Flourish Anyway® Today: How Have You Already Figured Out How to Flourish Anyway?
One reason I love being a spiritual director is that I don’t feel any pressure to know any answers. I’m not supposed to tell people what to do. I listen. I ask questions. I make suggestions sometimes for things to try or practice, but my clients know that they get to make the decisions and choices that they think are best for them.
They know I trust the divine in and with them.
I trust God to show up for them.
I trust my lack of power and control. (That sounds weird, but it’s true. I should probably use this sentence as a daily mantra.)
So, when I mention “flourish anyway,” what comes to mind for you?
How are you already doing this? What helps you be more of the person you want to be? What helps you inhabit your days and weeks in ways that help you feel like you are growing and moving toward more of what you want? Which nourishing rhythms give your body, mind, and soul what you need? How do you notice the divine in different areas of life?
When have you had to accept the reality of a situation and move forward toward more goodness anyway?
When have you had to live with hardship and move forward toward more goodness anyway?
When have you had to navigate a disaster or a death and move forward toward more goodness anyway?
People have been flourishing anyway forever. I just want us to be more intentional about it when everything seems to be rocking along fine personally, when disruptions and interruptions come, when larger devastations unfold. I want us to think about it on the front end so we are prepared to do what will help us move forward toward more goodness anyway, always.
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Thanks so much for being here. Thanks for thinking a bit about what it means for you to flourish anyway. Feel free to email me if you’re up for sharing your thoughts.
And much love to the creative souls. May we flourish anyway today and all days.
💚Charlotte
P.S.
See the latest FREE Spiritual Direction for Writers® Daily Nourishment offerings here.
See my most recent doses of art at A Daily Dose of Art.
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Charlotte Donlon is a writer, spiritual director, and gatherer whose work centers on helping people explore themes of belonging, artful encoutners, spiritual growth, and how to Flourish Anyway®, even when life is full, busy, or chaotic. Her work has woven together themes of belonging, art, and soul exploration for more than 25 years. With a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing (2015-2018) and a certificate in spiritual direction (2018-2020), Charlotte guides writers and other creative souls in developing sanctuaries of acceptance and connection.
A Christian in the Episcopal church who believes the tenets of the Nicene Creed, Charlotte employs a universal framework of belonging and connection in her spiritual direction work. She fosters meaningful, soulful conversations and gatherings that are welcoming to all—regardless of faith tradition or spiritual inclinations.
In 2020, Broadleaf Books published Charlotte's first book, The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other.Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life is slated for release by Here Below Books in September 2026. Three volumes of Charlotte's "Guidebooks for the Soul"—Take More Retreats, The Great Belonging Project, and Belonging Through Art—will also be published in 2026.
As the founder of several initiatives, Charlotte has established herself as a thought leader and an authentic presence at the intersection of creativity and spirituality. Her essays have been featured in publications such as The Washington Post, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Catapult, and The Millions, among others. A new essay about art conservation, Joan Mitchell, and mystery is forthcoming with Image journal.
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Flourish Anyway® is Charlotte’s online hub for all of her writing, spiritual direction, small press, gatherings, and other offerings.