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[Kriss]

Somebody said to me once, “Oh, that’s so cool that you’re a writer. How do you do that?”

Today’s quote answers that very question: “Don’t be a writer; be writing.”

[Music]

[Kriss]

Welcome back! I’m Kriss, and I’ll be your positivity powerhouse today. 

Today, we’re gonna talk about a guy named William Faulkner. Faulkner is one of the most decorated American writers of the 20th century.

He’s won a Nobel Prize in Literature, he’s won, I think, two Pulitzers for his writing, and he’s been on Top 100 Lists all over the place for works like, The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, and Absalom, Absalom.

I think everybody on Earth has read Faulkner’s works. 

(Except for me. Don’t tell anyone.)

He’s on my list. You know, the list of books that you want to look, that, for most people, is this long, and, for me, it’s about THIS LONG of books that you want to read.

So, he’s on the list. He’s not at the top of the list, but he’s on there. He’s there on the list.

But the quote from today doesn’t come from a book that he wrote. It comes from an interview that he gave that was excerpted in The Daily Princetonian in 1958, and it’s a little bit long, so I’m going to read the whole thing from right below my camera.

“Don’t be a writer, but, instead, be writing. Being a “writer” means being stagnant. The act of writing shows movement, activity, life. When you stop moving, you’re dead. It’s never too soon to start writing, as soon as you learn to read.”

How awesome is that?

First off, gotta address “when you stop moving, you’re dead.”

Well, yeah, if your heart stops moving, your lungs stop moving, you’re dead. 

It reminds me of sharks, because I seem to remember somewhere back in the, you know, annals of history, learning that sharks have to keep moving, or they die. They have to keep swimming.

Which, of course, leads to Dory in little Nemo, going, “Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming” until she forgets what she’s saying in the middle of saying it, which I’ve been known to do as well.

So, we’re back around to me again. Awesome!

So, how does this quote impact the Triple M of Mood, Mindset, and Motivation?

Well, I’ll tell you.

Mood

For mood, it brings up a whole slew of feelings because I look at it not just as being a “writer” versus “being writing”, I also look at it as being a “singer” instead of “singing”, or being a “podcaster” instead of “podcasting”, or being a “creative person” or doing “creative person things”.

Things like, I don’t know, paper craft, or sewing, or coloring, painting, sculpture, whatever your creative thing is that you do, “being that”, being a person who does that versus “doing that”.

So, for me, it reminds me to be centered. To focus on what I’m doing, so that I can do it to the best of my ability.

It reminds me that I’m fulfilled by these amazing things I get to do.

I get to write!

Like, I’m writing two books right now.

I get to sing, I get to compose music. I’m in the middle of a piece right now. 

I get to color. I’m actually creating an adult coloring book to go with Positivity Powerhouse.

I get to do all these amazing things because I CAN, because that’s who I am.

I’m delighted that I get to do this thing that I’m so passionate about as my vehicle to help other people.

People like you.

No, no, not you.

YOU.

YOU. RIGHT THERE.

WITH THE FACE, YOU.

I feel capable and confident when I’m doing these things, which isn’t always the state of things. I am not always capable or confident.

I’m a HUGE introvert, I’m like the biggest introvert you’ll ever meet.

Hmmm, so why is the biggest introvert you’ll ever meet podcasting?

Because I can use that to help other people who are huge introverts. 

I can show them, “Hey! You can do this!”

There’s, like, you don’t have to talk to people, you can talk to a computer. You don’t have to leave your room ever, you can stay right here where it’s safe. Stay put, stay.

When I’m writing, when I’m podcasting, singing, creating, doing any of these things that I’m so blessed to have the talent to do, I’m not in as much physical pain. 

In case you missed earlier episodes, I’m disabled, and a lot of it is chronic pain issues. So, I don’t remember the last time I was not in pain. 

Like, it’s been that long. 

I don’t remember.

On an average day, on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the worst pain you’ve ever felt in your life, I’m generally about a 7, just sitting here, you know, not doing anything.

So, when I’m creating, it takes all that away, which is amazing.

It doesn’t take it all away. It takes a lot of it away.

Like, my pain right now, I’m podcasting, it’s down to about a 4, and hey! From a 7 to a 4, that’s huge! 

It also takes away a lot of the psychological pain. In case you missed earlier episodes, I’m crazy. I have severe mental illness, and because of that, interacting with people can get a little interesting sometimes. 

But, I’m just talking to my computer, so it’s fine.

It’s just fine.

But it takes some of that away. It calms me down, reduces the anxiety, reduces the mania, reduces the depression, reduces all of the crazy brain stuff.

Because I’m so focused on the creation of the thing.

Mindset

As far as mindset goes, it reminds me that I can call myself anything I want, but until I take action on the thing, I’m not actually that thing.

For example, I could call myself a rocket scientist all day long, but until I actually do rocket science, I’m not a rocket scientist. 

Anybody want to take odds on how likely it is that I’m doing rocket science?

Anybody?

Anybody and anyone?

No?

OK! Smart people I have listening, because I’m never, ever, ever, ever, ever going to be a rocket scientist. Never.

I don’t think I could be any kind of scientist, unless it’s in the social sciences or, you know, psychology, sociology, the humanities, somewhere, you know, in that neck of the woods, maybe.

But not rocket science. That’s, like, way too much, science-y stuff.

Motivation

When it comes to motivation, it’s really simple: I like being the things I am.

I like being a writer.

I like being a podcaster.

I like being a singer.

I like being a composure.

I like being a musician.

I like being a poet.

I like being an author.

I like being a colorer.

I like being a paper crafter.

I like being a creative person in general.

I like these things that I am, and since I like the things that I am, I need to do the things that I do that support the things that I am.

I’m a writer, I like being a writer, so I like to write.

I like being a musician, so I like doing music.

Faulkner reminded me that the doing is the essential part of life. The doing is the most important part of the whole mess. 

So, you can go out and be a human being.

I’m gonna be a human doing. 

So, I must go forth, I must go do. 

See ya next time!

[Outro]

So, what do you say? What do you have to say? I wanna know! So, reach out to me. You can hit me up three different easy ways, where I’m guaranteed to see what you’re talkin’ about. 

First, you can find me on Facebook. The group is called, “Positivity Power Club.” (I’m reading over a list right here to make sure I get everything right.) “Positivity Power Club” is for listeners of this podcast, clients of my coaching business, Positivity Powerhouse, and supporters of Positivity Powerhouse and the message who maybe aren’t listening, maybe aren’t coaching clients, but have the mindset, wanna work on the mindset, wanna get it right. All three of those groups can be found inside the PosPow Club. 

Second, you can reach at positivitypowerhouse.com. Right there on the front page, there’s a contact form where you can reach out to me either through a general contact, because you wanna work with me, or because you wanna reach out with your own question about the Three M’s: Mood, Mindset, Motivation. I’m all about the lists. Can you tell? We’ve got three ways to contact me, three m’s, three. 

The third way to get a hold of me is email, and this one gets a little long. First, it’s Kriss, k-r-i-s-s, two s’s, very important. kriss@positivitypowerhouse.com. 

All three of those means of communication are places that I monitor, that I keep careful track of, so if you wanna reach out, those are the ways to do it. 

I can’t wait to hear from you, and I’ll see ya next time. 

[Music]