#147: Glin & Tonic - The Truth I Keep Coming Back To
I wrote my One Pager for March yesterday and it was confronting to read.
I've been writing One Pagers since I first discovered the process from Dr Benjamin Hardy (author of 10x is Easier than 2x) last July. I've written eight monthly One Pagers now, as well as a one-page annual review of my year in 2024. It's been one of the most powerful rituals I’ve introduced because, through the process of writing them, I can't hide from myself anymore.
I see my intentions. I see where my attention went. And I see the action, or inaction, I took. It's confronting in so many ways.
My impossible goal is to be a New York Times bestselling author.
I want the message of my book to be so potent that it lands on Oprah’s Book Club list.
I even dream of being interviewed by Oprah for an episode of Super Soul Sunday.
Sounds impossible, right?
Most of our dreams do.
But when we get out of our own way and dream without constraint, our hearts begin to expand. We allow ourselves to feel good imagining who we could become, what we could do, and where we could go.
We allow ourselves to feel fully alive.
But moving towards our dreams doesn’t always feel good. It often means saying no to the things we're used to saying yes to. These are often obligations, either self-imposed or placed on us by others. We say yes to the illusions of our reality that keep us stuck doing what we've always done.
We say yes to things that won’t disappoint others but quietly betray ourselves, and our dreams, in the process.
As I looked back over my One Pagers, what became abundantly clear was that I was avoiding writing.
How on earth will I achieve my impossible goal if I don’t take the step towards writing my next book?
Here’s the truth I keep coming back to:
Our inner truth is big, and that's scary.
In my writing, I constantly return to the depth of my spiritual knowing, my desire to be seen as I am, and the power of my message.
But big truths often come with big resistance, because they matter.
Writing, for me, isn’t just a task. It’s often a revelation.
Because when I write, I can’t hide.
My One Pagers show I’ve spent months, years even, reconciling the gap between who I am and how I’m perceived.
Avoidance, I’m realising, is a form of energetic protection.
Because once it’s written, it’s real.
And being truly seen?
Well, that’s vulnerability at a level I’ve not yet allowed myself to fully go.
The fact that I overthink and analyse a lot won’t come as a surprise to you!
My overthinking stops me. It paralyses my natural bias for action.
Reviewing my One Pagers, I can see how my mental bandwidth gets hijacked, by the needs of others or by my own mental gymnastics, and when this happens I default to service over self-expression.
I’ve carried responsibility like a badge of honour, especially on boards and in business. It’s been part of my identity.
But the energy of over-giving has left me depleted.
My writing requires presence.
Spaciousness.
Self-first.
Which is new, and still unfamiliar.
It goes against my old programming to prioritise my joy over my duty.
That’s why, even now, I regularly swap my creative hours for board work or consulting.
I’ve spent years building credibility through business, leadership, and negotiation.
Shifting to creator isn’t just a rebrand.
It’s an identity death.
And with every identity death comes grief, fear, resistance, and eventually, I'm hoping, rebirth.
I'm in the transition.
I'm shedding corporate credibility and embracing creative visibility.
In one of my One Pagers, I wrote about writing:
"It’s the one thing I want to do and yet it’s what I’ve avoided doing."
I’m beginning to understand it's not because I can’t.
But because I'm still learning to trust that this identity is safe.
I’ve avoided it...Why?
Because I know writing is a portal. And portals are powerful.
Because writing is truth. And truth means exposure.
Because writing is sacred to me, and sacred things are often the hardest to hold.
But while I’ve been avoiding writing my next book, I am writing.
This weekly heart to heart.
My monthly One Pagers.
My daily reflections in my journal.
Writing is very much a part of who I am.
The shift I need to make now is to own it.
Prioritise it.
Channel it with intention.
To let it be my daily devotion, not my to-do.
As Brené Brown reminds us, “When we deny the story, it defines us. When we own the story, we can write a brave new ending.” That’s what these One Pagers have shown me. I can’t hide from the story anymore.
I can choose to write a brave new ending.
I’m seeing so clearly now that I don’t write to perform.
I write to come home to myself.
The truth I keep coming back to is that through my self-expression, I’m becoming the message, not just the messenger.
My writing is how I remember who I am.
I’m seeing that what I’m here to create can’t be measured by likes, follows, or even sales.
I’m here to create a frequency.
A truth.
A permission slip.
I’m not just a writer.
I’m a rememberer of wisdom.
And that work is sacred.
I’ve been protecting my heart.
I’ve been guarding the most precious part of me, the part that believes she can write a New York Times bestselling book and meet Oprah.
My nervous system wants to stay safe.
And yet, I’m realising the safest place for my dream is in my hands, being shaped into something real.
Not perfect.
Not finished.
Just in motion.
I’m seeing differently now.
I’m not creating a product.
I’m creating from a promise I made to myself.
I don’t need to be ready.
I just need to be real.
I’m not here to figure it all out.
I’m here to follow what feels like life.
As Howard Thurman once said,
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
Because ultimately we all want to feel alive and live before die, don't we?
Keep going and keep growing.
Love Glin x
P.S. Three wins from my week:
-
Stepping into my power. I'm actively now saying no to work that no longer aligns with future Glin to create more space in my schedule for creative time.
-
Revisiting my own decision making framework. It's easy to lose the signal in the noise but realigning my choices through my own decision making framework has been valuable.
-
Accountability & Connection. I've had some amazing client sessions this week with wonderful humans. I'm seeing how my own transformation is opening up possibilities for them in their own life. Winning the negotiation with ourselves is where we need to start.
Responses