So far in 2017, I’ve published 22 blog posts, sent 11 newsletters to my readers, and revised and reformatted all 6 of my self-published books — in addition to my almost-daily journaling, the usual Story Shine client workload, teaching yoga classes, and planning an epic retreat to Peru in 2018.

(No wonder the year has been flying by!)

I mention all of this because I tend to pretty frequently hear the question, “How do you write so much?”

The answer is that I’ve built reasons to write into my life, even beyond my work.

Writing is not just a tool or a passion but a source of spirituality. To me, writing is communing with my True Self, with my nature, with Source, and with life all around me. I always find more to write about because the act of writing is an essential component to my Self-Knowledge.

Joan Didion is attributed with saying, “I don’t know what I think until I write it down.” That sentiment captures why I started writing when I was younger. I haven’t looked back since.

If how much I write seems like a lot to you, that probably means you have a desire to write more.

If so, I would really like to help you do that.

My Summer of Writing is a new, free writing initiative I’m launching on Sunday, July 9 to help a few hundred of my readers do more writing over the bright, long, spacious summer weeks. I’ll be sending a new batch of simple, practical journaling prompts once per week throughout July and August. It’s all about expressing yourself — and learning how to use this medium to know yourself, better and better. From Self-Knowledge, I believe a healthier, more purposeful life follows.

Click here to sign up for My Summer of Writing 2017.

Everything I’ve Written So Far in 2017

22. Retreat to Peru in 2018: Personal Myth, Mindfulness, Visit Machu Picchu. Get out of your comfort zone. See a miraculous corner of the earth. Get to know some lovely people. Eat well. Move more. Breathe deeply. Join me in Peru in 2018.

21. I Want You to Read These 589 Pages This Summer. To celebrate my 8 year anniversary as a writer, I’m releasing a new exclusive Second Editions book package (exclusive to my newsletter subscribers) of all six of my self-published books, for 50% off.

20. What Are My Values? 35 Common Examples from Yogis, Creatives, Writers. Values are our underlying soul code: how we understand what matters in life, and why. Identifying even just a few helps you consciously guide your actions and words.

19. 7 Writing Prompts for Mindfulness (That You Can Journal in 7 Minutes or Less). These 7 simple writing prompts help you slow down into a state of presence with topics that are actually meaningful and self-informing.

18. These 2 Verbal Cues May Reveal a Subconscious Shame Script. These 2 scripts may reveal a sense of shame or insecurity that you’re unintentionally communicating to people, every day.

17. Let’s Agree to Disagree. A school teacher and lifelong military veteran are locked in an epic email debate. It has lasted for months. And neither is backing down. So, why do they keep responding?

16. The Case Against Walls. WALLS by Marcello Di Cintio is an award-winning book about the people who live beside notorious walls meant to divide. An interview with the author.

15. 6 Thought-Provoking Books I’ve Been Loving Lately. So many books to choose from. Where do you begin? These are the 6 most thought-provoking books that I’ve come across lately, and why I’ve loved reading them.

14. Exceptions to My Easy-Big Rule. Turning an adage or idea into “the one and only way” only serves to narrow our viewpoints to a single pointed edge. Today, I’m breaking my own rule.

13. The Easy-Big Rule (Or, Why Big Change Must Begin Small). In which I offer to invest in a Thigh-Master and Buns of Steel on VHS if you think it will get me on the cover of GQ by summertime (hint: it won’t).

12. What is the Individual’s Role in Resisting the Government? Thoreau’s Answer. In his 1849 essay Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau describes the conditions for the individual to resist the state. Read the full text here.

11. Story Shine Profile: This Spanish Expat’s Story ‘Translated’ Her Career Anew. Even though her young career had started in finance, accounting and law, Masé’s new story helped her change her direction and land a new job as a translator.

10. #TryPod: My Top 9 Podcasts Lately (And, Why I Love Them). For someone who once said he didn’t want to “bother” listening to podcasts, I’ve started regularly listening to about 20 of them over the last year. Here’s my top nine.

9. Why Is It So Tough to Tell My Own Story? And, How to Do It Anyway. When you start digging into the heart of your story, some very human stuff comes up. Shadows. Shame scripts. Guilt. Feelings of vulnerability.

8. How Do You Journal? Is there a right way to journal? I asked 6 friends to share their personal uses of journaling. Here’s how they support their inner wellness with paper and pen.

7. Use Reverse Intention-Setting to Set Your New Year on the Right Track. Spend just 1-2 minutes on each of these 10 journaling prompts to “reverse intention-set” your New Year beyond those short-lived New Year’s Resolutions.

6. Where Is Home? Mohammad’s Story. It’s 8 days after the Muslim immigration ban took effect. Mohammad is stuck in Tehran. I can hear his young daughter crying faintly in the background.

5. How to Write Your New Bio (in 4 Simple Steps). This free mini guide gives you a thorough, easy formula to follow (plus scripts and examples) for writing yourself a new professional bio in 100 words or less.

4. How to Travel More Affordably (A Miniature Guide + Sample Itineraries). In travel, you see the world – and find yourself. Thankfully, visiting a new corner of the world has never been easier or more affordable.

3. Patria or Death: Chronicles of an American in Cuba. What was it like to visit Cuba as a solo traveler? And, an American tourist? And, to see one of the world’s last remaining Communist countries? I’m glad you asked.

2. Havana is Cuba (A Photo-Essay). Dilapidated facades. Bursts of color. Oceanic promise. Emblems of old America. The historic capital city of Havana, Cuba, emerges before my eyes. A photo-essay, featuring bonus audio of Havana by night.

1. On the Path to Wholeness Within, Opportunities Abound. Take Them. The lessons that our souls are here to learn in this lifetime don’t happen once. They repeat. Which means that you are never lost from chances to thrive.

That should give you some reading for a while :)

Don’t forget, if you’d like to join me in writing more this summer — no expectations, word-counts or big book dreams — join My Summer of Writing 2017. It’s free. It’s going to be fun.

I hope to see you inside!