One of the best ways to discover yourself…

Core Article: One of the best ways to discover yourself…

Paragraph I’m Pondering: “We all have ways of keeping a timeline…”

Powerful Affirmations to Inspire: “I release worries…”

Cool Stuff: Did you know skiers drink this before…

One of the best ways to discover yourself…

Since I’ve been in my writing group (Story Republic, run by my favorite storyteller, Bernadette Jiwa) for my second year, I’ve discovered so much about myself in a way I never thought that I could before.

On the one hand, I’m grateful that I kept my journals since I was 13. On the other hand, the downside is it’s kind of hard to read my handwriting now… Sadly, my penmanship has gotten worse, so I often wish I had a handy earlier-years “Shannon McC decoder ring” to figure out the words. Ha!

What was most interesting were the memories that came back instantly, so clear that I felt like they just happened. Recalling memories opened up so many feelings and thoughts, and sometimes, just wow, “I totally forgot that happened” moments.

I’ve also discovered how fickle the mind can be as I age. Sometimes my memory is as sharp as a razor. Other times, I’ve totally gotten the timeline of events wrong. It’s then that I realize, well, why does that really matter? It’s what happened, the feelings and meaning and adventure of it all. In most cases, the timing and timeline of events aren’t as important.

The most fun is coming across things I totally forgot about that I did or said, and smiling cuz I’m so glad I wrote them down.

Like the time I met Richard Branson and had him sign his book Losing My Virginity. We ended up having the most marvelous conversation about being an entrepreneur. We laughed a lot. And when he had to go, he kissed me on the cheek and said it was a pleasure getting to know me.

This was before phones had cameras. So all I have is the book he signed for me. Inside, he wrote: “It was lovely meeting you. Richard X (Branson)” Yeah, he put his last name in parentheses. 🙂

Then there was the discovery that I had so many stories inside me. And some I even wanted to share, hoping to inspire you and whoever else might benefit from my curiosity, experience, and musings.

I think this is honestly why stories matter so much.

The ability to write and tell stories is a huge gift we all have. And I’m not just talking about writing. There are SO MANY WAYS to share stories, thoughts, and ideas through video, voice, and any other creative media. I’ve used more stories than ever before in my business, including in this eNewsletter. 🙂

Next, simply create and share your stories through whatever medium feels most comfortable to you.

I use my Notes app and speak into my iPhone all the time to remember stories, musings, writings, and things I want to remember or share while I’m hiking. That way, I get to appreciate the view while my phone does the typing. 🙂

Question for you: Do you simply want to write your stories down for you, your family, your work, or write a book and get them out into the world in a bigger way?

I started out with this inspiration — “If you’ve hit a point of no return with some situation in your life, the only way out is through.” And that for me was writing. Using this as a simple healing tool so I can make peace and learn from my past, as Melody Beattie shares in Language of Letting Go:

“Write your memoirs. This is an extensive activity. If you take the time to do it, you will learn much more about yourself. Break down your life into stories.

Don’t worry about writing a literary masterpiece. Just break your life down into sections and write about what you learned. Write about what you went through, how you thought it would be, what it actually turned into, how you struggled against this, and how you finally saw the light and learned the lesson at hand. “

Remember, these are the stories of your life. (Or maybe you want to tell or share a family member’s story or stories)

Pick one, two, or more questions below and answer them in your own time: Inspired by my favorite writers that I’ve taken classes with, Natalie Goldberg, Annie Lamott, Julia Cameron, and Elizabeth Gilbert.

What story keeps tapping me on the shoulder, even when I try to ignore it?
If I were writing only for myself, what would I say first?
What story explains why I care so deeply about my purpose/work?
If this were a “sh*tty first draft,” what would I allow onto the page?
What happened that I’ve never actually written down for myself?
What do I remember sensory-wise—the room, the smell, the weather, the sound?
What don’t I fully understand about my own life yet?

What I love about this exercise is that you don’t need to write your whole life story. And no need for a beginning, middle, or end.

Simply start by just writing for 15 minutes and see what pops up.

My favorite times to write are in the early morning while drinking coffee. And when I’m out hiking in the woods.

No need to mess with story structure right now, unless you want to. (See P.S. for my favorite story structure.)

If you’ve already been writing, yay, thrilled for you! I’d love to see it. Share it with me, or tell me where I can find it online.

And remember, if you’re just getting started, take small steps, fifteen minutes a day. Honestly, I started by finding my old journals and flipping through them. And my notes from the writing classes and things I wrote. There’s gold in there, promise.

I’m here for you always.
Hands at your back.

Shannon

P.S. My favorite structure is by Bernadette Jiwa, The Story Scaffold

Paragraph I’m Pondering:

Melody Beattie’s complete, unedited paragraph that inspired this post.

“This is an extensive activity. If you take the time to do it, you will learn much more about yourself. Breakdown your life into stories. Don’t worry about writing a literary masterpiece. Just break your life down into sections and write about what you learned. Write about what you went through, how you thought it would be, what it actually turned into, how you struggled against this, and how you finally saw the light and learned the lesson at hand. We all have ways of keeping a timeline of our lives, for instance, graduation, marriage, divorce, getting a big job, and our sobriety date. This is a journal you may want to keep and add to for the rest of your life. Is your book of life. An interesting twist on this activity is to give your memoirs to your children, or ask your parents to do this activity as a gift. Reading our parents’ memoirs can be a lightning and healing event.”
~ Melody Beattie, More Language of Letting Go

Powerful Affirmations to Inspire

“I release worries and embrace peace, knowing the present moment holds the key to my happiness.”
“I celebrate every milestone as evidence of my expansion.”
“I am worthy of extraordinary wealth and receive it with gratitude.”

Cool Stuff

If you’re watching the Winter Olympics, this question might have popped up – which I had no idea was a thing, maybe you did – Why Skiers drink hot sauce? Yeah, apparently it’s a thing
There’s so much happening in the science and medical fields. This story is about how this lab is growing mini human spinal cords. Hmmmm
This artwork has some stunning eyes, and apparently, the buyers who paid almost a million dollars thought so, too. Check it out here.

Weekly Photos

For those celebrating Valentine’s Day, I wanted to share some choice shots. It’s also the day after my birthday, so the color red and hearts are what this weekend is all about for some. And a little-known fact about me, I do see hearts everywhere. I’m sure it has something to do with the brain, as I’ve programmed it to look for them. Yet, the other part of me feels like it’s more intuitive and maybe even energetic. I just happened to look down at the right moment and see them. Enough that, more importantly, give your loved ones, two-legged or four-legged and extra hug this weekend

Found this heart on one of my many hikes, literally something said look down, and there it was in all its black and shiny concaveness.
This is one of my favorite pictures celebrating love. If you look closely in the mirror on the top right, you can see my other dog, Lily. She left us in 2023. Emma was still a young pup here. She LOVED climbing into bed and under the covers. Never had a dog that did that before. And one morning, I woke up and looked over, and there she was under the covers and on the pillow.
There’s a big mud wall on my walk on the Sacramento River Trail. And the mud is thick, and has so many carvings. One day I just happened to find this…
This heart needs a closer look. It’s broken/crushed. And still it’s a heart. There are many broken hearts in the world. Sending extra hugs to all the broken hearts in the world this weekend.
Had to sneak this one in of Alice and me at a family wedding last year. It’s fun to dress up sometimes. (Note: the background was very busy before I fixed it. So with a little help from Chat’s Image GPT, it fixed the background right up. And no, I didn’t ask it to make me look younger. When you do that, you def looked weird. I wouldn’t recommend it. 😉
I like this heart because it’s white with a little orange, and it’s not perfect. I think perfection is overrated.
I wanted some red to celebrate, and this sunrise from our deck earlier in the week did not disappoint.

NEW: P.S. New Invitation – I’m going to launch my next Soulful Marketing Accelerator Co-hort in late February 🙂 If you’re longing for like-minded community and ready to move through your fears to grow a purpose–driven business rooted in authenticity and aligned with your dream clients… Welllll. Go here to be first in line when I reopen the doors again. Would love to have you.

P.S.S. Whenever You’re Ready: Here are 3 Ways I can make an impact on creating greater success in your business using marketing that’s aligned with your mission and values without feeling like you’re selling your soul.

1. Make Money Now Sheet – It’s one of the bonuses in my 7-Step Soulful Marketing System. I wanted to give it to you for free to help you create more success.

2. Love Books Like I Do? – I’m always reviewing the best nonfiction books – Where Buddha Meets Business.

3. Get my proven 7-Step Soulful Marketing System. It gives you the framework you need to implement authentic and connected marketing using online customer experiences and launching your products, services, or courses. It will help you create greater success.

It’s a simple system, especially if you love to read like me. There’s no video or audio. Plus, you get my proven templates, tools, and worksheets, all with tremendous value. And I’m pricing it incredibly low so it can be more accessible to more people. 🙂

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I appreciate your sharing. Thank you!

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