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meditation

Chill out writing strategies that work

May 30, 2020 by Sara Nolan Leave a Comment

writing strategies from Maya Angelou

I promise these are writing strategies that work... ...only if you do them. These strategies might feel uncomfortable and awkward at first, but so does being born. And that didn't stop us, did it? Both writing strategies involve a wall, which everyone has or can find. Any wall will do! Nothing special there. After you've learned the practice, you'll be able to IMAGINE a wall, but it helps at first to have a physical wall to use. Strategies that work: Being Seen Sit in front of the wall. Elevate your hips on a support or cushion if your knees are annoyed right away. Feel or imagine a tall spine and the dignity you were born with. Relax your shoulders (always). Imagine the wall is looking at you. It can see you. Its eyes are the warm accepting eyes of a grandparent, or any adult who cares for you immensely. If you don't have an adult like that in your life, invent one, or imagine your ancestor, or a really loving person in a movie. Your only job is to let yourself be seen. Keep relaxing. Don't try to hide anything from the wall-- it's just a wall! When you feel done, get up, but don't feel the need to snap out of it. What if the people in your world could really see you? What would they see? Strategies that work: Breathing Fully Start the same way: sit in front of your wall as comfortably as possible. Imagine the wall has a mural on it.  Imagine the coolest, most vivid mural you can think of, or look one up, first, so you can have a bright image in mind. But just one problem: this mural has somehow become covered over in dust and funk! As you inhale, imagine and truly feel that you are slowly drawing a layer of dust off the mural, revealing a gorgeous, exciting piece of art. As you exhale, imagine that you are scattering the dust, revealing more of the art. Breathe in very slowly, so none of the dust goes up your nose: you are just clearing space. Breath out gently, so that the layer of dust is scattered lightly: you are  Continue Reading …

Filed Under: Exercise, Integrity, Practice, State of Mind, Uncategorized, Wisdom, Writing Tips Tagged With: freewriting, meditation, self-care, writing tips

Process and Your College Essay

September 20, 2018 by Sara Nolan Leave a Comment

writing process using black ink

It's OK to want the product...just don't lose the LASTING value of your process! You don’t seek essay help generally if you don’t want a great product. That’s a given: the best you can get, with guidance. AND YOU SHOULD HAVE IT. But! You also are coming for the quality of the process. To be you, doing this hard thing, and to get the most out of it. Some students come to me already pumped to open their minds or draw their creativity up from the well, turn down the volume on their application anxiety, and make discoveries. Others have to be convinced that this process is the gold as much as the final essay product itself. I do know that paying attention to process, really caring, is a recipe for better flow and more interesting lines of thought. That is, a better essay.  Paradox? Yup. Your College Essay IS a Process! Everyone wants a great college essay (product) out of their writing process--and why wouldn't you? But how many of us really pay attention to-- or care the most about-- our writing process itself? Nah, we hit SEND and let it go. How many months of work did it take to get you....to that? Let's shift perspective a bit and see. Don't be duped into loving your product more than your process As a culture, we are (too) happy to sacrifice process in favor of product. It's no secret, in fact, it's advertised everywhere: we don't value the time we spend doing something (process) nearly as much as what we end up with (product, thing with a price-tag on it). It's that all-American mindset of living for your retirement experience. That's capitalism--crapitalism-- for ya. It's easy to fall in that trap (product infatuation) even if you think you're not in the trap. For example, ever wished the week would hurry up and be over so you could get to the weekend (end goal)? Presto. DUPED.  But what if you get hit by a bus first? My cynical side asks. And what about your week, is it just...useless filler between Saturdays? Worthless  Continue Reading …

Filed Under: Essays, Integrity, State of Mind, Uncategorized, Wisdom Tagged With: anxiety, creative process, meditation, process, writing process

How to wait for your college letter

January 25, 2017 by Sara Nolan

post it notes on wall of subway

Don’t (just) wait for those college admissions letters Are you caught up in the Big Wait, so your college admissions letters can determine your self-worth and direction? Are you just trying to kill time until Spring when those (crap, they are totally going to reject me) letters arrive? Nah. Nah-nah. You never know how it’s going to go. The admissions process is more arbitrary than you'd like. We have less control than we wish (over, well, everything). Accepted? Rejected? Why would you give all your power away to those labels? You've got more that that, I know it. Also-- poll your peers in college: even if you get into the school you're hoping desperately for, you STILL might not get what you thought you wanted (transfer apps, anyone?). So what can you do for the next four agonizing, god awful, interminable months, while you wait for your letters? A-ha! Refuse to live in anything but the now (pretty bad-ass, pretty hard) You can lean away from the collective anxiety. Be adamant about your right to be in this moment fully. It's a human right. It's annoying to hear and exhilarating to realize. The very best thing you can do in this waiting period is not wait at all. Instead, ask yourself what makes you want to go to college in the first place.  Feed the person you wish to become. Guides to action are proliferating across the internet right now.  Here's mine, for you: Ways to Not Just Wait (for Spring, or anything) Really give a crap about what your (good) teachers are saying. Learn as much from them as you can. Forgive your bad teachers.  They don't know the damage they do, but you can be grateful to them as material for your writing and as counterexample. Ask your parents stuff. Learn about your family history. Push for details; listen with open mind. Challenge yourself. Not for that admissions brag sheet, not because anyone's looking. Just because. Not feeling school? Learn something online. This is the internet, a  Continue Reading …

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: acceptance letters, college admissions, Curiosity, meditation, passion, Reading, solidarity

How to take care of yourself right now

September 21, 2016 by Sara Nolan

take care of yourself

25 ways to take care of yourself this fall It's fall. It's frenetic.  It's college application season for you or your kids or your students. It's hard to do it all.  To take care of yourself feels like a luxury item that gets tossed with last year's papers. But still, you've got to take care of yourself or game over.  Any of the suggestions on our list will be a perk, a plus. Pick and choose: aim to keep your body, mind and heart healthier-- and hopefully less bat-shit crazy-- as you move through coming months.  Continue Reading …

Filed Under: Practice, Solutions, State of Mind, Uncategorized, Wisdom Tagged With: Awareness, college application, exercise, health, humor, kindness, meditation, stress

For a flawless college essay, use your flaws

December 10, 2015 by Sara Nolan

For a flawless college essay, use your flaws- wisely. (We're not actually sure anything is "flawless"-- but humor us.) "But don't I want colleges to think I have No Flaws?" you might object cautiously.   No! It's a sign of maturity to know and name your flaws, and then treat them as opportunity for growth (crucial!). That, in short, is learning! And colleges want applicants committed to learning. So here's how to use what you've got for what you want to get. (Admitted.  Admit it.). What should you do with your flaws to tell a good story and also showcase your strengths? Well first, notice your flaws. Honestly. Start by watching your mind for 1-5 minutes.  Set a timer, close your eyes and observe "your" thoughts go by like rush-hour traffic. Examine their content objectively: errors in judgment about yourself or others; weak places in your character that could use reinforcement.  Insecurities and doubts. Find the right story: Ask yourself what anecdotes or events from your life--don't overlook the small stuff!-- could inform your reader how you're working with and through these flaws. If you're timid, did you finally get up the nerve to ask your boss for a raise? If you're easily overwhelmed, did you regain balance through service, by sorting cans for a food bank? And now what? Another approach: look at the flawed world and make analogies Many of us have an easier time looking outside than inside ourselves.  If that describes you, I suggest you start by using the above technique anyway (watch your mind). Then try commenting on the flaws in the world as a mirror to look inward for similar themes. Plus, this approach works your observation and "critical eye" muscles.  And gives you material to be snarky about.   Read this example from my life; then try your own. I start with the context: There is a sub-par Indian restaurant near my house; they do so much of their business take-out that they will basically pay you to eat the place.  To  Continue Reading …

Filed Under: Practice, Questions, State of Mind, Stories, Uncategorized Tagged With: critical eye, examples, flaws, insecurties, meditation, meditation timer, observation, self-awareness, watch your thoughts, write an anecdote

In your college essay, include the present

November 12, 2015 by Sara Nolan

There's more to the story of You Sometimes, you can get so focused on "telling your story" in your college essay that you forget to include a strong portrait of the current you, your present self, with your present aspirations. So don't be surprised when we pitch "meditation"; it's the amp to your music, optimizing everything you do and bringing out your best, now. Which is exactly what you want to show schools. Take a big breath. Who's breathing?  Sounds like a ridiculous question, yup.  But-- it's You. Yes, YOU! This you is the person colleges are saying YES to.  The one they want to meet and to know. When colleges accept you, they are banking on your future, not your past. Right now is the path to the future What you are doing with your time, energy, and enthusiasm right now is a better predictor of what you will be doing in one, two, or ten years (when your alma mater can brag that you are its graduate) than any story you might tell. Why?  Because it's what all that story stuff has led to, the young adult person choosing a direction (or many) in the world. So your core stories are still key, are still your power vehicle for showing your strongest personal qualities and what has shaped you...but don't drop the potato there. In your essay, point toward the future, and be real What are you up to right now?  What matters to you, what are you committed to, what are your short and long terms aspiration? (We all know those can change: that's fine.) These questions help you define your present and point towards your future. Plus, it's great for self-knowledge Asking these question leads to greater self-knowledge-- something colleges look for in applicants.  But it's not a service you can pay someone else for, Kaplan doesn't have bubble sheets to help you get there; it's DIY, develop-it-yourself, through introspection, and it's a premium quality of good leaders. Not sure how to get started on self-knowledge quest? We recommend basic meditation,  Continue Reading …

Filed Under: Destiny, Practice, Questions, State of Mind, Teachers, Uncategorized Tagged With: admissions officers, aspirations, college essay, guided meditation, meditation, Rebecca Joseph, Tara Brach, the future, the present

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