"Reaching an honest agreement with your goals." -- I was thinking along similar lines this morning, considering how growth only occurs when we push against the boundaries of our comfort zone. A single step along a line doesn't add much to its length, but a single step along the radius of a circle expands the whole circle. I think there's something to this I haven't quite nailed down yet, but the point is this essay was just what I needed to read this morning. 😁 I'm glad we share a narrative trust!
A few days ago I was invited to identify what my two core values were. The list of possibilities was vast, and I identified many, but when it came time to limit to two, the choice was clearer and a little more surprising than I expected.
Not truth and integrity--which I value highly--but growth and connection.
I love your description of stepping along the radius of a circle as opposed to a straight line. Yes, it expands the entire circle ... and that reflects both growth and connection.
This felt like sitting across from someone who isn’t trying to impress me, just telling the truth, and that line about posture and purpose stayed with me because a lot of people are chasing visibility, but you’re talking about alignment, and that takes a different kind of courage.
Belinda, thank you so much for seeing me. I have to admit I thought Substack was all about visibility, but I have embraced my wider woman that allows me to accept that the journey is more about me seeing me. Jennifer
My work feels most real when it flows freely and I'm not stuck in my head overthinking if it will "land." The most real posts are always the ones when I stop playing it safe. I think that's the sweet spot of narrative trust.
"If there is anything self-serving in it, it is this: you expand my perspective." I feel the same way! --
"... when I stop playing it safe." Vulnerability makes it real, doesn't it? I talk about this in something I just wrote yesterday; scheduled to post in a couple of weeks.
"Reaching an honest agreement with your goals." -- I was thinking along similar lines this morning, considering how growth only occurs when we push against the boundaries of our comfort zone. A single step along a line doesn't add much to its length, but a single step along the radius of a circle expands the whole circle. I think there's something to this I haven't quite nailed down yet, but the point is this essay was just what I needed to read this morning. 😁 I'm glad we share a narrative trust!
The trust is real!!
A few days ago I was invited to identify what my two core values were. The list of possibilities was vast, and I identified many, but when it came time to limit to two, the choice was clearer and a little more surprising than I expected.
Not truth and integrity--which I value highly--but growth and connection.
I love your description of stepping along the radius of a circle as opposed to a straight line. Yes, it expands the entire circle ... and that reflects both growth and connection.
We're in the right place!
This felt like sitting across from someone who isn’t trying to impress me, just telling the truth, and that line about posture and purpose stayed with me because a lot of people are chasing visibility, but you’re talking about alignment, and that takes a different kind of courage.
Belinda, thank you so much for seeing me. I have to admit I thought Substack was all about visibility, but I have embraced my wider woman that allows me to accept that the journey is more about me seeing me. Jennifer
Especially enjoyed these memorable phrases from your post: “honest agreement with your goals [as a writer] … you expand my perspective.“
So glad they resonate. I discover so much about myself when I write ... often a nice surprise. :-)
My work feels most real when it flows freely and I'm not stuck in my head overthinking if it will "land." The most real posts are always the ones when I stop playing it safe. I think that's the sweet spot of narrative trust.
"If there is anything self-serving in it, it is this: you expand my perspective." I feel the same way! --
"... when I stop playing it safe." Vulnerability makes it real, doesn't it? I talk about this in something I just wrote yesterday; scheduled to post in a couple of weeks.
The circle bit got me way harder than I expected, and now I am weirdly emotional about it. >.<
Perhaps because your circle of narrative trust is so full?