Hello from gorgeous cow country in upstate NY!
As the nature around me thaws, the world seems to be freezing into another period of indecision, fear, and probably lockdown. People are scared. People are dying.
And yet, now more than ever, there is a possibility to move forward and to make something of this dark winter. Because if we don't, we will regret it for the rest of our lives.
After my latest youtube video, I had a long and interesting conversation with someone who essentially took umbrage that I was using my platform to encourage reckless behavior. He said, in effect, that I should instead tell everyone to mask up and listen to the proper authorities.
But that's not my message for your today. My message is this: if we don't take this COVID time to radically reset our relationship to the world around us, we may never recover. This is our generation's Dunkirk. This is the time for us to dive deeply into our talents and our gifts, and then to share them with others. To shine a light in others' darkness. To do what Aragorn did in The Lord of the Rings: accept that this doom is ours, and to become kings of our respective realms, whatever they may be.
What does that mean? If you're a writer, write like your life depends on it. If you're an artist, paint something that would make Van Gogh weep. If you're a mother, spend those hours with your children in ways that will etch life-long memories into their hearts.
Accept your quest, whatever it may be. Then, with humility and purpose, share your gift with others. I talk about this in the last video in my series "Resilience and Courage Through Story". (click the image to see the video)
Resources on Accepting your Quest
1. The trick about what I'm recommending here is that you don't become puffed up about it. Aragorn was never bombastic. He hid his kingship until the final moment. And he never led with fear, which is becoming the default mode for many in leadership these days. Here are some helpful tips on How to Lead with Gentleness, Not Fear.
2. As I mentioned in the video above, you can't really assume the mantle of leadership of any kind until you've at least begun work on yourself. This is a central tenet of Russian philosopher Ivan Ilyin's books Foundations of Christian Culture. Even if you're not a Christian, his words about culture creation are not to be missed.
3. As the world gets increasingly chaotic around us, I dare say all of us will have mornings when it seems a far wiser thing to simply stay in bed and hope it all goes away. To help you, here is a Complete Guide to Motivation
4. Finally, even if you feel like you don't have much to offer in the manner of grand quests, at least what you can do is tell someone a story well. Here is an excellent guide in How to Tell Awesome Stories to Your Kids (or to anyone, really).
Coming soon!
If you are a writer, I have a gift for you.
If you're like me, and accepting a quest means finally writing that book you've always intended to, then I have something that you'll love.
After a year's worth of coaching wonderful writers at all points of the publishing journey, I have found that there are a few indispensable things that everyone agrees improves their writing and makes them excited to sit before a computer screen again.
I am going to share those with you in a free webinar I'm giving titled...
3 Easy and Effective Ways to Be the Writer You've Always Wanted to Be
Click the above link to sign up for the webinar. You don't want to miss it. Those who come live will get additional gifts from me. So mark the date in your calendar: November 30, 2020 at 3 pm Eastern time.
I hope to see you there!
And thank you for coming along with me on my writerly adventures!
~Nicky
P.S. Be sure to invite your writer friends along to the webinar!