|
||||||||||
|
Subscribe to the Absolute Write Newsletter and get the Agents! Agents! Agents! report free! Click here.
|
Win a 1-year subscription to Writer's Digest by subscribing to Absolute Markets-- all paying markets for your writing. Click here. |
|
| |||||||||||||
|
|
Writing on
Purpose: An Interview with Brad Swift Life is funny. You never know what will come your way. One thing I’ve discovered, though, is that we can attract the perfect situations, people, and things for us if we create the intention. Here’s the story of one of my intentions. It only took about six years to manifest. Patience is key. Shortly after beginning my own freelance writing career in the mid-90s, I read an article about North Carolina prison activists Bo and Sita Lozoff. It was a hopeful, inspiring article. But what I remembered most about it over the years was the writer’s short bio at the end. He had created a project for himself, dubbed Project Purpose, for which he was going to write many articles about people like the Lozoffs, people who had dedicated their lives "to a bold and inspired purpose." I had long wanted to do the same thing – to share the stories of people who were making a positive difference in the world. I was envious of this writer, so even though his name disappeared from my memory, his project did not. Since that time, I’ve written a few articles that would fit the Project Purpose mold, which always fire me up in ways that none of my other assignments do. By sharing these kinds of stories, I feel that I’m making a positive difference in the world, so I’m always looking for ways to do more of them Then not too long ago, as I noodled around on the Internet, I came across a Web site for the Life on Purpose Institute. The more I read, the more it drew me in. And then I found the page for the institute’s Project Purpose Writing Team. Intrigued, I filled out the form expressing my interest in being part of it. Several days later, founder Brad Swift contacted me. During the course of the conversation, I began to wonder if he could be the writer of the Lozoff article, so I asked him. Sure enough, he was. Synchronicity had again worked to perfection in my life. Today, Brad and I, along with Life on Purpose coach Nancy O’Brien, are creating the Project Purpose Writing Team (http://www.lifeonpurpose.com/ppwritingteam.html) so other writers can share the vision of "writing and selling articles about people and organizations who have dedicated their lives and missions to a bold and inspiring purpose." At the same time, members will use the synergy of the team to enhance their professional careers. Brad had previously been a small animal veterinarian, with a second career as a freelance writer who wrote mainly articles about animal, pet, and health issues. After creating Project Purpose, he sold dozens of these articles to many national magazines, including New Age Journal, Hope, Modern Maturity, Aspire, and Utne Reader. He followed his heart, which led not only to financial success but also deep personal satisfaction. Since I’m a seeker after those same goals, I asked him for some words of wisdom. Barbara: How can freelance writers benefit by following their hearts and their passion? The "rule" we’ve all been indoctrinated with is that freelancers must do whatever work they can scrounge up to survive. Brad: Well, there's two ways to come to life – from a place of fear, lack, and struggling to survive and make it in the world, or from a place of love, trust, abundance, and joy. Most of us do seem to allow our fear, lack, and survival instincts to shape our life most of the time, but we each have free will to choose what will shape our life in any and every moment. Following your heart and passion may appear to be risky and even to some people foolish, but I have found it's where the true essence of life exists. I know whenever I've followed the breadcrumbs of my passion – even though I may not have been able to see clearly where the path is leading – I've never been disappointed where I've ended up. Writers have the gift and opportunity to shape our world like few other artists. If we don't use those gifts and talents to live from our hearts, who will? Barbara: How can freelancers not only find their life purpose through their writing but also live it? How did you do this? Brad: Start with a real curiosity for becoming clear about your purpose. Most writers have a natural curiosity, so here's a great place to use it. Start by asking yourself questions: What is my true purpose? Why am I really here? If my life isn't to be shaped by fear, lack, and struggling, then what will shape my life? These kinds of purposeful, pondering questions will lead you to some powerful insights into your own life. The problem with many of us is that we don't take the time to ask the questions or to be quiet enough for long enough to hear the answers. I took the long road in many ways by spending the first 35 years of my life living from fear, lack, and struggling. When I found myself close to suicide, I finally woke up to the realization that perhaps there was a better way to live life. Since then I've dedicated my life to helping people find a shorter route to their own purpose. It doesn't have to take a lifetime to know your purpose. Barbara: A major part of Project Purpose is to be of service. How do you define "service?" How can freelance writers be of service through their work? Brad: I define it in broad terms. That we are all here to serve each other, and in the process we serve ourselves and the grand plan of the universe in which we live. Being of service means we direct our energy, time, talents, and efforts towards what gives us joy while contributing to others. Writers can be of service by following what they are passionate about, as Joseph Campbell used to describe, by following their bliss. It's not always easy, but it can be very rewarding. One of my favorite principles that captures this is the notion of "adding value to life for the pure joy of it," and in the process knowing that that joy will come to you many times over. Barbara: You’ve told me that you find many Project Purpose story ideas using your "writer’s radar." What’s that and how does it work? Brad: A writer's radar works in a couple ways. First off, when writers become clear about what they are looking for, that clarity allows them to see in a focused way. They see stories that fit their criteria. It's a little like seeing yellow Volkswagen. Several years ago when the VWs were so popular, a friend of mine said he bought a yellow one because he'd never seen anyone else drive one. As soon as he bought the yellow bug, the next week everywhere he turned there was another yellow VW. The writer radar also operates in another way. As you get clearer about what you're wanting, in this case the type of stories you want to write, this clarity begins to shape where you end up putting yourself. In other words, your actions are shaped by your intention. And in a very real sense you also begin to attract the perfect resources that support the intention. I know this may sound a bit "out there" for some people, but I've found it to be very real. © 2001 Barbara Stahura |
Sponsored links 
Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer! How to find a book publisher |
Text on this site Copyright © 1998-2007
Absolute Write, all rights reserved.
|
