In this episode, my guest, international poet, author, speaker and workshop leader, Anthony Flynn DeSilver, shares how to use mindfulness to avoid procrastination to enhance any authors writing ability.

Contact Anthony Flynn DeSilver
For a discounted copy of Albert’s book, click below
“Path to Awakening: A Year to Becoming an Excellent Writer & Living an Awakened Life.”

Contact Ellen Violette
For a Complimentary Bestseller Brainstorming Session
Click on the session title.

Summary

Have you been intrigued about the power of mindfulness and meditation and its relationship to creativity? – but intimidated by how it actually works? Bestselling author and teacher Albert Flynn DeSilver walks us through the basics on this episode of The Books Open Doors® Podcast.

The author of “Path to Awakening: A Year to Becoming an Excellent Writer & Living an Awakened Life” is sharing with host, Ellen Violette, the story of how he came to tap into the power of intentionality as well as actionable tips to help us do the same. In addition to the calm and connection with our deepest selves, it’s a way to bust through procrastination and all the hobgoblins that keep us from the act of creating (things like fear, doubt and self-recrimination). You’ll come away excited to uncover and celebrate the innate genius that resides within us all – IF we’re willing to do the work required. That means sitting down and writing, even when it feels impossibly hard!

Albert is also showing us why supportive, nurturing friends and mentors are so critical to the writer’s process and suggesting guardrails to prevent the excuses that so often keep us stuck (or leave us standing in front of the fridge!). With his list of helpful strategies for defeating negativity, this maestro of mindfulness is pointing the way for writers who aspire to hone their craft. “We think we’re writing alone – and there’s that aspect to it,” says Albert. “But really it takes a village.” Looking for that sense of connection and support? It starts here, with The Books Open Doors® Podcast community!

And here are links for (as mentioned on the episode): The Van Gogh Immersive Exhibit as well as Julian Schnabel’s 2021 film about the seminal artist, “Eternity at the Gate.”

Key Quotes

 “I always have a mindfulness and meditation component (to anything I teach) … It’s the way to get to that authentic voice. It’s the way to overcome all those hindrances that we experience as creative people: Writer’s block, procrastination, fear, self-doubt, self-recrimination.”

“When we sit together in conscious community – whether we’re 10,000 miles or 10 feet away –  that intentionality and that presence and collective connection can happen and connect people to their authentic, creative selves.”

“We think we’re writing alone and there’s that aspect to it. But really it takes a village.”

“We can actually be conscious about all these different aspects of our day … and how we show up.”

“What is procrastination? It’s avoidance. It’s fear. It’s self-doubt. And if we think of those qualities of emotion, through the practice of mindfulness and meditation, we can start to sit with them and see them for what they are: Just energies that are temporary.”

“(Let procrastination) become an agent of support rather than an agent of avoidance.”

“Have a place where you feel the most creative energy and go there.”

“A lot of people think you have to have certain talents to do anything creative in this world, but that’s simply not true … The key is (just) to show up, even when you’re exhausted and it really, really sucks.”

“We can be successful when we stay the course and get mentors and a good, conscious community.”

Key Takeaways:

• Abert’s philosophy is that the way into meaningful mindfulness is through sitting with a teacher who can help uncover and access radiant truth.
• Connecting with others helps us connect creatively with ourselves.
• Sitting consistently in silence enables us to remove artificial barriers to our most authentic, creative selves and commune with others around qualities of love, kindness, beauty.
• Why consciously cultivating community, however we define it, is very important for nourishing and sustaining our creative spirits.

  Actionable Tips for Mindfulness:

• Set a timer as a reminder to turn away from your computer, close your eyes and take a few mindful breaths.
• Intentionally create spaciousness within and set intention for the tasks at hand.
• Resist the urge to compare yourself against other authors!
• When writers meditate, they are tapping into a creative field that otherwise might be inaccessible; a space that contains deep wisdom, knowledge and insight.
• About procrastination: What is it? Avoidance, fear, self-doubt – qualities of emotion that are just energies that we can observe and move through.
• Through mindfulness, the fears and what-ifs that we conjure can be transmuted into curiosity and wonder. It starts with simply inviting and sitting with the fear.
• When we’re out of touch, we’re out of awareness and vulnerable to avoidant behaviors that do not serve us, like trips to the fridge. Try writing about the procrastination you’re experiencing as a way to connect with and move through it.
• Albert’s best advice for writers who want to improve their craft:
  • Practice! Show up day after day, even when you’re uninspired.
  • It’s about doing it; not thinking about it.
  • There’s no ideal time. Something is always going to come up. So just start!
  • If you’re going through a challenge, use journaling as a tool to stay connected.
  • Create a supportive, energetically positive environment with creative flow.
  • Gather reminders of literary heroes and angels who inspire and cheer you.
• Albert’s take on the lessons of Van Gogh: There are ways to create minus the torment!
• About the Myth of Talent: There are no magical gifts. Ellen and Albert underscore that it’s all about hard work, commitment and showing up … then showing up some more.
• Mentors and community are keys to success. The creative process always contains collaborative elements

  Please join Ellen next week when she hosts Eddie Rodriguez, who is telling us all about his 10 Million Smiles Project!

About Ellen:

Ellen is a multiple #1 bestselling author, 3X award-winning book and business coach, host of The Books Open Doors® Podcast, CEO of Create a Splash/Books Open Doors® Author Services and Grammy-nominated songwriter. She works with high-achieving trainers, coaches, founders and speakers who want to write, publish, launch a book to #1 bestseller and use their book to RISE to the top of their niche! Her company also offers book marketing support. Her mission is to make the world a better place, one book at a time by helping experts get more credibility, make a bigger impact, open doors to unlimited opportunities, make more money and leave a lasting legacy.

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