Light My Fire!

Writing about the sunshine yesterday reminded me of a favorite meditation involving light. This guided healing meditation uses an image of light moving through the body as you meditate to create an intention of healing. Since this cold still has me down, this journey of light seemed like the right remedy!

Divine Sparkles

Light imagery ignites strong feelings for me. I believe we all have a celestial spark inside that animates us. When I use this guided healing meditation, I imagine a light outside me moving through my body and merging with my own personal pilot light. The moving light helps me focus on the journey and cherish my body, encouraging it to heal itself as only it knows how.

I also use this technique to heal any anxious thoughts or disruptive attitudes that may be plaguing me. Focusing on this process leaves my mind behind, along with all my current preoccupations, work and otherwise. I feel so restored at the end—in fact, I often nod off briefly! Getting away from my mind’s antics and focusing on healing thoughts restores me to a feeling of centeredness and wellness.

Meet My Guru

I learned this meditation from my teacher Steven Sadleir, founder of The Self-Awareness Institute. Visit the website if you’d like to try one of the free downloads. Steven’s style is very easygoing and accessible; he talks about jumping into the Jacuzzi of consciousness—doesn’t that sound like fun? Healing in this way just plain feels better than when I resort to cold medications. No side effects!

Now I’m ready to resume a “rescue” edit and start the craft book that’s waiting in the wings for my attention. I’m ready to focus and fix things, and enjoy my work. You know, I am rejuvenated in a similar way just by being outside in the sunshine, letting it warm me all the way to my bones—no wonder I’m eager for spring to arrive! Tomorrow, a walk might be my diversion from sniffles and sneezes!

Embracing the Lulls of Freelance Life

I didn’t choose to be a freelancer. The freelance life found me when a merger and outsourcing led to a layoff. After years of relying on regular, full-time work, I suddenly had to fend for myself. Many of you can relate to that situation, and some may relate to the almost crippling fear that may accompany such a change.

I was living in Vermont then, and loving it, so the idea of moving where the work was did not appeal to me. But, as luck would have it, I immediately found a contract spot with a development company I’d worked with previously, commuting a couple days each week and working at home the rest.

I tried to adjust to the ebb and flow of the work, but found that my underlying fear about the lack of work sometimes led me to take on more than I should. I managed, but I worked way too many hours, and my quality of life suffered. I picture myself during this time hunched over and wearing blinders. It seemed as if I was focused on imminent tasks, but in reality, I was frantic about future work. I was running on fear, not faith.

I spent a year and a half working exclusively for that company, and just when I started to get comfortable (be careful thinking like that with a creative universe at work!), without warning, that workflow was disrupted and I was told I’d be without projects for several weeks. Lack of work had provoked panic in the past, but by this time, I felt secure in finding other work and believed that all things happened for a reason. My heart was open to the prospect of change and the possibilities it might bring.

The Gift of Time

What had happened? I had been mediating for a while by now, and I perceived this disruption as a gift of time. I decided to take a break and play. That was a revolutionary decision for a workhorse like me! I would get some much-needed R&R, and I’d spend some time setting up my business to attract other clients. 

With no immediate income to rely on, I took another leap of faith and opted to spend $1,500 on a 12-week self-awareness course. A window had opened, and I would let life and possibility waft over me and carry me. This course took my meditation practice to a new level. It was very unlike me simply to trust that the work and income would follow, but I did, and doing so gave me the freedom to invest in myself. Having mindfulness and meditation served as an anchor for how I approached my life and my work.

The shifts in thinking were liberating! An example of a new outlook was realizing that job interviews were as much an opportunity for me to study potential employers as it was for them to study me. That might go without saying for some, but it was an aha moment for me. The idea of partnership filled the space where fear used to live.

My Business Grows as I Grow

Over the last few years, I’ve added new services and markets to my editorial ventures, and I’ve allowed room in my life for, well, more life. I find more time to experience life, and I’m developing a new attitude for embracing the kind of projects that find me. It’s such a gift to let loose of fear and open my heart and mind to abundance.

These are some ways meditation, sometimes just remembering to breathe very deeply for a few moments, has allowed me to change and grow in confidence in my freelancing role. I’ll leave you with this thought by Carl Jung:

"Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart.
Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens."

Editing with My Eyes Open

Funny that I should have to think about breathing, or remind myself to be in the moment—where else would I be? Or so I used to believe. I know better now. Meditation has really opened my eyes, my third one to be precise, to how often I can let flights of fancy take me away from where I am and what I'm doing. Some days, I can earn quite a few frequent flier miles on this daydreaming and distraction!

When I’m fully available in this present moment, I’m joyful, more effective in my work, more balanced in my life, and much less prone to stress. As a freelance editor with deadlines to meet and persnickety rules of grammar and usage to enforce, I need to be on the job, not in my head!

I’ve had a daily meditation practice for four or five years now. It’s brought me a sense of peace and well-being, as well as greater confidence and joy in my work. I’m lucky enough to have found work that makes my heart sing, but I had been keeping myself too busy to hear the music. I also had the misguided notion that working long and hard meant success.

Today, if I feel I’m really laboring at something, I know it’s time to take a break and breathe in deeply. My teacher Steven Sadleir says that life, both work and play, should be “easy, effortless, and enjoyable.” If I’m trying too hard, I need to let go and take a few moments to see where my mind has been taking me. My mind, you see, can be a little rascal (and, sometimes, a treacherous fiend)!

Is It Easy, Effortless, and Enjoyable?

You may wonder if meditation really makes that big a difference in my work. Yes, it does! When I’m fully present, my level of focus is high and I’m truly engaged in the service I’m providing. And you know what? Time flies! Tasks take less time to do, so I’m available to do more. I’d imagine I’m more fun to be around, too!

My goal in writing this blog is to share my passion for the written word, my escapades as a freelance editor, and the benefits of my meditation practice. I’ll share my experiences in freelance editing, from the kinds of projects I tackle and the issues I encounter, to the fun of word gymnastics. I hope to engage you in conversations about the industry and those pesky grammar and usage issues that intrigue, baffle, and amuse us editorial types. I will share these ideas from the context of mindfulness, encouraging you—and reminding myself!—to take a few moments to breathe deeply and feel the joy before delving back into work.

I’ll leave you with some words from Rumi:

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull
of what you really love.” 

I’ve been pulled toward editing and toward you all on this journey. Thank you, and enjoy your work until we visit again!