Aspire Magazine: Inspiration for a Woman's Soul.(TM) DEC 2016 / JAN 2017 Aspire Mag Full Issue A Miracl | Page 51

Oh, boy, was that hard. Until, one day, it wasn’t anymore. Until I shifted my thinking and admitted that I needed to make some difficult changes within myself, I wasn’t ready to be a great writer, because I wasn’t ready to take the necessary actions to grow into that role. I couldn’t receive what I was asking for, because I wasn’t willing to make space for that new way of being. I was too caught up in who I was (and too guilty about who I wasn’t) to become who I could be. I think many of us run into this from time to time, especially with our creative processes. As children, we’re fed a lot of crap about “natural talent” and “inborn skills,” and encouraged to pursue what comes easily to us―because, obviously, if it’s easy, we must be “meant” to do it. Growing up, I was always told that I could do and be anything I wanted―which, of course, was true, as it is true of nearly everyone. What I didn’t understand, however, was that natural talent, no matter how prodigious, is in no way a substitute for practice and experience. In other words, just because I’m not automatically great at something doesn’t mean I’m somehow disqualified from doing it. Unsubstantiated wishing plays into that allor-nothing mentality. I have friends who say stuff like, “I wish I could play an instrument, but I just wasn’t musical growing up.” As though, if they haven’t tried something by the time they turn eighteen, they are barred from doing so for the rest of their natural lives. Of course, it’s harder to learn an instrument at forty than at four―but it’s only impossible if you refuse to pick up your guitar. (On the flip side, it’s easier to wish you could play than to actually force your fingers to stumble over the frets for those first few months.) These days, I’m all about finding new challenges to surmount, both in my writing and in my business. It’s still hard for me to admit when I don’t know something, or when something doesn’t come easily to me, but I’m okay with the learning curve now. I’ve realized that not knowing something doesn’t make me wrong, or stupid, or untalented; in fact, the only wrong choice is to refuse to learn. So, ladies, let’s stop sitting in our cars with the engines off, or staring up at the mountains we know are calling us. Let’s pull out those instruction manuals, put our pedals to the metal, and leave those unhelpful wishes in the dust. Let’s challenge our notions about who we are and what’s possible for us, and take inspired action to move beyond imagination into real, tangible experience. It’s about time, don’t you think? Read Online! Bryna René Haynes - Bryna is the founder of The Heart of Writing, the chief editor for Inspired Living Publishing, and the best-selling author of The Art of Inspiration: An Editor’s Guide to Writing Powerful, Effective Self-Help and Inspirational Books (Inspired Living Publishing, 2016). In addition to working with private clients around the world, she has guided over 200 authors through the Authentic Storytelling™ model as editor for ILP’s best-selling print anthology series. Learn more about Bryna and claim your free report, “5 Things to Do Before You Start Writing,” at www.theheartofwriting.com. 51 WISDOM & SELF-GROWTH writer” to “great writer” was to ignore that inner critic and approach my process like a total newbie. In order to learn what I didn’t know, I had to admit that I might not know anything.