So let's get right into it friends.
Have your journal nearby.
Sit with your spine nice and long.
Shoulders soft.
Just inhale deeply and exhale slowly.
This is a really beautiful visualization we're going to do today.
I want to begin as you ground down by just sharing with you that researchers have found that when people tell stories of growth,
Agency and meaning,
Even after hardship,
They show greater emotional well-being and resilience.
And when writers tell stories of growth,
Agency and meaning,
They are able to better connect with audiences and grow their craft.
So let's go ahead and sit with our story.
Continuing to inhale and exhale.
And I want you to literally imagine that you are holding a book.
And inside this book,
The chapters are filled with complexity and beauty.
Every scene is building off of the previous scene,
Culminating in the most brilliant journey.
Go ahead and flip through the pages of this book.
Feel the edges of the pages along your thumb and forefinger.
And find a blank page in this book.
Sit with this book in your lap.
And as you inhale,
Say silently,
I choose.
And as you exhale,
To create.
Inhale,
I choose.
Exhale,
To create.
This blank page is your next chapter.
So as you continue to inhale,
I choose.
And exhale,
I create.
Just allow and invite any information that needs to come to you to arrive.
We're going to breathe here for a few more minutes.
Imagining this book on our lap,
This blank page.
Inhaling,
I choose.
Exhaling,
To create.
And as you breathe,
Inhale to choose.
Exhale,
Create.
Keeping in mind that these stories of growth and agency are the stories that give us meaning.
Keeping in mind that you don't need permission to reclaim your story.
You already hold the key to your story.
You know where it's headed.
You get to decide.
You hold the pen.
Breathe in,
I choose.
Breathe out,
To create.
Feeling this pen in your hands,
This book on your lap,
The page open.
I invite you to just gently focus on the body,
The way it feels today,
Its messages.
Focus on the energy in the body.
Feel the wave of your breath.
And when you're ready,
When you open your eyes and you begin to write in your notebook,
Write with pure intention.
What chapter of your story are you in right now?
Title this next chapter of your life and write the opening paragraph.
What is to come?
We are always going through transitions and beginning again,
And each time we have an opportunity to grow.
So reclaim your story.
Write as many words as you can.
What is the theme of your story?
The theme,
The words,
The meaning behind your story right now.
What value systems are pushing you forward as the main character,
The hero or heroine of your story?
As you write,
Be as vivid as possible.
Include sensory details.
This writing does not have to be perfect.
We're getting ideas on the page.
So bringing this back to the universal application for all storytellers,
We can take this same technique and apply it to fiction,
Poetry,
Creative nonfiction.
We can do this in our lives and we can do this in our art.
Where is the change?
Where is the transition?
Where is the story that we want to tell?
When we refocus on the story that only we can tell,
Only you can tell,
We begin to truly own our voice and to share it in a way that connects with others,
Clarifies meaning,
And allows us to express ourselves seamlessly and know that we are headed in the right direction.
I hope you've enjoyed this very short class,
And I would love to know how it went for you.
What is the title of your chapter?
