All too often, many of us fall into the shadow of society. We wake each morning with the best of intentions—today, will be different, today, I will change—only to find ourselves right back where we started. Stuck. Stuck in an ever-spinning cycle of expectations and our inability to match impossible demands. True happiness cannot exist here. It blurs past, so tantalizing close, yet just out of reach. Unless we halt the cycle and unravel ourselves from these societal expectations, life may continue as merely that: a blur.
The key to embracing personal freedom and fulfillment lies in self-discovery. But sometimes, the most difficult journey involves listening to yourself and following wherever that may lead. Simple enough formula, right? Not necessarily. And that’s okay.
Two Bend locals—bestselling writer and writing coach Linden Gross and life coach Carol Delmonico—facilitate this self-discovery by unearthing the power of writing. Don’t worry, this is not the kind of writing you have to do for business reports and lengthy emails. This is the kind that acts as a powerful tool to explore your subconscious. “Writing can really tap into feelings inside of yourself that you didn’t know about,” explains Linden.
On January 16, 2012, Linden and Carol will introduce their Write Balance program in conjunction with the Andrew Weil, MD seminar. In his writings, Dr. Weil discusses how to shift your paradigm of emotional health to create an optimal state of wellbeing. Through the Write Balance, Linden and Carol help you actually figure out what that optimal state of well-being is for you.
The program has two components. Through story and reflective writing prompts, the Write Balance workbook guides you along a quest for self-discovery. This written exploration revolves around the Write Balance Wheel, which identifies the five key players in everyone’s journey to find themselves: societal influences and beliefs, self-awareness, conscious choice, connection, and commitment.
Following the seminar, Linden and Carol will host Write Balance Salons. Registrants will have the opportunity to write about each portion of the Write Balance Wheel, as well as to also share their work. Often in daily life, our surroundings drown out us. Unable to act upon our deepest desires or share how we truly feel, we march along, unheard.
But in the Write Balance Salon no one interrupts. No one reacts. Your words are literally the last spoken. And as a result, they—and you—gain power. “When we know each others’ stories, we can have more empathy,” says Carol. “We can help ourselves and each other just by listening.”
Three Write Balance Salons, each limited to twelve participants, will be held from 1-6pm on Saturday January 28, February 11 and March 3. To book your spot in an upcoming Write Balance Salon or to order a copy of the Write Balance workbook (or even to obtain tickets to the Andrew Weil seminar) contact Linden at linden@lindengross.com.
This is your chance to discover what really makes you tick so that you can live the life that truly reflects your core needs and values. Linden and Carol look forward to helping you find the Write Balance.
Sarah Benesi is a freelance writer living in Seattle, transplanted from Boston. She documents her musings on her blog, These Turbulent Times (www.theseturbulenttimes.blogspot.com), and recently graduated from college with a degree in Mass Media Communications.
