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Pep Talk: cheering yourself on

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Today’s cemetery pep talk isn’t in the cemetery. It’s about cheering yourself on, and how sometimes you need to remember that you can keep going. Also there is a weird amount of construction noise and sirens in the background, which I didn’t notice when I was recording because I was so focused on talking to you.

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Discussion about this video

Julie, I want to say thank you for your steadiness and self-reliance. I often think about how you approach your work, and it's an inspiration. Thank you.

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Thank you so much for saying this, although I will say that from this side of things it doesn't always feel like I'm steady and self-reliant. I spend a lot of time just adjacent to steady self-reliance.

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Hooray! Thanks Julie & Cosmo (pat pat)😊

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I've missed these walks and talks so much. Thanks, Julie!

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Heather, this means so much to me! I'm having fun doing them again (esp. in a non-social-media way).

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Thank you, Julie and Cosmo!

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Cosmo says you're welcome!

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So appreciate this, Julie! Thank you!

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Thank you, Don!

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Thank you for this reminder. My inner critic is a jerk. In fact, I talk to myself in a way I would never in a million years speak to a friend. (Erin, this is garbage. Erin, this is so bad. You should just quit. Why don't you give up? etc etc)

One of my best writing buddies introduced me to this simple line of thought: "Be kind to my friend [your name here.]" Whenever I start slipping into the trash talk spiral, where I drag myself down, I try to pause and think, "Be nice to my friend Erin." Because if a friend was having similar thoughts, I'd be kind. I'd be nice. I'd encourage them. We all deserve to treat ourselves the same way. Treat yourself like you'd treat a good friend.

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YES. That thing about how we would never talk to our friend the way we talk to ourselves is huge. The other thing I realized recently is that when my inner critic is being mean, it's out of fear. So if the voice in my head is saying "oh wow, this writing is really bad, you might be a failure now" I ask what I'm afraid of. IS IT that I'm afraid I'm a failure now? That I'm bad at writing now? Once I start to pull it apart, I can shoot holes in my fears. Like, yes, the writing is bad now, but isn't that how it always goes when I'm getting the story down? And doesn't the writing get better when I revise it? SO STAND DOWN, MEAN VOICE IN MY HEAD. CHILL.

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The way you started this talk, Julie is like the beginning of a spooky book. Not in the cemetery but in the woods. Loved it. And loved your pep talk. I see you, Julie! I have constantly admired your dedication and the hard work you put into your craft. When I feel flat I will think of your pep talk and be like Cosmo 💛

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Ha, that's about as spooky as I can handle: "I am usually in one place but today! I'm in another place!"

Thank you, Kaye! This means a lot. It's so much work, this job, but it's all pretty fun.

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It is fun. There's always new ideas and words that come to us when we least expect them. Thank goodness.

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This is such a good reminder. I'm grateful I have creative friends who can cheer me on and say, "You're doing the thing!" because it's much easier for me to say it to myself and believe it. (Our brains are such jerks sometimes)

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SUCH jerks! I know. And in my mind, it's all about getting to a point where we can cheer ourselves on with as much truth and enthusiasm as we cheer on our friends.

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Do the Work
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Pep talks about writing and creativity, mostly while I'm walking the dog.
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Julie Falatko