Welcome to Heart. Soul. Pen. by Robin Finn
Heart. Soul. Pen.: Find Your Voice on the Page and In Your Life is a guidebook for women who yearn to reconnect with their voice and embrace the worthiness of what they have to say. As a woman, writer, teacher, and mother, I know how difficult this can be.
When I was raising kids, words were bottled up inside of me, but I could not let them out. I was convinced that my stories were not important, that no one would care about what I had to say, and that I was not a ‘real writer.’ None of this was true. But it took me a long time to believe in myself and the power of my words. I was deep in the trenches of parenting at the time. I felt disconnected from myself and my identity and who I was apart from mother, wife, and daughter. I wanted to reconnect to myself, but I didn’t know how.
This struggle ultimately led me to going back to school to earn a master’s degree in spiritual psychology. I embraced the idea that I was a human being with a spark of divinity inside of me. I dug deep into identifying my limiting beliefs, letting out my authentic self-expression, and reconnecting to my heartfelt dreams. Ultimately, I came to accept that I was a writer. But I was scared. I still believed I was ‘not enough’ to start writing.
It was not until I examined the beliefs I held about myself that things began to change.
When I stopped believing my words had no value and embraced that my voice was unique and important and ‘good enough,’ my world began to shift. Writing became easier and more fun and eventually essential to my wellbeing. Soon, my work was getting published, and I wrote a novel. I became an author and teacher and a passionate advocate for women’s voices.
Heart. Soul. Pen. was born from my desire to enthusiastically encourage every woman to find her voice and know that her words are worthy. Feeling like you have ‘lost your voice’ is no small matter. It is very difficult to feel content or connected or at peace if you do not have your own voice. Many women hold a writing dream inside—whether it is to write a memoir or novel or book of poetry or have a thriving journal writing practice—but too often the limiting beliefs inside tell us that we are too late or too small or too something to start writing. This is not true.
If there is a story inside of you or a writing dream or a desire to express yourself on the page, Heart. Soul. Pen. will guide you through the process of unleashing it. In the book, I include ten easy-to-follow steps to experiencing a ‘divine download,’ where your words and ideas easily flow out of your pen and onto the page, to your own surprise and delight.
Below is a short excerpt from the book regarding the first step,
Step #1—Revise and Release Limiting Beliefs:
How Limiting Beliefs Affect Writers
Limiting beliefs limit our capabilities. If we want to find our voice, write with abandon, or allow our thoughts and ideas to flow onto the page, we have to stop and look at the beliefs we hold about writing before we start writing. If we do not take the time to identify, revise, and release limiting beliefs, writing often goes like this:
You feel the creative spark or a strong call to write. Some story or seed or idea wants to come out and be expressed. You are excited to write.
You buy a new journal, enroll in a writing class, or commit to set aside time to work on a bubbling story, poem, or essay, or simply let out your thoughts on the page. You feel inspired. You begin to write.
You read what you wrote and judge it. You decide it is not good. Or you like it and share it with a friend, teacher, or writing group and the feedback you get confuses you or undermines your belief in the idea. You had the best of intentions but now you struggle and freeze.
You stop writing.
You give up.
When I talk with students who have encountered this phenomenon, they tell me that, deep down, they did not feel their story was enough—not big enough or important enough or worthy enough—to justify spending time writing about it. They tell me they felt they did not have the authority, wisdom, talent, or commitment to write it. They tell me that giving up made them miserable because they deeply wanted to write, but they could not muster the energy or focus or inspiration to keep going. I tell them that writing while holding limiting beliefs about writing is hard. But that does not mean you should give up your writing. It means you should give up your limiting beliefs.
Here is what I know about limiting beliefs. We all have them. There are different versions and often originate in childhood or when we are young, but essentially, all say the same thing: you are not good enough so stop writing. They keep us small and quiet. They force us to give up. They plague women by playing on our fears that we are “not enough.” They shut us down. They are designed to protect us and keep us safe from harm. They are not true.
Ten Truths You Need to Know about Yourself as a Writer:
You are enough.
What you have to say is enough.
Whatever you have to give is enough.
Whatever time you have is enough.
Your voice is unique.
Your story matters.
You are the only one who can tell your story.
Now is the perfect time.
You have everything you need.
Writers write. If you are writing, you are a writer.
Heart. Soul. Pen. is half memoir, half writing manifesto and all about the power of unleashing your radical self-expression. My message to you is that your words are worthy, that you are the only person on the planet who can share your story, and that the time is now.
Robin Finn, MPH, MA is the author of Heart. Soul. Pen.: Find Your Voice on the Page and In Your Life (Morehouse Publishing, April 30, 2024), and founder & creator of the HEART. SOUL. PEN.® writing program.
Find her at RobinFinn.com.