May 11, 2017

Occasionally, I get headaches. Or stomach cramps. Or bizarre middle ear infections, but only in my left ear.

Lately, I’ve had all three. This is a sign, to me, of something my soul needs to do that is being denied.

I find myself thinking about this problem at all hours of the day and night. In the shower, eating my lunch, driving our long drives through the Northern Territory. When I have a quiet moment, I find myself thinking of how I can solve this problem. It has reached a point where I can no longer ignore the calling.

I must write.

Writing is my soul-yearning that is currently being denied. (Exclusively by myself, I must add.) Of this, I am completely certain.

Specifically, I must write my memoir, From Normal To Nomad. It will be the tale of my journey and transformation as I uprooted my life and my family to travel Australia, with the intention of improving children’s health across the country. It will be epic.

I’ve tried writing this book under the firm hand of personal accountability, and for one reason (fear) or another (fear), and occasionally a third reason (alas, also fear), I just can’t seem to get up the momentum to finish the book. It’s been going since the beginning of 2016, at least.

So I’m starting a public accountability exercise. (Nothing like facing your fears than telling a bunch of friends what you’re afraid of, and what you’re going to do about it.)

I am making a simple commitment – to you, and myself – that I will write every day for my book, starting today. I will also write a short blog post every day to share with you if I had a good or bad writing day, and if there are any lessons I have learned in the process. You might find this valuable, or you might find this entirely boring dross. Either way, I’m inviting you to share this journey with me.

(A journey of writing about the journey of writing about my journey. If this got any more meta, it would be a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio.)

There is no deadline to finishing my book, because I’ve tried that at least once in the past and found it to be utterly paralysing and counter-productive. I also have the words of my dear friend and mentor Joanne Fedler constantly ringing in my ears:

Promise me you won’t publish a shit book for the sake of a self-imposed deadline.

So, to honour my own story, and my dear friend’s instructions, I am committing to writing the best book I can. It will take as long as it needs, but I will push forward every single day, until it is complete and published. And I will hold myself accountable to you, that I will do this.

With love,
Israel. xo

 

Side note: My friend Joanne is holding a Free 7 Day Writing Challenge at the end of this month (May 2017). Sign up here. I am. I’d love to share that journey with you, too.

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