I had an exceptionally inspirational experience attending the Hay House Writer’s Workshop in New York. It was my first time in New York and my second time spending my hard-earned money on this passion of mine. I quickly realized after stepping off the Vamoose bus that my life was about to change for the better – all because I love typing these little black symbols on a page.
Because I believe in the healing power of sharing, collaborating and other forms of general kick-assery, I’m writing this for you, my fellow writers. No matter if you poke around a journal once in a while or get to flaunt your New York Best Selling Author status, some of this is for you.
With key notes like Nick Ortner of The Tapping Solution, Gabrielle Bernstein of Spirit Junkie fame, Reid Tracy, the CEO of Hay House, Nancy Levin, author of Jump and Your Life Will Appear, and Kristen Noel, the founder of Best Self Magazine, you know I’m about to lay some seriously juicy nuggets of wisdom on you. Enjoy!
Here are 20 Takeaways from my Hay House Writer’s Workshop Weekend:
1. First you need to feel.
Unless you feel and heal, you won’t be able to shine your light. Nick started us off by asking the question, “How does it make you feel when you hear a piece of advice?” He continued by saying, “You haven’t made it until you have a one star review.”
Oh man – right in the feels.
2. Make tiny gains.
You don’t have to do everything at once, in fact, you’re better off taking baby steps. Take small actions. But take them consistently, because it’s only through action that you will receive the valuable feedback you are looking for. It’s only through action that you will get the clarity you need for the next best step.
3. “If you want to clean the house, you must first see the dirt.” Louise Hay
Oh Louise. She has it down, doesn’t she? Awareness. Now please, take a look at your dirt and do the healing work you need to do. Do the work and then write about it. The healing takes place when the body arrives in the present moment, instead of staying in that past moment in time where it was frozen or painful.
4. Don’t be afraid of the tech stuff!
Go learn what you need to learn about your website, it’s conversion rate and the SEO plug in. If you don’t know what the Hell I’m talking about, go find someone who does. Today. Is your site mobile responsive? Yeah, I didn’t know either…but turns out mine was, cuz I have a website Goddess named Michelle Frechette Ames who is well worth her weight in gold. Find her on Facebook.
5. Get your actions aligned with your intention
What do you love? What do you care about? What do you believe in? Please, quit making choices that do not serve that bigger dream. Make choices that align you with what you really love.
6. Don’t pitch, share
Gabby taught us that it is sharing your inspired, authentic story that heals. That’s really all you need to know when you decide to go write – write your heart out people.
7. You have a responsibility to get your work into the world
Fear schmear. Your fear is boring. Writing is how you breathe. So go write. And get your awesome message to us. We want to be saved.
8. If you’ve written something (a blog, a post, a tweet, an article) that’s not in alignment with your truth, go fucking delete that thing.
You know this – you can feel it. You wrote it but it came from some other place than your true heart. Delete it. You’ll thank me later.
9. Healing one person is enough
We all want the New York Times Best Seller. But mostly it’s about that one person walking down the street. So work on that one person. Set the intention to help that one person. The rest will come.
10. You will be free inside of your outline
Write an outline first. Before anything else. For your book, your proposal, your talk, your speech, your blog, your workshop, whatever. You will be free within the structure of that outline.
11. Say a prayer before everything you write and put out into the world.
From Gabby – “May this post/article/blog/workshop be seen by the readers who need it. May this serve all the people who need it the most. Thy will be done.” The idea here is that your work is bigger than you. Ask the universe how you can best serve.
12. Find a spiritual running buddy
Everyone needs this buddy. Someone to talk to. Someone to read your stuff and bounce ideas off of. Someone to try out your stories on. Test your stuff out on them…see if they understand what you are doing and where you are going.
13. Do a hero detox.
Your idols are just reflecting back to you the light that you are shining. Believe in yourself. “Stand in the acknowledgement of your worthiness.” Nancy Levin
14. Don’t mess with inspiration
Gabby reminded us that not everyone has the privilege of finding their tribe or feeling inspired. When you feel it, don’t mess with it. Honor it. Be grateful for it. Never lose sight of that privilege.
15. Get excited about your message
If your own message doesn’t move you, you will not move the reader. Get excited. Let us feel it.
16. Don’t resist the platform
If you don’t know what a platform is, it’s okay, but if you’re wanting to write a book, please go buy “Platform – Get Noticed in a Noisy World.” If you want to sell a lot of books, you’ll need a big platform. If you want to be noticed by any publisher, you’ll need a platform. Resist if you will, but sooner or later you’ll have to come around to the truth of the matter – a platform is how you’ll share your awesomeness with the world.
17. Get as much editing as you can afford
Everyone needs an editor. You may be a super awesome writer, but when it comes to selling your message, writing your own copy might be tough. Get help. As much of it as you can. It will be worth it.
18. Take care of the readers you have
Don’t forget to take care of the people who already know and love you. If you are setting your sights on all the other marketing and forgetting to nourish relationships with the ones who’re already on board, you are missing a huge opportunity. The number one way books are sold are through word of mouth. Nourish the relationships with the people you already know.
19. If you’re stuck, most likely you’re operating from a commitment you made long ago.
Being stuck can sometimes be the result of unconscious patterns of behavior. Shining a light on those patterns can be a game changer. What’s the commitment you made in your childhood that runs your show even today? “I’ll stay quiet in order to be safe/loved,” was one of mine. Please look at www.NancyLevin.com for more info about discovering these hidden blocks.
20. If you’re in alignment with your desires, there’s no wrong way to live your life.
If you want to write more than anything you’ve ever done, then write. Honor your deepest desires. They’re the fuel. They’re the lighthouse. They’re the constant, cheering companion to your dreams.
Laura Probert, MPT is an expert healer, teacher and writer. She’ll show you how integrating mind body and soul is the journey to passion and power. She helps you wake up, be brave, heal your shit and do what you love. She’s a regular contributor for The Huffington Post, Wild Sister Magazine and MindBodyGreen. Her articles have been featured at Tiny Buddha, Black Belt Magazine and Elephant Journal. When she’s not writing you’ll find her with her kids, dogs or a horse, or taste-testing dark chocolate. Find her Writing for Warrior Healing programs at Writers Circle and www.Facebook.com/KickAssWarriorGoddess
