Believing Mirrors

“The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share you riches, but to reveal to him his own.” Benjamin Disraeli

If you are a writer or creator of any kind and you’ve never read Julia Cameron, you don’t know what you’re missing. Currently, I am reading FINDING WATER, and it has been helping me find my way again. Earlier I spoke of losing my way and dealing with depression. Julia’s book (I feel like I’m on a first name basis with her because her books are so personal) has helped me in several ways. 1) Morning pages—write every morning. I used to get up and stretch my body. Now I get up and stretch my mind. 2) The issues she has dealt with are issues I have or I am dealing with, and I realize I’m not alone. 3) Her writing is beautiful.

In FINDING WATER, Julia talks about Believing Mirrors and how important they are to a writer, or to any artist. If we didn’t have this type of encouragement, where would we be? Unfortunately, some encouraging friends are good when things are going well for you or them, but Believing Mirrors are supportive through the good and the bad times. They support and even encourage your dreams, even if they don’t understand or agree with them. They help you focus on the positive and never ever let you give up. They will never ever tell you your dream is crazy but will support it no matter what. They will believe in YOU and that YOU can accomplish whatever you set your mind to. They understand things take work, but will continue to encourage you through your work. Above all, a Believing Mirror will encourage you to do better than the average but they DO NOT merely blow smoke up your you-know-what. They support and encourage you, but also tell you (if they’ve read your work) what could be better, what needs to be changed or what you’re doing wrong. They’re not afraid to speak their mind because they trust your relationship and know that you will not get angry at the truth, and vice versa.

I have Believing Mirrors in many of my friends (Miranda, Jennifer, Nina, to name a few!) But I also have friends who know I’m a writer, but don’t really support me or let me cry on them when I need them. Whether they don’t realize how important it is or just don’t care, I feel I can’t go to them for conversation about certain topics. That’s fine. I have discovered who not to bother though it’s sad, because I am always supportive. I’ve also noticed that my best Believing Mirrors are writers themselves. It seems like the most supportive people in the world are writers, doesn’t it? Maybe that’s because we realize how difficult it is to do it all alone, even though writing is probably one of the most solitary positions you’ll find. We also realize that, if we just keep trucking along, we’ll get somewhere.

So this post about Believing Mirrors is a shout out to my Believing Mirrors as a Big Thank You! Many of us may call it a support group, or just a really good friend or even a critique partner, but I like how Julia refers to it as a Believing Mirror. We can’t have Believing Mirrors without mirroring that faith. We have to be one in turn. Are you a Believing Mirror for others?