Ten minutes before I did this cool move, I faffed for five minutes, telling myself the stupid story that I CAN’T DO THIS, IT’S TOO SCARY.
(It’s a ham* spring, btw, in case you’re not familiar with gymnastics vernacular)
Funnily enough, before that triumph, I had never tried to do the thing, so how on earth did I know that I wouldn’t be able to do it?
I DIDN’T KNOW is the correct answer to that question.
So I had a quiet word with myself and got on with it.
It’s not perfect and I have a lot of help from the very springy tumble track and the foam pit, but it’s a start.
Next week I plan to try this on the less springy sprung floor with a crash mat, and hope that I don’t explode my left knee.
We try a thing, and then we iterate, and we try again and again and again until at some point the thing is GOOD, and that’s awesome.
What we DON’T do is start from a place of “I can’t do this wah wah wah” and never even bother.
What have you been telling yourself you can’t do lately?
Have you tried?
If that thing you’ve been saying you can’t do is WRITE YOUR NONFICTION BOOK well hoo-boy do I have some exciting news for you!
Season 7 of MicroBook Magic is starting on October 20.
But you can get on the waiting list right now here.
Quick peep:
- 8 weeks of video lessons, worksheets, and frameworks, gently drip-fed to take you from Big Idea to first draft
- 8 group calls, hotseat style, in which we go through your work
- 8 weeks of office hours in which you can ask me anything
- Personal feedback from me on your structure, writing, and publishing plans
- The option to upgrade to MicroBook Mega to include THREE private 1-1 coaching calls, full proofreading and typesetting of your manuscript, and bonus help from another book-writing professional
I’ll be flinging open the doors in a few days but to make sure you don’t miss out, get your name on the waiting list right now:
Okay, time for this week’s Friday Goodie Bag. Here’s what I’ve harvest for you from around the Internet and beyond…
This news about the ozone layer
Did you know we fixed the hole in the ozone layer? DID YOU? You might be shaking your head at me like “of course we knew Vicky duh” but I remember being very worried about the ozone layer as a kid, then just… nothing. Never really came up again.
The whole world came together, banned CFCs, and the ozone hole is repairing itself. This is why we need to communicate with each other. It’s not only bad news out there, and when we don’t shout about this great news from the rooftops, we forget what we can accomplish when we put our minds together.
Imagine what we could repair in the world if we shut the billionaires up and made our own voices louder than media mobsters.
This sound art installation for good vibes
All those public announcements we hear in train stations and airports and public places… “if you see something, say something” — encouraging us to spy on our neighbours and friends, vigilance in case of an inevitable act of violence, division everywhere. And, fine, it’s good to keep an eye out for trouble and stop it before it begins.
But what if we had positive messages, too, that remind us of all we have in common? Our shared humanity? Artist Chloë Bass thought so too and made this VERY cool art installation for MTA in New York. “Bass makes use of New York City Transit’s PA system with a series of sonic artworks consisting of 24 poetic announcements that build a practice of everyday care and question the usual purposes of public address.”
Messages like: “I like to watch people who are riding with me and imagine what they’re listening to in their headphones.”
Me too. I like to see what books they’re reading (if they’ve not got a phone glued to their face).
World Afro Day!
Did you know it was World Afro Day this week? Nope, me neither — until Yinka (one of my besties) popped up on LinkedIn with an incredible pic of her hair in its natural state and a link to this pretty cool Guiness World Record attempt.
This wonderful piece about division
Ashley Amber Sava is one of my favourite writers on LinkedIn and she wrote this piece about how divided we all are, why that’s happening, and how this division is playing into the hands of those who are hoarding all the world’s wealth and resources and want to destroy the rest of us. And you might think this is melodramatic; it is not. If you’re not scared and angry, you are not paying attention.
Ashley’s piece gives us an insight into what we need to start thinking about and then doing.
This delightful animation that might also make you cry a bit sorry
David Officer is one of my LinkedIn faves because he’s funny, talented, and has something to say. And then sometimes he just finds a piece of audio he likes and makes a cute little animation to go with it. Like this one — enjoy.
What I’m reading
Currently reading Show, Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld. It’s a book of short stories and the first time I’ve read Sittenfeld’s writing, and I’m now wondering where she’s been all my life. She’s a sharp observer of human behaviour and social dynamics in the vein of David Sedaris and Joan Didion, her style of writing is wry and thoughful and funny, and I’m absolutely loving this book.
What I’m writing
Not much at the moment, honestly. I’m trying to go back to playing with my ideas and my words. I wrote a poem in the shower the other day. And started an essay about how spiteful inanimate objects are. I’m taking the pressure off myself and seeing what happens when I just allow myself to follow an idea.
Word of the week
griot
A griot is a storyteller. Specifically, any of a class of musician-entertainers of western Africa whose performances include tribal histories and genealogies.
The role of cultural guardian is an important one in many West African countries — as it should be in all countries — and griots are responsible for caretaking the histories, stories, and genealogies of their people.
Writers, artists, comedians, storytellers — we are the heart of our culture and community and society. We document history, and change, and bring people together, and remind us who we are and what we could be. What could be more important than that?
Quote of the week
“The world does not deliver meaning to you. You have to make it meaningful… And decide waht you want and need and must do.” —Zadie Smith
And if you’d like to experience my magic, MicroBook Magic Season 7 begins on October 20. You can get on the waiting list here.
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How to work with The MicroBook Magician
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