Last time I shared The Stevie – my first creative confidence coaching workout prezzie for Little Lies’ tenth birthday. That mentioned ‘gateway pieces’, the name in my head for when we see a piece – and we don’t let ourselves acknowledge we want it. It somehow represents a party we don’t feel we’re invited to; a person we don’t think we’re supposed to be.

When that happens, the truth of who we are is always in the opposite direction.

When our curiosity gets bigger than our self-doubt, we narrow the gap between who we are in our heads and how we show up in the world.

That’s what business and personal coaching is for – narrowing that gap – and it’s also what Little Lies has been for me.

So, it’s not surprising we share my biggest artistic and personal muse...

The Bowie Workout: Creative Confidence for Life, Work and Art

David Bowie is my lifelong reminder that being true to ourselves doesn’t mean staying the same. That identity, when it’s authentic, means the reverse of being frozen in time. Bowie didn’t stay with what was safe, what the people around him expected; he stayed true to himself by daring to discover what that meant today, tomorrow, the next day.

So I turned myself to face me / but I never caught a glimpse / of how the other must see the faker… The iconic song reminds us we never, ever get to see how we’re seen. So we might as well let ourselves be seen how we truly are.

·Write your name in the middle of a blank page.

·Draw a circle around it. Give that circle a huge number of legs.

·At the end of each leg, write something you love. An interest, an activity, a person from culture or history, every role you perform in life and every role you want to: everything and anything that’s part of being you.

·Choose a colour to circle any that aren’t getting enough time in the spotlight.

·If there were one step you could take towards each of those, what would it be?

·Remember, you’re writing just for you. So it’s safe to Think on the Page (not just your head!).

Bowie only started performing his own stuff because no one else would. By embracing that discomfort, he created his own way of working. It was never about avoiding feeling discomfort. It was about growing, growing heart and soul. Even when it’s hard, even when there are no guarantees, the wins can only come through putting what you can into the world. Because it isn’t pride to share that; it’s courage to be about your message, not yourself as the messenger. So, why not shine like no one else can?

·If you knew you could enjoy one thing you now fear, what would it be?

·If you knew it was absolutely fine to be as loud as you can about one thing you’re good at, what would that look like?

·Think on the page.

Keep in touch for more writing, speaking and creative confidence workouts – mention Little Lies to unlock a discount on your first workout.

ALL the love,

Rachel x

Dr Rachel Knightley, Author, Writing and Confidence Coach
Insta: @drrachelknightley
Substack: drrachelknightley.substack.com
www.rachelknightley.com