Reader,
The decisions we make either move us closer to where we want to be or further away.
Last week, I stood at the bus stop (freezing my butt off because I never seem to dress warm enough) waiting for the morning bus that comes once an hour.
I was heading to a café outside of town to work on my project. There’s a specific energy in that space that fuels my work, and I recognized the value in that. So, I set aside time each week, closed my client calendar, and committed to showing up. But to do that, I had to clear the whole day—because transit out here is a thing. It’s random. One bus line. After the 9:30am bus, there’s a 4 hour gap before the busses start up again.
I also had to change my mindset … it’s easy for me to say to myself “Okay, if I go, I’ll be wasting valuable time sitting on this bus.” But just like I remind the writers I work with, observing the world (yep even from the bus) counts as unstructured play; it counts as writing. It’s not wasted time if I know how to use it.
So, off I went on my little outing. I made an aligned decision—one that made sense based on what I know about myself, my priorities, and my goals. I knew where I was going and what I wanted from this simple outing. I knew where to hop off, when to head home, and exactly what I was after. So simple. So clear. No biggie.
Let’s look at a bigger decision.
In 2018, I said no with love to continuing to work in an environment where I couldn’t use my creativity to its full potential. I took a huge risk to build the beginnings of what is now Breathing Space Creative Studio.
It was early days. I was still figuring things out. My messaging was all over the place (yeah, I kinda cringe when I look back), but I did know this: I wanted to help writers see themselves in this writing and publishing landscape. I wanted them to value themselves and their projects, no matter what. I wanted them to understand how publishing worked, how to care for themselves, how to peel back the industry's veneers, how to know who and what to trust, how to build meaningful relationships with other writers and industry professionals—and how to step into this much-needed space to create a healthier cohort of authors. This, above all, was the work I wanted to do.
But making that decision to take this gigantic leap—while deeply aligned for me—may not have made sense for someone else.
That’s the thing about aligned decisions: they come from your clarity about your next steps. They aren’t about following trends or doing what others say you should do. They are about looking at your life, your vision, and choosing the path that fits. This is the work I love doing.
The decisions we make daily matter. The decisions we make as writers can change everything. And this is a conversation I will say yes to over and over again.
I recently read a review of my guided journal, Safekeeping, where I help start this exact conversation. In it, I emphasize that the most important skill a writer can acquire is the ability to make aligned decisions about their projects and creative careers. I was excited that the review truly understood what this book is trying to do—what it’s saying and who it’s speaking to.
In the review, Carellin Brooks writes:
"In the early aughts, writers were told we must have a website; today, we are told we must engage online. Knight never once resorts to such blanket imperatives. Her own decisions, like the bits of her writing process she does or doesn’t choose to share on social media and why, illustrate the kind of individual choices she advocates."
And that’s just it. There’s so much we do have control over.
In a recent Writer’s Digest piece, I wrote:
"Making aligned decisions also comes from having a clear vision of where we want to go. Too often, I see writers standing at the edge of the sidewalk, waiting for a random bus with an unclear destination. They get on without knowing when to get off or why."
That bus did show up—40 minutes later. I made the decision to wait it out. I was freezing, and it threw off my calendar a bit, but I knew waiting for that bus was more valuable than turning back.
It’s important to know why we’re here and where we want to go. It doesn’t mean we’ll arrive at the exact time we planned, but whether it’s a small decision—like waiting for a bus that might never come—or a big one, like taking a risk that may affect your entire life, know where you want to go.
Reflective Question: What decisions are you making right now that align (or don’t align) with where you truly want to go?
with love
Chelene
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