{"id":16818,"date":"2024-08-30T18:27:29","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T08:27:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lightmygaia.com\/?p=16818"},"modified":"2024-09-03T12:21:59","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T02:21:59","slug":"are-you-drifting-or-driving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lightmygaia.com\/?p=16818","title":{"rendered":"Are you drifting or in the driving seat?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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It\u2019s time to focus on what\u2019s important \u2026 your life and the job you came here to do is important!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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I am so lucky to have so many passions in life and luckier still that I have created businesses around these passions. I\u2019m proud to say I hold recognised qualifications in what I do. I\u2019ve studied hard and worked to defeat the odds against me at certain times of my life.  Integrity and professionalism are important to me across my writing and my \u2018healing\u2019 practice, particularly in an age where people bestow titles of \u201cteacher\u201d, or \u201cguru\u201d on themselves so readily. A<\/span>nd yet \u2013 there has been a feeling of \u2018heaviness\u2019 around the writing side of my business for some time. I sensed a shift and I just couldn\u2019t for the life of me understand where my heavy energy was coming from. Ink runs through my veins but I was feeling disconnected from my joy.  Thankfully (and unexpectedly) my recent trip back to Scotland helped me shine a light on what was really weighing me down. It wasn’t what I thought it was.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve been a professional writer most of my career whether for corporates, government, R&D, private entities or publishing \u2013 you name it. There\u2019s not a \u201cthing\u201d I haven\u2019t written from White Papers, to tender submissions, to radio scripts, advertisements to ebooks, to websites and published articles in magazines.  I\u2019ve  also been a ghostwriter much of that time so I\u2019ve been writing books for people and not-for-profit entities.<\/p>\n

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When you are a copywriter (write for business) or you ghostwrite a book for an individual \u2013 nobody knows who you are, primarily because you are writing \u201cas the business\u201d or as if you are the person who has commissioned you to write their book. You fade into the background so that only your words -and their name (or brand) – remains (hence the \u201cghost\u201d in ghostwriter \ud83d\ude09 ).<\/p>\n

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My childhood dream was to write books, articles, poems or stories that helped other people heal, or feel better about themselves and their lives, and I thought I was living that to a certain extent, but it was during our recent trip to family in Scotland, that I had a profound realisation.<\/p>\n

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Because of my desire to help others, or to do a \u201cgood job\u201d I had allowed myself to be gently carried off on lots of little unseen currents, all taking me further downstream from my intended destination. Somewhere along the lines, I had drifted even though I thought I was in the driving seat.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve spent my career giving my carefully crafted words to others. I was writing. I was happy. I didn’t question it.  My writing career has sustained me.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019m proud to say, I have written a few books now \u2013 all with other people\u2019s names on the cover.  Other people receive the credit and the rave reviews. And yes, I may<\/em> have been paid to write my words, to share my thoughts, ideas and expertise, but 9 times out of 10, not really \u2013 not at the industry rate. The average everyday individual doesn’t have enough disposable income to pay a professional writer a full-time wage.  So I work out ways to make the payment side more manageable for those who have a story to share. A story that will help others.<\/p>\n

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Don\u2019t get me wrong, I know this is what I signed up for. I have loved every moment. I have done a great job for all my clients.  I\u2019ve been able to spend my days writing \u2013 I’ve made it work for them and me. What could be better than that?<\/p>\n

My thinking has been, well if my clients\u2019 books help others, then I am still staying true to my childhood dream to help others through my writing, albeit indirectly.<\/p>\n

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The reality is, no-one knows these thoughts, concepts or words actually come from me – my mind, my creativity or even my spiritual guides \u2026 because I take on and perfect the voice of my client. I sometimes feel I channel my client  to encapsulate their true essence. I enjoy that aspect. It’s a skill I’m proud of. But 2 or 3 years ago, a heaviness set in and I couldn’t shake it.<\/p>\n

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Wake up call<\/b><\/h3>\n

Fast forward 3 years and I’m back home in Scotland. Through conversations with a good friend I realised they had no clue what I did for work – let alone the fact I’d written a few books.  I was a bit shocked by that realisation. I started questioning my whole career. I felt as though I were living  life as a secret agent. Who knew I was this good at keeping things a secret? This seemed to compound my  feelings around the Ghostwriting aspect of my business. i couldn’t quite articulate it yet, but there was a definite ouch moment. Could this mean I wasn\u2019t working in alignment with who I was anymore \u2013  perhaps I wasn\u2019t honouring the road I was meant to travel?  I couldn\u2019t make sense of why this was all starting to irk me …what had changed?<\/p>\n

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I thought long and hard as to whether my heavy energy was due to a lack of recognition – was my ego begging for attention? So many people in my line of work tell me \u201coh you should write a book\u201d and I have often wanted to say \u201coh but I have\u201d…<\/p>\n

While people back home know I\u2019m a “writer”, in some vague sense, they have no awareness of the books I\u2019ve written because I actively keep an air of confidentiality and anonymity around my work. this is my choice as a professional. I also like to nurture my clients as so often the excitement for their project fizzles out when they realise how much work is involved. With this in mind, I soon realised it wasn\u2019t really my ego that was begging for attention -and it wasn’t my friend’s fault that they didn’t know what I did for a living.<\/span><\/p>\n

It didn’t take me long to realise – the ‘revelation’  I experienced back home and the heaviness that surrounded me went straight to the heart of where my own \u201chealing\u201d and \u201ctransformation\u201d was needed. They were little breadcrumbs… I always teach my clients in healing sessions – don’t just stop at the first breadcrumb you come to and think job done – or it holds all the answers…. it’s showing you the way to many more breadcrumbs – and sometimes you have to go deep into the scary forest to find the truth.<\/p>\n

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All those years ago I felt safe <\/em>hiding behind a business or someone else\u2019s story \u2013 making it happen for them gave me a sense of pride in a job well done. After all it\u2019s what I studied for. It suited me that people didn’t know who I was, until I knew whether I was any good. I had a severe case of imposter syndrome brought on by never feeling good enough as a child. I had done so much work on this, perhaps there was more to do. So I kept going, deeper and deeper. Meditating and working with my cards as well as reflecting on when I started to feel the heavy energies around me.<\/p>\n

As a ghostwriter, I have sold more than my words.I\u2019ve also given away my \u201cconnection\u201d to my readers to other people. I\u2019ve shared wisdom that came from my own experience, my voice and something of my spirit too.  When those words started to come through from my higher self, I have to o say this was a big \u201caha\u201d or \u201cwoa\u201d moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

It occurred to me, with all of this reflection, that\u2019s why I loved working in publishing on magazines because I was able to connect more with the readership through feedback from articles I\u2019d written.  The information flowing through me or presented by me was authentic \u2013 it was from me as a result of a life I had lived and the challenges I had overcome. People respond to that and through the process a healing takes place, readers feel seen and validated and a level of understanding and connection is created.<\/span><\/p>\n

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When I attribute my words to others, I miss out on that wonderful connection with the readership because my readers don\u2019t know who I am\u2026<\/p>\n

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Is it time to put your dreams first?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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So where do all those realisations\u00a0 leave me? Hmm well, good question.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m currently working on another book for a client as we speak and it\u2019s on an interesting topic. I am a professional and I have integrity, so I will continue to write the best book I can and give it my all as I always do. \u00a0The book may help the client build their brand even more, and hopefully, it will spark an interest in the readership. BUT, I have come to the realisation that when this book is done, I need to do things differently. I could ask for attribution as a co-author, but energetically that doesn’t feel right either.\u00a0 Something needs to shift!<\/p>\n

The knee-jerk reaction is to say I don’t want to ghostwrite anymore. To say I don’t want to write words attributed to someone else – and yet I love what I do…\u00a0<\/p>\n

“OK, so what do you want?” a voice booms in my head…<\/p>\n

I want to write my books, my poetry and my short stories, using my name so I can connect directly with my audience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was like a “Tada” moment …<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There you have it! The “real”<\/em> reason for my heaviness! It isn’t about being a ghostwriter at all …it’s about the fact I’m not writing my own book too …All this time I’ve just been annoyed at myself – not the work that has sustained me over the years.<\/p>\n

I realised while I had been busy for everyone else, I had neglected my own dreams, hoped and ambitions. This was no-one else’s fault but my own!<\/p>\n

I wake up! Look around and realise I have been drifting in my little boat instead of taking the wheel in my hands.<\/p>\n

When I had this realisation, I can\u2019t tell you how good it felt. I instantly felt the energy within me change. It feels like a necessary step in my spiritual evolution somehow. I didn’t want to give up ghostwriting or copywriting. I still hold the utmost respect and affection for my clients and the corporates I sold my words to. <\/span><\/p>\n

My work over the years has been a necessary part of the healing process for me \u2013 to believe beyond any shadow of a doubt that I had the skills to make it on the global stage, to make a career and sustain myself through my writing, and then to take that expertise and help others.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Spirit was nudging me, making me uncomfortable. A heavy energy is not to be ignored or under-estimated because it can turn into depression. So you follow the signs, you follow the breadcrumbs, on and on, you follow where they lead and you will soon have the answers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I am filled with gratitude for the conversation I had with a friend in Scotland. It’s what made me re-evaluate things.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The message in all of this for those of you who have read this far? Are there aspects of your life that feel stagnant or not going where you planned? Perhaps there are areas of your life where you are drifting rather than taking control in the driver\u2019s seat? Perhaps you are putting everyone else\u2019s needs ahead of your own?<\/p>\n

If you have a dream or a passion in life, you need to be very focussed on what you want\u00a0 \u2013 almost single-minded – and then be vigilant. This in itself can take a lot of energy and can even feel \u201cselfish\u201d at times. I assure you, you will know as soon as that energy becomes heavy and stagnant that you are not in alignment with where you are truly meant to be. You will also regret not elevating your needs alongside everyone else’s (maybe even ahead sometimes).<\/p>\n

It just goes to show sometimes, you just need a little distance from a situation, and the answer will find you. Hopefully, you won\u2019t be drifting too far from shore.<\/p>\n

Love and light beautiful ones xxx<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s time to focus on what\u2019s important \u2026 your life and the job you came here to do is important! I am so lucky to have so many passions in life and luckier still that I have created businesses around these passions. I\u2019m proud to say I hold recognised qualifications in what I do. I\u2019ve studied Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lightmygaia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lightmygaia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lightmygaia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lightmygaia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lightmygaia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16818"}],"version-history":[{"count":57,"href":"https:\/\/lightmygaia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16818\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16912,"href":"https:\/\/lightmygaia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16818\/revisions\/16912"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lightmygaia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lightmygaia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lightmygaia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lightmygaia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}