Why start Prompt of the Week?
Too often in a discussion I find myself being misunderstood or I end up defeated saying “it made better sense in my head, but you know what I mean, yeah?” This always left me feeling dumb and frustrated with how the discussion went, all because I couldn’t bridge the gap between my mind and my mouth.
Even today when I sat down to write this article, I spent nearly an hour just writing down every idea that went through my head. I was jumping back and forth between 6 different paragraphs, unable to entertain a thought for longer than it took to write it down. It was exhausting and confusing. If I can organize my thoughts I can more easily and effectively share them with others, I believe this writing exercise will be fundamental to that change.
“The more words you have at your disposal, the more precisely you can express yourself.”
Bill Watterson.
There are few conflicts in my life that are not caused by misunderstandings and assumptions, as a better communicator I can reduce these. Being able to say exactly what I mean everyday would leave me feeling more relaxed, and felt that I have truly been heard. No more would I be worried that I might have confused or upset someone, just because I didn’t use clear language. I have found that expressing my thoughts is important in reducing my anxiety, and as a more confident communicator I would be able to assert my opinion, my position or my needs more clearly to those around me.
The act of just sitting down and writing (or typing) is very beneficial, it acts as a release on your mind and an outlet for your emotions, or it can be used to educate and grow your understanding of people and yourself. And while writing was always something that I have enjoyed, I never realized how much it truly added to my life. I am hoping that this weekly exercise will bring a sense of accomplishment that my life has been lacking lately, and I need to show myself that i can commit to something as simple as this, that bettering myself, my mind and my life is worth investing the time.
The second part of the PotW blog will be the weekly podcasts where my partner and I get to sit down, read and then discuss each others articles and writings.
By each completing an article or a short essay on the same prompt we get to explore the differences in how our minds work, to talk about them, learn from each other and to explore what we each think is truly important in our lives. I don’t think there is a more genuine way to understand the way someone’s mind works than when you read their writings. I want my love and friendship with my partner to last our life time, and i never want our interactions and our minds to grow stale or complacent.
“Falling in love with someone’s thoughts [is the] most intimate, splendid romance.”
Sanober Khan
There are so many people who end up having little more in common with their partners than a shared space, and a couple TV and movie dates each week. That has got to be the most boring and unfulfilling relationship that I can think of.
Lately, more than ever I have noticed couples having so much trouble with their communication and really understanding what it is each-other really value.This exercise will encourage closeness and openness, strengthen our connection, and develop an awareness of each other and the way our brain works that i think many people will never truly experience with their partners.
Each article I write and each week that passes I will be pushed to read more on topics I would have not otherwise have researched. I will have read articles and essays from different peoples’ perspectives and experiences, and all the while cultivating my own vocabulary and enriching my knowledge and awareness of what happens around me. Through this I will also be deepening my understanding of my partner and more importantly of myself. Prompt of the Week is much more than an writing exercise, it’s a ‘getting to know yourself and each other’ experience that i think will add tremendous value to my life.
I wrote this article for a series my partner and I are doing called: Prompt of the Week.
Each week we draw a prompt out of our jar and write an article about it. We read each other’s article then record a podcast discussing our thoughts.
This weeks prompt was IDEA.
Click the link to see my partner’s take on this prompt: https://medium.com/@vorks/ideas-shouldnt-be-worthless-eaf4d8c2d589
