If you were attending one of my workshops—where we spend three hours focused entirely on reflection and expression—I would tell you that these practices of reflection and expression will heal you, enliven you, return you to yourself, create space for God to speak to you, and therefore bring you home.
So when it came time to write a book about coming out of hiding, I could not help but include an opportunity for you to engage in the lifelines of reflection and expression for yourself. These two movements—like inhaling and exhaling—are literal soul sustenance. And I didn’t want you to miss out on that spectacular opportunity.
To that end, I’ve included prompts at the conclusion of each chapter that will help you interact with the material. Sorry if this feels presumptuous, annoying, or overly aggressive.
But if by chance these prompts feel like an invitation—even if that invitation is a bit uncomfortable—I’m right here, cheering you on, believing that examining your inner landscape will pay off big time and that getting your hands moving will always help heal your mind. Oh, and grabbing a couple of friends and talking through your findings could be (and I don’t want to overemphasize this, of course) life-changing.
If you do the prompts, I hereby affirm the employment of “legal bribes” to yourself. You, Brazen Warrior, get to reward yourself with something delicious, frivolous, or otherwise longed for. Might I suggest a metallic Sharpie. Or a coconut La Croix. Maybe a fresh new journal. Or a walk in the woods.
Let’s call it positive reinforcement.
You might also want to invest in a candle you love that you could light and enjoy when you are doing your Brazen Work. And, I don’t want this to come across bossy in any way, but I think scouting out a little nook in your house or out in the world that could be the place where you go to reflect and express would be supremely helpful.
What we want to do is set up an environment that is so warm and friendly and safe and nurturing that our souls can’t help but come out and play. For some of us, the most sacred parts of us have been in hiding for too long, and we need to create a place where we are just comfortable enough to emerge.
In addition to the prompts at the end of each chapter, you will see suggestions for building a Brazen Board. Think of it as a storyboard for your soul.
You are going to collect images, ideas, and words that we’ll combine—throughout the book—to create a Brazen Board, a physical manifestation of the ways in which you want to exercise your brazen.
If you decide to create a board, it will be helpful to have some of the following on hand: poster board (or some kind of canvas), glue stick or rubber cement, scissors, magazines or any kind of visually stimulating papers, cards, images. As you are reading, keep your eye out for anything found that speaks to you in your daily life—shells, leaves, keys, dried petals, colors, textures, an old photograph, you name it. You might also want markers, Mod Podge, or paints.
You can make this project as sophisticated or as simple as you’d like. There are no rules, and you do not need to feel the pressure to Martha Stewart it to death. Let your board be a process, a prayer, more than a product.
I have found that sometimes we need help exploring our own soul, nurturing our voice, remembering our identity. And these interactive elements can help us access what has gone dormant.
But not if you feel like punching me in the face upon the mention of these exercises. In that case, certainly, just keep movin’ right along.