing the rest of this sentence: “Today I feel…”
I’d love to see your results in the comments below.
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Interested in more guided journaling prompts to help you find yourself?
In my self-published guided journal, Brazenly Beautiful I share my favorite exercises for unearthing your own authenticity. You can order your copy of this guided journal today on Amazon.
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Our 12-month coaching + publishing package is the perfect way to release your fears, find clarity and step into the self-published author that you desire to be! It’s time for you to own your coaching abilities and share your magic with others. There are lives out there who are waiting for your book to find them.