The Art of Starting Over (Again): How to Find Focus When Life Feels Chaotic
This one is for anyone feeling scattered and all over the place.
To be honest, I haven’t written for a couple of days, but this will appear in your inbox as if I have kept up with my 40 days straight of writing.
Nope.
Instead, I got distracted reading about the news, planning and making dinners, taking care of my children, downloaded DuoLingo, and started competing with my son for gems, and committed to a new workout plan. I completely forgot for two days that I was doing this.
I’m back now though, and instead of having time to write this, I spent the past 40 minutes getting a post ready for Substack today.
My first commitment is to post twice a week on Substack. This new 40-day challenge isn’t going to go live until I have finished it and have time to set up these posts. So in honor of the hard work I’ve spent this morning getting this post ready, here it is:
From Closet Writer to Bestseller Dreamer
With two decades between us, I wish I could tell you it will be easy.
I highly recommend writing a letter to your 17-year-old self.
Do you remember how hard it was to be on the verge of adulthood?
To look around and see no examples of the person you hoped to become one day?
When I turned 17, the internet was just getting started and was mostly used for Sims and AOL chat rooms.
At the time, I found self-help books and began to dream of becoming a best-selling self-help author. I knew there were authors out there who were successful, and I was committed to becoming one of them no matter how hard, no matter how many times I failed or how bad of a writer I was at 17 years old.
I would commit my life to writing, and I did.
I also committed to caring for my body and mind. To learning about anatomy, spirituality, massage, and other healing modalities. This became my life mission. To be well and to encourage others to do the same.
I am grateful for the reflection. To look back and to be reminded of how far I have come in the past 24 years. I have a feeling my 60-year-old self will be writing to 41-year-old me and telling her to take it all in. To breathe more deeply. To not let these moments pass me by. And to wake up a little earlier than the kids, for me time.
Lately, I’ve been waking up naturally around 6 a.m. and then forcefully closing my eyes because I don’t want to peel myself from the warmth of the bed. I hear a whisper, a future me, or guides saying, “Get up! Go write, go stretch, get some you time!”
I am fighting hard to stay in bed, but tomorrow I hope to change that. I’m going to envision myself up and writing. See myself enjoying some time to foam roll or rest in child’s pose. See myself up and resting in the quiet of the morning before the chaos begins.
If you’re feeling torn, scattered, and all over the place, these things help me:
-delete my Gmail, IG, & TikTok account from my phone
-write out long to-do lists and decide what’s really needed and what can be put off
-free write to ground myself in the present moment. -take five breaths in a child’s pose
Wishing you a little stillness and ease today.
Love always,
Danielle Mallett
