5-Minute Writers Happiness Exercise: Set The Thermostat
What if we were to continually look for what's already working well, and make those the stories we tell ourselves?
Welcome to the weekly 5-minute Writers Happiness Exercises. They show up in your inbox every Tuesday to invite more connection to your own creativity and heart, which is crucial — especially now. Remember that your art is resistance. That your creativity is magic. That your work is important. Writing changes the world - let’s change it together.
Hey everyone - before we jump into today’s exercise, a small note from me. It's been a hell of a week here in my beloved Los Angeles and everywhere, but I am so heartened by the weekend’s protests here in the US. This moment seems to require a new writers happiness exercise, one written specifically for this moment. I started to do just that, but...I’m in bed with Covid, where I've been since last Tuesday, and so I got halfway through a new exercise and just didn’t feel up to finishing. And so I will just say: thank you for your heart, your spirit, your time, your incredible self. I’m honored to be in the world with you.
And now, on to today’s exercise.
Listen to this Writers Happiness Exercise:
Gmorning.
Set the thermostat for your heart today.
The temp where you like it.
You know yourself; you know what you need.
Take your time.
~ Lin-Manuel Miranda
It's tempting to make today's exercise just about doing what Lin-Manuel Miranda says above: setting the thermostat for your heart. (Actually, it's tempting to make everything about doing just what Lin-Manuel Miranda says. Hm. Not a bad idea.) But we're going to take it one step further and set not just the temperature, but the entire ecosystem that lets the temperature happen.
In Michelle Gielan's fabulous book, Broadcasting Happiness: The Science of Igniting and Sustaining Positive Change, she talks about how, in order to achieve success and fuel optimism, "...we need to move our brain past its natural focus on what we need to improve to what is already working. We accelerate toward growth when we have perceived progress, not when we feel we still have a long way to go."
Remembering and repeating these "success stories," as she calls them, completely rewires the brain for more optimism and happiness...and it's been proven to bring tangible results as well. What if we were to do this for our writing—or for our lives in general? What if we were to continually look for what's already working well, and make those the stories we tell ourselves?
Let's try, shall we? Grab your writing gear and set your timer for five minutes or for the individual times listed for each step.
STEP ONE (thirty seconds): You can do this exercise for one specific aspect of your life, such as writing, or for your life in general. Choose whichever resonates most for you right now. Write down what you've chosen at the top of the page.
STEP TWO (three minutes): For the next three minutes, list everything you can think of that is already working or has worked in the past related to whatever you chose in Step One. That "worked in the past" part is vital: if you are focusing on writing and aren't able to write at the moment, don't worry! Think back to when you were able to write, and choose a piece of it that went wonderfully, a piece that was/is already working right without any need to change it. Maybe this is how easily certain parts of writing come for you; maybe it's the fact that when you keep at something you always finish, even if it takes a while; maybe it's a recognition that you simply love to write. For example, for me, the first "success story" that comes to mind around writing is that when I have faith in the process, the magic happens. This always works for me, even when it isn't immediate (which is usually).
Here's the most important thing about all of this: ONE success story is all you need! If you have time to write out more, that's wonderful...but if you only have time for one, or one is all that's coming to mind right now—that's great!
STEP THREE (one and a half minutes): Now here's the part that's important: in order for these success stories to take root, we have to tell them to ourselves over and over. And so, spend these last few moments setting up a way to remember to repeat this success story to yourself whenever possible. Here are some suggestions:
• whittle this success story down to a word or phrase, and write said word or phrase somewhere you'll see it regularly (a post-it by your computer, in your wallet, etc.). Then, every time you see it, mentally (or out loud if you prefer!) tell yourself your success story, in as much detail as you possibly can.
• Commit to repeating this story to yourself before every writing session.
• Set a daily reminder to tell yourself this story.
•Or, whatever else you want.
The thing is, this really, really works. See if you can do it for reals.
The 100% optional, only-if-you-feel-like-it way to take this exercise throughout the whole week: If you want to see the benefit of doing this full-on for an entire week, decide you're going to tell yourself this story several times a day from now until the next Writers Happiness exercise appears. Set alarms or reminders for 3-5 times a day for the entire week, and every time they pop up, repeat your success story to yourself.
Splendid Mola is a revolutionary refuge for writers, created by author Lori Snyder, that offers online and in-person writing retreats, salons, fellowships, yoga, meditation, writing containers, tiny grants, and more. Much of it is free to attend because it is supported by the Mola Fund, a communal pot made up of small donations from anyone who wants to assure that all writers have access to writing support and community, without money determining who gets that and who does not. Everything on this Substack is free, so when you subscribe you are supporting programs for writers everywhere through the Mola Fund. For more information: www.writershappiness.com and www.splendidmola.com
Lori R Snyder is a writer, speaker, retreat leader, and yoga teacher. She is the founder of Splendid Mola and the Writers Happiness Movement, which are now combined under the one name of Splendid Mola. She is also the author of the middle grade fantasy The Circus at the End of the Sea and expects her second book, another middle grade fantasy with a working title of Zephyr and the Winds of Time, to be out in 2026 (but you know how that goes, sometimes.). You can find her author info at lorirsnyderauthor.com.
How was it thinking through what has already worked?
I just wrote about doing this exercise in my blog. Hopefully, it will get you some subscribers. https://ddinafriedman.substack.com/p/the-stories-you-tell-yourself
Love this! Sometimes we just need to remind ourselves that we do have the right instincts to reach our goals and that we've shown that to ourselves before. Sending all the healing energy your way!