"Are you truly committed to what you want or are you just enjoying that it is a possibility?" --Brooke Castillo (The Life Coach School)

Judy and I talk about Life Coaching. We get into what a life coach does and why you may want one...whether you're a writer or not.

Now some people may be confused about the difference between a life coach and a therapist--we get into that too.

Watch our conversation on Youtube here

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"Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better." -Sydney J. Harris

Judy and I are so excited for today's episode. We have a BIG announcement...you see, the Sidetracked Sisters are very familiar with change. I think it comes with the territory of being "sidetracked". That said, today we want to share with our listeners some changes we are embarking on. We are ready to get into our thoughts about where the Sidetracked Sisters have been, where we are currently, and where we are going. We want our writing and our podcast to get better. We want to touch and encourage more people. And...we know we can't reach these two goals without making some changes.

Oh, and I can't forget to mention (in the midst of this chaos) that we get into some thoughts about overcoming writer's block.

Change is on the horizon. And guess what? We want YOU to come along for the ride.

Watch our conversation at https://youtu.be/o5_-AZDj1XA and get more information about our membership at https://www.sidetrackedsisters.com

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"An unexamined life isn't worth living." -Socrates

"An examined life is no picnic." -Robert Fulghum

In our conversation, we discuss a variety of reasons why journal writing is so valuable. But perhaps the most important reason is that we write to process current problems and old traumas so that we see the lessons life offers.

We do this processing by following a "Think, Feel, Do" framework. We begin by freely describing a problem or circumstance and then getting into the surrounding thoughts and feelings. Then we follow this up with a listing of our actions...how we responded, or how we wish we had reacted. It's a valuable strategy to process and consider how you want to move forward.

Watch our conversation at https://youtu.be/AuwAJb3vvN0 and get more information about our membership at https://www.sidetrackedsisters.com

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"Clean and nourish your brain wisely every day. It can easily become a garbage bin." --Philip Arnold

Today, Judy and I talk about why we like to write first thing in the morning. We get into the fact that I am a "morning person" and she is definitely NOT. This doesn't change the fact that morning writing is so important.

It doesn't matter what you call your morning writing. It is sometimes called "morning pages" or "thought downloads"--but whatever you call your journaling time, it is like clearing out the junk, getting the garage cleared out...just really dealing with the gunk that would otherwise muck up our brains!

Watch our conversation at https://youtu.be/jgFFto0R9nQ and get more information about our membership at https://www.sidetrackedsisters.com

#sidetrackedsisters #sidetrackedlegacies #storytelling #legacybuilding #MorningPages #thoughtdownload #morning #morningwriting #journalingcommunity

“Why doesn’t constant trampling defeat the dandelion? The key to its strength is its long and sturdy root, which extends deep into the earth. The same principle applies to people. The true victors in life are those who, enduring repeated challenges and setbacks, have sent the roots of their being to such a depth that nothing can shake them.” ― Daisaku Ikeda

Welcome to the "Sidetracked Legacies" podcast #124.

In today's episode, Judy and I riff on dandelions! We talk about what happens when you stop and smell the dandelions. It opens up questions, thoughts, ideas, and memories for us. We can use this experience as a tool to get deeper into our writing practice...deeper into ourselves. The practice helps to grow our roots.

We also explore how learning and writing are best explored with a playful attitude.

What we really want for ourselves and our audience is to use tools (like dandelions) to live more in the moment, live our best life, and help us appreciate beauty--wherever it may be found.

"Writing helps open you up. It is peeling the onion. We always get deeply into other layers as we pull the one from the outside off. We even get tears sometimes when we do that." --Judy Goodson

I thought Judy was speaking such words of wisdom when she said that. Later, I found out that others agreed with her comparison...Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, Carl Sandberg is quoted saying, "Life is like an onion. You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep." Wow. Judy and Carl Sandberg...who'd have known?!?

Today Judy and I got together and discussed how writing is a practice. Thinking about the similarities between writing, life, and onions, we recognize how all three have layers and bring out emotion.

We talk about how we aren't going for perfection in our writing. We use it as a practice. The writing gets us into a writer's awareness of the world and our experiences in it.

Next, we get into what we do when we feel resistance to writing and how common that resistance is when it's time to write. We actually have begun to expect resistance and just...do it anyway!

We give ourselves permission to write whatever comes. It's even ok to let the worst junk come through our pens and sit on the page.

Later we move into Judy's process to write poetry.

Wrapping up this session, Judy and I talk about how writing fits within the concept of the "blue zones". It helps us in a meditative kind of way. It helps us downshift and become more aware of our own minds. It also connects us with our right tribe--people who are interesting to us and interested in us. Writing helps us bond with others who are like-minded.

"Whether you're keeping a journal or writing a meditation, it's the same thing. What's important is that you're having a relationship with your mind." --Natalie Goldberg

Today Judy and I got together and discussed making time to write. Thinking about the quote by Natalie Goldberg, I can't help but recognize the importance of TIME when you are building a relationship. You can't have a deep, solid, intimate relationship with anyone (even your own mind) if you don't devote time to the process.

In this episode, we talk about making time for writing. It's not something that you FIND time to do, you MAKE the commitment to the time.

Some of our favorite people talk about the importance of committing time to write: Hal Erod talks about "scribing" in The Miracle Morning, Julia Cameron talks about "morning pages" in The Artist's Way, and Mathew Dicks in his books Someday is Today and Storyworthy gets into the concept of "homework for life". Each of these people encourages us to make time daily to record our thoughts, experiences, and random brain droppings.

Judy and I talk about what this looks like for us. We get into how writing works for non-writers too. It is for anyone who is trying to do anything creative. Whether you are a teacher, a dancer, a lawyer, a stay-at-home mom, or a retired real estate agent...journal writing, daily scribing, is for those of us who want to nurture our own life experience and connect to an inner power source.

“I must write it all out, at any cost. Writing is thinking. It is more than living, for it is being conscious of living.” -Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Today Judy and I talked about how writers use writing to become more thoughtful and aware of life. Judy uses the analogy of living life as a swimmer diving under the surface to explore the depths when we write about our lives.

We also briefly talk about using small notebooks to record lists, inspirational quotes, and observations that feel important at the moment.

Near the end, we get into the idea that we don't always write to impart knowledge...but to inform ourselves, remind ourselves, teach ourselves, and maybe even use writing to keep ourselves accountable to what is important to us.

Finally, we offer a challenge quick daily writing challenge.

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"It's a human need to be told stories. The more we're governed by idiots and have no control over our destinies, the more we need to tell stories to each other about who we are, why we are here, where we come from, and what might be possible." -Alan Rickman

This quote seemingly came out of nowhere when I surfed on social media the other day. When it did, I was speechless and knew I had the seed for something exciting for Judy and me to talk about. So, in this episode, we get into the value of digging up our past and sharing it with others. We discuss the significance of honoring the who and the why of our present, the where of our past, and the what of the future we might create.

"Memory takes a lot of poetic license. It omits some details; others are exaggerated, according to the emotional value of the articles it touches, for memory is seated predominantly in the heart." --Tennessee Williams

Today Judy and I talk about sharing our legacy writing by telling our stories. We use poetic license to share in a way that feels true and elevates a story in a way that makes it interesting to tell and causes our readers to want to learn more. Not that our storytelling is in any way artificial or false, but we want to write in a way that helps us reflect on the experience and draws our readers in.

We also get into how our writing has a connection with meditation. We are able to get into a deeper place and quiet our monkey mind when we put our pen to the paper and remember...

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and get more information about our membership at https://www.sidetrackedsisters.com