Tip #2: SPEAK UP
Another challenge. How does someone who felt invisible manage to get herself heard? When you show up, you also speak up. When I quit my secretarial job to go to school, there were plenty of raised eyebrows and comments like, “Mary, this isn’t like you. Quitting your job is so foolish.” Well, it wasn’t like the me they wanted me to be. It was exactly like the Mary I wanted to be.
My life path didn’t look like the one they had designed for me. I designed a new one. I was writing in my secretarial job supporting the Engineers and Programmers to look good on paper outside of their industry-speak. I knew I could use writing to have an impact on the world. True, a college degree wasn’t necessary to do what I wanted to accomplish. My degree was important to me because it was my degree. I earned it not despite the obstacles put in my path. I earned it because of what I did to navigate those obstacles.
I spoke up.
I turned my lemons of feeling stuck in an invisible secretarial position and undetermined infertility which left me in a state of monthly anticipation followed by utter sadness, into adventure pursuing my dreams of becoming a mother and achieving a college degree. After some time, I was swimming in lemonade when we adopted a 6-week-old blonde, blue-eyed baby girl, graduated from the School of Journalism at the University of Minnesota and landed my first “official” writing job as an editorial assistant on a monthly newspaper.
Tip #3: REPEAT tips #1 and #2 as you live your life unleashed!
Simple steps? Well, perhaps not so much simple as they are possible and attainable. Think about the you of long ago who had big dreams. How was she starring in her life? How are you staring in your life right now? What can you do to show up and shine to take center stage in your life?
After three breast cancer diagnoses, I’m healthy and I’m living the life of my dreams. I’m doing work I love with people who inspire me and whom I am blessed to inspire. My mission is to help women’s voices be heard. To help them show up and speak up in whatever form they want to be visible with the story written on their soul which only they can share. Whether through mentoring to transition from writer to author as part of the co-author series Written In Her Own Words-Wise Woman Wisdom, or helping to craft the first draft of your solo book, I am always thrilled to assist you in crafting your story. Every March I host the Wise Women’s Wisdom retreat where we step away from the day-to-day world and surround ourselves with being nourished by our creativity in nature on the beautiful California Coastside.
What we’ve learned here is that there are many stories to choose from in your life where you can put the spotlight on you and shine.
The three tips are deceptively simple and utterly profound:
1.
2.
3.
BONUS: I have a suggestion if you are willing to try a little experiment. You could start to be the star in your own life by Showing Up on the page. Be inspired by the synchronicity of your life experiences and how you coped with them. Have a conversation within the pages of your journal just as you would with a trusted friend and confidant. Start by sitting down with a fast-writing pen and your journal for a short writing session. Write for about 5-15 minutes (set a timer so you are not constantly looking at the clock). Disconnect from your head and listen to your heart. You may start with the words “what does my heart want me to know right now?” or ponder some nagging thoughts that are pleading for attention. Make it an on-going experiment for at least 21-days at roughly the same time every day. Write down the date and time at the top of your page to ground yourself and let your subconscious know that those messages it has been keeping safe for you may now be shared with your conscious self. I like to play soft instrumental music when I write, perhaps light a candle and have a cup of tea or flavored coffee. Be open and curious to see what messages show up. And be prepared to be the star of your story!
Happy Writing as the Star in Your Story!
Live a life unleased!