If you’re new here, Story Work is the name of my current book-in-progress. It describes a process of reflecting, reclaiming, and reimagining the stories of our lives. It involves looking at your life experiences as creative material that you have the power to shape.
The weekly story work topics cover universal life themes with references from literature, philosophy, science, and spirituality; offering perspectives that spark ideas for personal growth and creative expression.
Paid subscribers receive Story Work exercises every Sunday night at 8 pm et.
Hi friends,
I am feeling so stretched lately. Like Life is saying: Here you go. Here is what you asked for. Now it’s time to show that you have expanded enough to sustain it.
Expanded enough to handle the sacrifices that come with walking in your calling. Expanded enough to stay focused when you are pulled in different directions and you have to make strategic decisions instead of emotional ones. Expanded enough to miss out on some things in the present, so you can nurture what you’re growing for the future. Expanded enough to be still and experience your own uncertainty, impatience, and reluctance. Expanded enough to reinforce your boundaries when people in your life are dissatisfied with how your transformation is affecting them. Expanded enough to meet new versions of yourself, with capabilities and strengths that you once thought you’d never have.
A few things I know for sure:
We never stop expanding.
We can’t expand without acknowledging the walls and barriers we’ve built over the years that are in the way. Walls that are made of shame, guilt, pain, and assumptions.
If we don't prepare ourselves for the emotional challenges of the opportunities we’ve asked for, we’ll hit a wall when our old beliefs, thoughts, habits, and patterns conflict with our aspirations.
Grief is part of growth. Letting go of old identities often feels like you’re losing someone. You’re detaching from reflexes and tendencies that are so familiar, you don’t yet know how to operate without them.
Every challenge is an experiment. Every experience is creative material. There is no perfection or precision in growth. It’s messy. It’s awkward. It’s beautiful.
If you are being stretched right now, remember:
You are not struggling, you are evolving.
You’re not stuck, you’re in a cocoon of transformation.
You’re not losing yourself, you’re becoming more of who you authentically are.
Every challenge we face helps us understand our unique life path on a deeper level, build courage and resilience, and step into the next level of the journey with wisdom that we specifically need.
No matter the results, simply showing up for each challenge breaks down another barrier to your growth, purpose, and vision.
When in doubt, I always return to my WHY, my desire to experience a life led by faith instead of fear. For this week’s story work exercise, let’s continue exploring how our life experiences shape who we are today and the callings and visions that keep us expanding.