A Sunday, smattering, some sobering thoughts…

Core Article: Sunday, smattering, some sobering thoughts…

Quote I’m Pondering: “When you feel yourself breaking down…”

Powerful Affirmations to Inspire: “My mind is calm…”

Cool Stuff: “Why do we get second hand embarassment?”

A Sunday, smattering, some sobering thoughts…

Last Sunday, I ended up reading four newsletters back-to-back. I found it quite interesting and thought-provoking. This was just after the innocent lives lost in Minneapolis. It was a group of women whom I admired and signed up for all their newsletters.

First, I read Anne Lamott’s, then Liz Gilbert’s, Oprah’s, and lastly, Maria Shriver’s.

The one fascinating thing they had in common was that they were writing about similar things: the instability of the world, what’s happening in Minneapolis, and how to best care for ourselves.

What I loved about each one is that they had their own unique point of view. And I’m often intrigued by how you can take a similar subject and have four different experts give you four different views.

This reminded me about one of the biggest struggle entrepreneurs have is standing out from the crowd with their unique voice. And not “blending in” with the crowd of entrepreneurs.

When we look at these four experts, all of them are writers. Yet, they have their own unique voice and way of communicating.

When you have a unique positioning and a unique voice, you bring something different to the same conversation. You’re bringing your experience and voice that makes an impact on the person who’s r connecting with it. The real key is to explore and find your unique voice.

Doing so has given me four different lenses, guidance, and inspiration for how to look at what’s happening in the world, how it affects me, and what I can do to take care of myself.

To find your unique voice, you need to go deeper and connect with your values and your mission. And connecting to your internal voice and guidance. Then being able to create your own lane with your words, messages, and how you post and write.

It’s speaking from your truth, wisdom, and knowledge, from, as Elizabeth Gilbert says, “your true higher dear love self.” The focus in her newsletter wasn’t on the outside world; it was on what was happening in your internal world. And empowering more of her readers to write their own “Letters From Love,” using her journal prompt, “Dear Love, what would you have me know today?”

When using her prompt, it’s about accessing your inner wisdom. If you haven’t done this before, I want to inspire you to try it. I’ve been using this prompt for a while, and I’m amazed by what my inner knowing, my higher self, has to share with me. You can check out her Substack post here.

In Anne Lamott’s post, she started with the writing prompt that she gave to her class: “What would you like to come upon today?” Her request to me, the reader, was: “I would like to come upon someone with rich theological insight to address the question of evil by which I mean cruelty, stupidity, and brutality. It’s not going to be me.”

And she continues in her raw, visual writing style that I so love: maybe the solution to what’s happening in America is “drawing in more people to resist evil,” rather than a political party. It was a very direct email about what’s happening in Minneapolis, and talking about the Germans in WWII and what happened in Selma. She brought in so much and positioned this in such a unique way. If you haven’t seen it, you can view the whole Substack piece here.

Then I went on to reading Oprah’s Insider newsletter titled: Oprah on “Choosing Kindness Over Darkness.“ What I loved about her short piece is that it didn’t mention what’s happening in the world; she didn’t have to. Her words were about love, positivity, and safety from this space in her membership that she’s created. Her core message was that Is that no one can affect our internal experience unless we let them.

One of my favorite ideas that she touched upon and that I share a lot with my clients is the notion that “What other people think about me is none of my business. They can have their opinions over there. I’m staying over here, doing my thing.” It’s more crucial than ever to stay true to yourself and your values, and not get caught up in the swirling chaos.”

She also shared that “negativity has the power we give it.” It’s about not getting caught up “into the swirling chaos.” It’s more crucial than ever to stay true to yourself and your values. It’s realizing that “we are not here to push against the world. We are here to expand in spite of it.”

Then, reading the words of Maria Shriver in her Sunday Paper, who talked about “the road we’re on as a country, and as individuals trying to make sense of our lives.” And how some days we’re on the right road, and “other days it certainly feels like we’re drifting down the wrong road.“ I appreciate her wisdom and experience in the news and politics. I appreciated her delving into what’s happening in Minneapolis with a deeper conversation about humanity, politics, and where we’re headed as a country.

There’s so much to glean from these amazing women and their combined experiences and knowledge. What they shared wasn’t a political rant about presidents and politicians. It’s about having deeper conversations and finding your unique voice.

It’s sobering in a few ways, just seeing what’s unfolding in this country. And also, what’s unfolding right now in our own lives. Noticing what you focus on and where you spend your time and attention. Ensuring you’re spending enough time nourishing yourself and your loved ones.

On another note, I’m celebrating 10 years of sobriety tomorrow. Sending much love to all those who support, love, and care about me, including myself. 🙂 The best answer to how I did it: “just one day, sometimes one hour, or one minute at a time.”

I want to leave you with Maria Shriver’s prayer for this past Sunday, as it reminded me a lot of the Serenity Prayer. Yet hers is about a shared journey, not just an internal one.

“Dear God, grant us the courage
to choose the right road,
the wisdom to recognize it, and
the love to walk it together.
Amen.”

Hugs to you wherever you are on this journey of life today.

Hands at your back,
Always,
Shannon

Quote I’m Pondering

“May you listen to the voice within the beat even when you are tired. When you feel yourself breaking down, may you break open instead. May every experience in life be a door that opens your heart, expands your understanding, and leads you to freedom. If you are weary, may you be aroused by passion and purpose. If you are blameful and bitter, may you be sweetened by hope and humor. If you are frightened, may you be emboldened by a big consciousness far wiser than your fear. If you are lonely, may you find love, may you find friendship. If you are lost, may you understand that we are all lost, and still we are guided by Strange Angels and Sleeping Giants, by our better and kinder natures, by the vibrant voice within the beat. May you follow that voice, for this is the way—the hero’s journey, the life worth living, the reason we are here. ”

~ Elizabeth Lesser, Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow

Powerful Affirmations to Inspire

“My dreams are vibrant, clear, and within my reach; I effortlessly manifest them into reality.”
“I celebrate my victories, large and small, recognizing every step forward as a profound achievement.”
“My mind is calm, my heart is open, and I experience life with profound awareness and gratitude.”

Cool Stuff

The big question is, why do we get “second-hand embarrassment?” It’s a real thing. You know what to do. 🙂
Here are words from a headline to inspire the curious: Good Friday experiment, college, students, church, and psilocybin...
This animal shelter in Nova Scotia is closing empty every day. They have a waiting list for people who want animals. Love these feel-good stories.

Weekly Photos

Here’s Mt. Lassen again. I just love seeing this on my walk every day. Looking at the majesty of mountains always inspires me.
Yeah, these heart rocks find me on walks in all colors, shapes, and sizes. 🙂
It was a cold, damp, and foggy morning along the river. I saw these fishermen braving the cold. Wonder if they caught anything?
The Canadian geese are everywhere on this bridge. I like this shot cuz its a big of an optical illusion. See the next pic.
So this is the first shot I took. So it’s standing on the inside of the bridge. I have to say, I do love the zoom lens on my camera.
This buck scared the you-know-what out of me on this trail. It literally darted out in front of me. I scrambled pretty quickly to him, running up the hill.
This was the sunrise yesterday. I do love it when the sky becomes a big color wheel of pink, grey, and orangeness.

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