Really love this one! The way we talk to ourselves makes all the difference, doesn’t it? Positive intention statements are important to me (I keep them on my bathroom mirror for while I’m brushing my teeth and above the kitchen sink for when I’m doing dishes), but I hadn’t thought to call them mantras before! That term feels so perfect because it captures how these are so much more than just goals. They integrate work accomplishment with personal, even spiritual, growth in the most beautiful way. Thanks, Leslie! 🌸
Thanks for this lovely prompt, Leslie! I have to practice this magic trick over and over and over again, transforming "I'm a painfully slow and nitpicky writer" into "I'm a meticulous and craft-focused writer."
Soooo good! What I appreciate about this is how this prompt shows that changing how we talk to ourselves and each other is truly a practice, something we have to deliberately engage in continually if we want to make a change. The mantras are so *observational* as opposed to assessing, which is what being a scholar is aaaaalllllll about.
Very interesting. I've read that procrastination is fear based and the prompt definitely has that underlying fear of imposter syndrome and self-doubt. But I don't think I'm procrastinating because of negative self-talk. But this is making me wonder what the fear is that I am actually avoiding. And isn't life grand, I just did a teeny lit review on academic procrastination for my book. LOL. So I think I'll go finish writing up that section and then use it on myself to see what I discover. Off we go!!!
Sometimes we call it procrastination when really what’s happening is that the work is taking longer than we expected and requiring (as creative work always does) percolation and downtime to emerge. If you’re not engaging in negative self-talk or self-sabotage, I wonder if what you’re experiencing is not procrastination at all but just the work taking the time that it takes!
I was thinking along those same lines. But in finishing up a tidbit in C3 so I can go back to procrastination literature, I did realize that I AM AFRAID OF CHAPTER FIVE. So perhaps the longer I stay in 2, 3 and 4, the longer I can avoid C5? I just made a lot of notes in the file for five about why I was avoiding it and might preface the chapter that way. Hah! (or haha)
And my plan was to to write, 2 - 6, then double back to get the C1 and C7 book ends done (pun not intended). But now I wonder if I should just let 5 hang out there as the last chapter to finish and feed it as a more organic process. Organic and emerging, fluid and dynamic . . . . which was always code for "I don't know what I'm doing" but let's have that be ok.
Thank you, Rebecca, for engaging so deeply with my post! I'm glad it's sparking some insight into your own process. Fear is such a huge part of writing. I always think of inner critics as having a helpful protective intent, even if it feels pretty bad when they arrive. So perhaps ponder: what is my fear trying to tell me or how is it trying to protect me? And then you can have a productive dialogue with your fear where you acknowledge its desire for you to be safe and successful. Oftentimes once you do that, the fear can step aside and you can take over again.
Yet another great prompt! The self-judgement statement that really jumped out at me from the photo was “Who am I to be doing this work?” as it is a question that dogged me for a long time. It also seems that imposter syndrome and a lack of self-belief tends to affect women more than men.
One thing that nudged me into questioning the validity of this particular ‘background conversation’ was something the Indo-British film director Gurinder Chadha talked about. She had been struggling to find a way to tell stories that felt authentic to her, while also feeling like she didn’t belong in the world of filmmaking. However, she eventually realised that all the things she thought were barriers were actually what gave her a unique perspective and that the key question to ask herself was: “What are the stories that only I can tell?”
I’m finding this question very helpful in figuring how where my path of most value lies too…
"What are the stories that only I can tell?" is such a powerful question! That is exactly the kind of mental and emotional reframing that women, especially women of color, need in order to really take up space and make themselves seen/vulnerable in ways that the world needs.
I've been really struggling with procrastination lately. I don't utilize negative talk, it's more of a confidence that when I get to it, I'll get it done well. My brothers playfully call me an adrenaline junky... because I love extreme sports like kite surfing and heli-skiing. I've done a lot of therapy to move out of survival mode in my everyday life, and I tend to be productive with a laid back approach to things. My new PhD adventure has me questioning, “Who am I to be doing this work?” and most times I can clarify this with the extensive experience I bring with me, but the field I'm most interested in researching (mentorship), feels like I'm staring up at Mt. Everest without the appropriate gear. As I sat reflecting on what mantras I can create, I realize that I wait to get close to the deadline of my assignments, so the adrenaline can kick in for me to buckle down. I've started using post-it notes to create my reading lists, and crossing them off feels like I accomplish things. Instead of mantras, I created steps I need to accomplish to move my writing forward. I'm hoping this will prove fruitful as a long term writing strategy and the finished pieces can serve as the adrenaline rush. 🤓
Love your Mt. Everest metaphor! It reminded me that back in my first year of grad school, I used to always tell people, “It feels like I’m trying to figure skate in the Olympics but I’m wearing rental skates 😩”. (If you’re not familiar – rental ice skates, at least at the rink where I grew up, always had worn-out, broken-down leather and dull blades and were impossible to even skate straight line in.) Not sure when or how exactly that rental skate feeling eventually passed, but pass it did! And yours will too :) 🏔️
Really love this one! The way we talk to ourselves makes all the difference, doesn’t it? Positive intention statements are important to me (I keep them on my bathroom mirror for while I’m brushing my teeth and above the kitchen sink for when I’m doing dishes), but I hadn’t thought to call them mantras before! That term feels so perfect because it captures how these are so much more than just goals. They integrate work accomplishment with personal, even spiritual, growth in the most beautiful way. Thanks, Leslie! 🌸
Thanks for this lovely prompt, Leslie! I have to practice this magic trick over and over and over again, transforming "I'm a painfully slow and nitpicky writer" into "I'm a meticulous and craft-focused writer."
Soooo good! What I appreciate about this is how this prompt shows that changing how we talk to ourselves and each other is truly a practice, something we have to deliberately engage in continually if we want to make a change. The mantras are so *observational* as opposed to assessing, which is what being a scholar is aaaaalllllll about.
Such a good point, Michelle!
Love it!!!
Very interesting. I've read that procrastination is fear based and the prompt definitely has that underlying fear of imposter syndrome and self-doubt. But I don't think I'm procrastinating because of negative self-talk. But this is making me wonder what the fear is that I am actually avoiding. And isn't life grand, I just did a teeny lit review on academic procrastination for my book. LOL. So I think I'll go finish writing up that section and then use it on myself to see what I discover. Off we go!!!
Sometimes we call it procrastination when really what’s happening is that the work is taking longer than we expected and requiring (as creative work always does) percolation and downtime to emerge. If you’re not engaging in negative self-talk or self-sabotage, I wonder if what you’re experiencing is not procrastination at all but just the work taking the time that it takes!
I was thinking along those same lines. But in finishing up a tidbit in C3 so I can go back to procrastination literature, I did realize that I AM AFRAID OF CHAPTER FIVE. So perhaps the longer I stay in 2, 3 and 4, the longer I can avoid C5? I just made a lot of notes in the file for five about why I was avoiding it and might preface the chapter that way. Hah! (or haha)
And my plan was to to write, 2 - 6, then double back to get the C1 and C7 book ends done (pun not intended). But now I wonder if I should just let 5 hang out there as the last chapter to finish and feed it as a more organic process. Organic and emerging, fluid and dynamic . . . . which was always code for "I don't know what I'm doing" but let's have that be ok.
As I'm sure you know, Rebecca, there's a whole literature out there on the creative potential of procrastination!
Very much ok! Happy writing 😄
Thank you, Rebecca, for engaging so deeply with my post! I'm glad it's sparking some insight into your own process. Fear is such a huge part of writing. I always think of inner critics as having a helpful protective intent, even if it feels pretty bad when they arrive. So perhaps ponder: what is my fear trying to tell me or how is it trying to protect me? And then you can have a productive dialogue with your fear where you acknowledge its desire for you to be safe and successful. Oftentimes once you do that, the fear can step aside and you can take over again.
Yet another great prompt! The self-judgement statement that really jumped out at me from the photo was “Who am I to be doing this work?” as it is a question that dogged me for a long time. It also seems that imposter syndrome and a lack of self-belief tends to affect women more than men.
One thing that nudged me into questioning the validity of this particular ‘background conversation’ was something the Indo-British film director Gurinder Chadha talked about. She had been struggling to find a way to tell stories that felt authentic to her, while also feeling like she didn’t belong in the world of filmmaking. However, she eventually realised that all the things she thought were barriers were actually what gave her a unique perspective and that the key question to ask herself was: “What are the stories that only I can tell?”
I’m finding this question very helpful in figuring how where my path of most value lies too…
"What are the stories that only I can tell?" is such a powerful question! That is exactly the kind of mental and emotional reframing that women, especially women of color, need in order to really take up space and make themselves seen/vulnerable in ways that the world needs.
Absolutely, Leslie!
I've been really struggling with procrastination lately. I don't utilize negative talk, it's more of a confidence that when I get to it, I'll get it done well. My brothers playfully call me an adrenaline junky... because I love extreme sports like kite surfing and heli-skiing. I've done a lot of therapy to move out of survival mode in my everyday life, and I tend to be productive with a laid back approach to things. My new PhD adventure has me questioning, “Who am I to be doing this work?” and most times I can clarify this with the extensive experience I bring with me, but the field I'm most interested in researching (mentorship), feels like I'm staring up at Mt. Everest without the appropriate gear. As I sat reflecting on what mantras I can create, I realize that I wait to get close to the deadline of my assignments, so the adrenaline can kick in for me to buckle down. I've started using post-it notes to create my reading lists, and crossing them off feels like I accomplish things. Instead of mantras, I created steps I need to accomplish to move my writing forward. I'm hoping this will prove fruitful as a long term writing strategy and the finished pieces can serve as the adrenaline rush. 🤓
Love your Mt. Everest metaphor! It reminded me that back in my first year of grad school, I used to always tell people, “It feels like I’m trying to figure skate in the Olympics but I’m wearing rental skates 😩”. (If you’re not familiar – rental ice skates, at least at the rink where I grew up, always had worn-out, broken-down leather and dull blades and were impossible to even skate straight line in.) Not sure when or how exactly that rental skate feeling eventually passed, but pass it did! And yours will too :) 🏔️
Good to know, I look forward to it 🥰 thank you!
These can be effective strategies. I will definitely try it out.
Thank you for sharing them!