I have loved to write for as long as I can remember. I remember dreaming of stacks of beautiful, crisp, clean white paper and a nice pen (oh, yes — a nice pen is critical. Ask anyone who loves to write, and those who write long-hand are very particular about the kind of pen they need to be fully present in their writing, open to creativity, and able to fully channel those words and thoughts to paper) and uninterrupted time to write.
I’ve made my living for 20+ years as a communicator for a variety of companies in a variety of industries, and much of that work involved writing; “putting words in a row,” as a dear friend describes it.
I have always believed words were important. Remember the saying, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me!” How wrong that is. Words are powerful. They can change our lives. They can change the world.
“Words matter. Write to learn what you know.” This is a saying on a card given to me by my aforementioned friend. For years, I kept that card on my bulletin board. At some point, it was packed away for a move. I have yet to unpack it, but the physical card isn’t as important now; the words are imprinted on my mind and I remember them daily.
For years, I have used writing as a channel for other people’s messages; in a sense, in the corporate world I have functioned as something of a ghostwriter for a number of my colleagues. Recently, I have been called to fully live my purpose — change the world by adding value to others — which demands that I step out into the world with my own voice, to share with you my passion, my purpose, my thoughts, my experiences, and my questions.
This is why, today — on the 14th of August, 2012 — I invite you to join me on my journey. Welcome to Leadership & Life Potential. Welcome to LauraLines. Welcome to this exciting, energizing, thought-provoking conversation. I hope you will join the conversation and come back often; I promise to be here with new thoughts at least weekly. I intend to write to learn what I know, and further explore thoughts and ideas related to passion, purpose, personal growth, communication, and leadership.
Together let’s change the world with powerful words.
What are you writing, and what are you learning about yourself through the process?
