The spiral of clarity

I’ve had this idea on my mind lately that I want to share with you.

(It’s a little hard to explain, but I’ve done my best and I’d love to talk with you about it if you have ideas for clarifying or expanding it!)

I’ve been seeing the ways we move through our life and work as traveling along the path of the spiral. We go ever deeper as we grow and learn and interact with the world and ourselves.

But a spiral implies the existence of a stopping point, a single center. And I don’t necessarily believe in that.

So I started writing about it. And as I tried to explain what I meant, and the inherent issues that come along with the idea of a spiral, I got into the weeds. I was stuck.

After walking away and coming back to the piece (something I always recommend!), I realized that I was bumping up against a discussion of spiritual beliefs, which isn’t particularly what I want to talk about.

So let’s just agree that we all have a different version of what it looks like to move through the world, and our own version of what we’re moving toward (if anything).

Then let’s also agree that this piece of writing is using the concept of a spiral to discuss the path we’re on, not the destination.

Deal?

Ok, whew.

—

The idea of a spiral came to me because I was thinking about how we often set aside ideas or offerings or ways of working, thinking Well, I’m done with that—only to pick them up again later, or to pull pieces out of the idea to blend with the work we’re doing now.

In my mind (which loves a visual way to think about things), I saw us walking along in a spiral, setting things down as we take in and respond to new ideas. Then I saw us walking past that spot where we’d set something down, having completed a full lap around the spiral. The thing we cast off is still there, and since the walls of the spiral aren't impermeable, we can reach over and examine it, picking up what we’d like to take with us and leaving behind what still doesn’t serve us.

And as we continue the cycle of putting things down, reexamining them, and blending together all our thoughts and ideas, we refine our vision of who we are, what we do, who we can help, why we do this work, and more.

It’s like a spiral of clarity.

—

Why has this been on my mind?

Since starting my business a few years ago, I’ve worked mostly with content.

I began as a copy editor, but I found that I kept wanting to be involved earlier and earlier in the writing process. I felt that if I could work with writers to help them get clear on their mission and message before they put pen to paper (or, you know, fingers to keyboard), they could create a more meaningful piece of writing from the very beginning.

So I shifted into content coaching, (mostly) setting down editing work.

And then we had a baby…and my capacity for client work shifted drastically.

At the same time, I saw that I wanted to make a different kind of impact with the work I was doing (I hear this happens to a lot of new parents). It’d been hovering around the edges for a while, showing up in my writing and how I spent my free time. I was thinking about and wanting to work with personal growth, trusting yourself, doing what works for you, using a different kind of writing to access your inner self, and doing the behind-the-scenes work to create what I thought of at the time as a stronger self.

So I moved around the spiral some more, eventually setting down content work altogether.

Or so I thought.

Recently, as I continued my journey around the spiral (and my quest to put into words and action the impact I long to make with my work), I reached the spot where I’d lovingly but firmly set down the idea of content work.

And to my surprise, I picked it back up. But as I said before, only parts of it—the parts that felt relevant.

With distance, I was able to see which parts of my work and ideas around content blended with the new ideas and experiences and dreams I had gathered during my last trip around the spiral.

And that leads us to today.

My current understanding of the work I’m meant to do is this:

I believe that when you have strong, supportive tools and practices to ground you, you free up space to create positive change in—and through—your life and work. I help conscious creatives make space for the important but often overlooked work (of developing these tools and practices) that can make all the difference in their life and work.

This encompasses all that I’ve been offering these last few months—Explore (a program that helps you test out an intentional writing habit), Stay Unstuck (a guide to help you prepare for the inevitability of being stuck), and Stronger Month by Month (a way to focus on a single positive change at one time).

But it also encompasses two new ways to work with me: Core Message Coaching and Content Collaboration.

Here’s a snapshot of each:

Core Message Coaching

Here, you share all the things swirling around in your head about your business and the impact you want to make (or a big project you want to create). I pull all these ideas together into a core message, along with other elements like supporting messages, manifesto or core beliefs, and more (what each person needs will be different!).

This forms a simple-but-powerful (and easily updated) internal document that can help keep you on track, help you make better-informed decisions in your business, and serve as a foundation for meaningful content and conversations as you move forward with your business.

You'll also get a guide to help you use and update this document as you move around your own spiral!

Content Collaboration

I’m a blend of content coach, copywriter, and nitty-gritty editor (yep, we're talking spelling and commas and all that good stuff). And I'd love to collaborate with you to create content that feels meaningful to you and to those you want to help!

We can work together to map out your plan for bigger pieces of content (an ebook, a course, a workshop, a series of emails, and so on) and then act as a team to get the work written, edited, and ready to be presented to those who need to hear your message.

The bottom line? We’ll each bring our talents to the table to get this work done!

—

This is where I am right now on my journey around the spiral.

I want to help all of us develop and use these sorts of strong foundations (habits, routines, documents, processes, the ability and willingness to ask for help) to create the positive change we crave in—and through—our work and life.

This has been a long one, so I’ll sign off now. But I’d love to continue the conversation by email or on Instagram if you’d like!

And if you’re interested in working together, let me know by reaching out. I'd love to hear from you!

With much love,
As always,
Erica

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Erica Midkiff