Why Your Spiritual Wisdom Is Needed Now

Truthteller Molly McCord has asked herself some tough questions on her spiritual journey and written eight books along the way. What she has to say about sharing personal truths and stories resonates so strongly with me – it is exactly the reason why Women For One is in existence. When we share our stories, we connect with each other and help each other along the way. Molly’s piece is beautiful and inspiring. Enjoy!

You can choose any dream at any time in your life. I started writing in my early 30s with a sudden wave of passion. Perhaps the words and ideas had always been there, suppressed, or hidden, or lurking just below the life-is-too-crazy-busy surface. The need to put fingertips to keyboard finally rose to the surface with a force only creativity can bring – that urge to express oneself and share from an authentic place. Yet it was bumpy along the way.

My memoir-writing process started in 2008, stalled out in 2010, and I didn’t touch the project again until 2013. I was hard on myself about it at times and wondered if it would ever come together; more accurately, I wondered if the right words would ever come through. Maybe I really didn’t have anything to say.

But then a sudden wave of fresh inspiration struck on a spring Saturday morning, and I was up at 7 a.m. with the urge to rewrite the whole book. Within three months, in the summer of 2013, I finally pushed “publish” on Kindle, and it was one of the most terrifying, exciting, memorable days of my life. I’d created something real, both in me and in the world. I went for a long walk and just allowed myself the full experience of what it means to put yourself out there.

The thing about writing a memoir is that you never know what it is going to be until it is done, because by then, it has become something else – a different version of the story you started with; a different understanding with more than you realized before you pounded on the QWERTY. You learn more than you ever thought was possible about yourself and then you decide to bravely share it with the world to inspire and assist and connect through similar experiences, feelings, and questions. It is often our vulnerabilities that hold the greatest connection points – and it takes courage to put those out there.

Writing a spiritual memoir was tricky at times, but I realized I didn’t want to hold back, even though my ego said I shouldn’t be too vulnerable or open at times. We’re in a new era of sharing and connecting that supports our conscious understandings of ourselves in a deeper way. Your experiences matter, from the most difficult to the brightest insights. Your version matters. Your driving intention matters.

Memoir has always been one of my favorite book genres because I like getting to know people, hearing their experiences, being pulled into their thoughts and emotions and world. It’s an amazing invitation into their intimate inner realms.

Memoir can also have negative stereotypes associated with it: self-indulgent, narcissistic, self-important. Sure, that can be the case if that is the author’s intention. There are a lot of ‘gurus’ who write memoirs to grow their businesses or become more influential, or to strategize how they can bring in new clients. That’s a whole different energy. But if you have something to express from your heart, never mind those opinions. Don’t give them attention because they aren’t the people you’re speaking to, anyway.

Return to your intention. Return to what you have to say. Return to your authentic and open-hearted voice, and how you want to help other people on their journey. That’s where the real story is at.

Life is made up of our stories. Personal stories are everywhere. Personal stories are what we connect with and how we relate to each other. We learn our commonalities, our differences, our strengths, our fears. I believe memoir is essential, actually, because it’s a powerful way to help each other grow and evolve spiritually into fuller versions of ourselves.

Facebook is just one giant memoir, is it not?

My driving intention behind writing is to connect with people who are ready to be courageous on their journey, who want to go deeper, get real and bravely authentic, fully dive into all of their energy, and then re-emerge with higher wisdom. Truth be told, I believe that encompasses all of us because we all have inspiration and spiritual wisdom to offer one another.

It’s time for more authentic, open-hearted spiritual stories to come out of the woodwork. It’s time to share your wisdom, experiences, and what you’ve learned. It’s time for you to speak up and get it out there. Have you been feeling that urge to write a book? Is the idea or possibility calling to you?

Keep your spiritual wisdom alive and play with it. It may matter more than you realize now. It may take you exactly where you need to go next and just might benefit thousands along the way.