Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 4: BECOMING

"We have to rewrite ourselves again and draw all new maps." --Mary-Louise Parker

This quote is from Mary-Louise Parker's book entitled, "Dear Mister You," in which she writes letters to a number of men who have been significant in her life. I read it while finishing up, "Write Your Life!" and it fit perfectly for the introduction to the penultimate - and perhaps most important - chapter called, naturally, "Write Your Life!"

There is too much going on in that chapter to cover it in one blog post, so I am going to share a different exercise today, one that hopefully will give you a roadmap for where you want to go next.

For this exercise you will need a few sheets of paper (or your journal if you prefer), a pen, and two sessions of about forty-five minutes each of uninterrupted time, maybe a bit less.

Start by taking three deep breaths. Set your meditation timer for five minutes and allow yourself to just BE for a few minutes before you begin.

Now draw a map of your life. Where did you come from? Where have you been? Where are you going? Draw pictures, write notes, whatever works best for you. Draw a map of your WHOLE life, including the parts you haven't lived yet. Have fun with this and let your creativity flow. Try not to censor or react to what you are drawing (and don't judge the artwork, that is SO not the point), just draw.

When you are done, set it aside for at least thirty minutes, up to a day or so.

When you come back to your map, look at it objectively. What do you like about it? What don't you like? (Again, not the artwork, but the content.) What would you like to change?

Take a second piece of paper and draw a new map - the map of your dreams. What do you wish your life had been like? What do you wish it was like now? What do you wish for your future? Again, don't censor or judge, just draw.

When you are done and pleased with your map, find a place to hang it up or keep it where you can look at it often. Allow this "re-do" to infuse your life and guide you in the future.

In reality we cannot change our pasts, but that does not mean we cannot draw all new maps and live "as if" that were our reality. How would this change how you move in the world? How would it change how you see yourself? How you see others? Allow this new map to overlay your original life map and make positive changes wherever possible.

I would love to hear how this experience was for you and am always open to questions about any of the exercises or meditations. Feel free to comment below or on my Facebook Community Page, Being & Becoming. Have a great week!

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