How to Find More Creative Courage
A newsletter about writing, art and living more creatively
I'm always looking for more books to read (as you probably know, if you've been following this newsletter for a while) but I normally don't delve into the self-help/business book section. Thankfully, a Supermaker article by Ludi Leiva (illustrator of this newsletter banner!) made me aware of "The Courage Habit: How To Accept Your Fears, Release the Past, and Live Your Courageous Life."
Here's part of the book summary:
In The Courage Habit, certified life coach Kate Swoboda offers a unique program based in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help you act courageously in spite of fear. By identifying your fear triggers, releasing yourself from your past experiences, and acting on what you truly value, you can make courage a daily habit.
It includes writing exercises which I enjoyed because I secretly miss having homework and also I love writing in notebooks.
Some of my favorite takeaways from the book:
The desire to live with more courage in one's own life doesn't have to come down to a choice between benefitting the self versus benefitting others.
I loved this because I often feel that way — I get a nagging sense of guilt that going after what I love won't immediately benefit anyone else. But Swoboda writes that "the goal-setting process could actually be more successful when goals benefited not just the individual, but also the collective." It's just like that old adage: if you're cup isn't full, you can't give to anyone else
Write down your what your inner critics says and know that none of these statements actually hold value, unless you ascribe meaning to them.
I completed one of the exercises in the book and came to an interesting discovery. I was writing down fears like: I shouldn't even write a book because it won't be good. No one will read it. No one will buy it. Except saying this was missing one important point: I HAVEN'T EVEN FINISHED WRITING IT. Why stop myself before I even get started? Before I even give it a chance?
Your critic's voice is your fear. Your critic is basically a misguided friend trying to protect you.
So when my mind says "don't even bother to write the book, it won't be good," it actually means "I want to protect you from rejection." It's a protective move. And it's also delivered in a super RUDE way tbh. Realizing this made it easier to tackle a lot of my inner fears. And to remind myself that yes, sometimes we create things that not everyone loves. But we have to revisit WHY we wanted to create them in the first place.
Can you relate to some of the points? I'd love to hear what you think.
xoxo,
Your favorite small but feisty writer
Eva
PS If you missed the downloadable wallpapers available so far, click here.
Banner design by Ludi Leiva ✨
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Quote of the Week
"I'm a believer in the power of knowledge and the ferocity of beauty, so from my point of view, your life is already artful — waiting, just waiting, for you to make it art."
— Toni Morrison
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