New Thought

I’m thinking all the time. I think as soon as I wake up in the morning, I think while I meditate even though the point of that practice is to let thoughts go; I think while I exercise and shower and shave, and I think while I make and eat my breakfast. On and on it goes through the day. Sometimes I think about things that have been bothering me, and sometimes I think about things that please me. If there’s a switch that can stop my thinking, I haven’t found it.

Strangely, most of what I think about are things I’ve thought about before. I tell myself the same stories over again, have the same arguments, or relive the same happy moment. These old thoughts still have some energy, can still hold my attention, but they are familiar, like my favorite coffee shops and restaurants. It’s nice to have a place you can go that is reliably well-run and cheery, and it’s nice to have thoughts that can reliably soothe or even agitate, if that’s what you need.

Yet when I sit down to write, the first thing I must do is still my mind and pull my attention away from all the old thoughts lounging around my head. To write is to invite new thoughts, whether I’m writing fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. Those new thoughts will only come if I am willing to let go of the past. After all, those old thoughts were once new thoughts themselves, having inspired and delighted me. I loved them when they came, and if they were rich enough, I kept them around, exploring and sharing them.

No matter how much pleasure or pain they brought me, they must be set aside to write. They may have led me to where I am now, but it is the new thoughts that will carry me forward. This is yet another reason people who love to write nonetheless avoid writing. The past can become an addiction, something we use to feel a little better. To let go of it seems like losing something known and reliable. Writing is not loss. It is all gain. It is admitting that feeling a little better will not do, and that there is nothing you know better than what you’re interested in right now.

If you like the ideas and perspectives expressed here, feel free to contact me about individual coaching and group workshops.

Fearless Writing: How to Create Boldly and Write With Confidence.
You can find William at: williamkenower.com