Ah yes, not getting what you want. It can be pretty nifty in life actually. Failure, as we’ve said before on Stumble Through, is a big part of any process. In this episode we unpack how you can use failure, and the options you have when faced with it.

Steve Pirie is many things, all of them playful and tender and wise. I am so glad that I convinced him to sit down with me. You can scroll down to find his plays for less than $15 each, and then, in a way, you could also sit down with him.

Keep well,

-Paula

EPISODE NOTES:

Things We Mentioned

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That Hemingway quote I thought came from a journal is actual from his memoir, A Moveable Feast. The whole thing goes:

"I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think, 'Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.' So finally I would write one true sentence, and then go on from there. It was easy then because there was always one true sentence that I knew or had seen or had heard someone say."

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We briefly mention stoicism, which is something I mentioned in a previous podcast (and am just a big fan of). Here is a fun TEDed video on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9OCA6UFE-0

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Brené Brown. Mate. She is a research professor, best-selling author, mother, wife, and reformed Shapr spray enthusiast. Go watch her TEDtalk on vulnerability right now, and then DM me your response.

https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability?language=en

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Here is an NY Times article that gives a bit of an overview on Roger Federer and how he went from throwing rackets to maintaining championship titles: https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/sports/tennis/10federer.html

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Imposter syndrome is something that I talk about a lot when I’m not behind a microphone, because it is sooooo pervasive. Here is an excellent explanation and analysis in Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/real-women/201809/the-reality-imposter-syndrome

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We mention some of Elizabeth Gilbert’s thoughts on creativity and money. Here is a little slice of what she has to say about making money OUT of creativity: “…find another way to pay the gas bill. When I was an up-and-coming writer, I decided very early on that I would be my own patron, my own studio wife, my own sugar daddy and that I would never demand that my writing provide for me in any way other than the only way that I know it always will, which is to please me and delight me and make me feel like I’m more than just a bystander and a consumer in the world.”

Read all of it here: https://ideas.ted.com/fear-is-boring-and-other-tips-for-living-a-creative-life/

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Oh, and if you’re wondering, I did end up buying Big Magic. I’m slowly working through it, and letting it work over me. There are a lot of underlinings and dog-eared pages.

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