“I started to see that creating and writing specifically, is a long game. The more I learned about different artists the more I saw that it takes a decade, not a single year to build your skills and find success.”
So true! “Overnight success” isn’t real. It’s actually a breakthrough after many years of hard work.
Your reflections is so full of heart and inspiring ❤️ I’m also glad you are safe and alive so we get to meet you in Write of Passage. Yes life is short but also long at the same time. 🥂 to building a meaningful creative journey together (those glasses are filled with kombucha)
Lots of great points and things that resonate in this.
"My sister created a safe space for me to open up about the things that were bothering me. I learned to vocalize when she said or did something that upset me. She is always great at listening to what I’m saying and now we have mature conversations around any problems that arise. "
Life IS short and long, and having someone in your corner who can create the space needed to allow you the opportunity to vocalize and be heard is so powerful. I think a lot of this points to how important people are during this short/long journey of life.
Yes! Not easy when I'm moody and think I don't need to talk about my feelings haha. But seriously, you're exactly right, the people are so so important and will define so much of this journey. I'm trying to speak my truth more so that I can attract the right people.
I love how your articles always read as a "how-to" guide without them being obvious or in-your-face. Left me with a great list of books and reflections, on to a great 2023!
Wow Michelle! You did such a stellar job at selecting the most impactful events and diving deep into them. Some particular parts I was nodding my head to:
1. YES - "The power of family and friendship struck a chord with me. One thing I know for sure is I want to invest as much time as possible with the people I love. "
2. WOW as someone with some near death experiences this hit home - "We are on borrowed time on this Earth. For so long, I had wanted to start writing but was paralyzed by fear and wanting to be perfect. When confronted with death time and time again, I realized that I don’t want to live in fear. I don’t want to leave this Earth having been too afraid to go after my dreams."
Thank you so much Jen! I really enjoyed your end of year write up as well, and now that I've done one, appreciate how challenging they can be haha.
I'm so happy to hear both those things struck a chord with you (though not happy to hear about the near death experiences!). I find knowing I'm surrounded by people I love and am pursing things that are important to me, helps me stay grounded. A good reminder for me going into 2023.
So heartfelt, Michelle as always. Lovely to see you recognize the power of conversation about difficult emotions and how they can bring us closer together with understanding and empathy
Thank you so much, Eric! It's funny now things are running so smoothly with my sister, I almost forgot we had to have so many conversations and discuss difficult emotions. And you are exactly right, it's what brought us closer and allowed us to understand and empathize with each other more.
Such a beautiful, insightful review, Michelle! What a great reminder that life is short AND long, and it’s all about the people and growth along the way. Looking forward to seeing where 2023 takes you!
Thank you so much for your comment and for inspiring me with your own openness and beautiful essays. I'm looking forward to see where 2023 takes you as well :)
This is all really good, and two parts of your reflection jump out for me.
"Lieberman argues that a lack of self confidence comes from a lack of action." This is a huge insight in my opinion, one that has been equally revelatory to me. I love this link between anger and confidence, pointing to how frustrated we can become with ourselves when we don't pursue our real lives.
The second piece comes at the end, when you acknowledge that life is short, and LONG. This is a very useful and valuable insight and it strikes me as a being an advanced but necessary practice to hold both of those perspectives simultaneously, because we need the necessity that comes from remembering it's short, as well as the patience required to take advantage of the gains from consistent practice over time.
Looking back, I see how much more calm and evenly keeled I am today because I feel more confident in myself and more satisfied with what I'm working on.
I heard on a podcast a while ago, something along the lines of "we always think what if something happens tomorrow, but what if we live to 100?" and I think about that all the time now. Always trying to balance enjoying the moment but also making good decisions for my future self.
Thank you for reading Rick and for the thoughtful comment!
“I started to see that creating and writing specifically, is a long game. The more I learned about different artists the more I saw that it takes a decade, not a single year to build your skills and find success.”
So true! “Overnight success” isn’t real. It’s actually a breakthrough after many years of hard work.
Excited to see what you accomplish in 2023!
Thank you so much Alexandra! It's true, and almost freeing to know there's no such thing as an overnight success. Just good ole fashion consistency.
I'm so excited to see all the cool things you launch in 2023 as well!
Your reflections is so full of heart and inspiring ❤️ I’m also glad you are safe and alive so we get to meet you in Write of Passage. Yes life is short but also long at the same time. 🥂 to building a meaningful creative journey together (those glasses are filled with kombucha)
Thank you so much Angie ❤️ I'm so happy we got to meet as well. Looking forward to seeing how our journeys unfold in 2023 🤓
🥂 hehe kombucha cheers!
Lots of great points and things that resonate in this.
"My sister created a safe space for me to open up about the things that were bothering me. I learned to vocalize when she said or did something that upset me. She is always great at listening to what I’m saying and now we have mature conversations around any problems that arise. "
Life IS short and long, and having someone in your corner who can create the space needed to allow you the opportunity to vocalize and be heard is so powerful. I think a lot of this points to how important people are during this short/long journey of life.
Yes! Not easy when I'm moody and think I don't need to talk about my feelings haha. But seriously, you're exactly right, the people are so so important and will define so much of this journey. I'm trying to speak my truth more so that I can attract the right people.
Love this!!
Thank you so much Shivam!
It is inspiring to know your story, through ups and down, through discoveries and changed attitudes.
Thank you so much Charu! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed reading it 😊
I love how your articles always read as a "how-to" guide without them being obvious or in-your-face. Left me with a great list of books and reflections, on to a great 2023!
:) I can't prescribe anything, only share what works for me. Thank you Oscar, for the comment and all your help with the draft!
Wow Michelle! You did such a stellar job at selecting the most impactful events and diving deep into them. Some particular parts I was nodding my head to:
1. YES - "The power of family and friendship struck a chord with me. One thing I know for sure is I want to invest as much time as possible with the people I love. "
2. WOW as someone with some near death experiences this hit home - "We are on borrowed time on this Earth. For so long, I had wanted to start writing but was paralyzed by fear and wanting to be perfect. When confronted with death time and time again, I realized that I don’t want to live in fear. I don’t want to leave this Earth having been too afraid to go after my dreams."
Thank you so much Jen! I really enjoyed your end of year write up as well, and now that I've done one, appreciate how challenging they can be haha.
I'm so happy to hear both those things struck a chord with you (though not happy to hear about the near death experiences!). I find knowing I'm surrounded by people I love and am pursing things that are important to me, helps me stay grounded. A good reminder for me going into 2023.
So heartfelt, Michelle as always. Lovely to see you recognize the power of conversation about difficult emotions and how they can bring us closer together with understanding and empathy
Thank you so much, Eric! It's funny now things are running so smoothly with my sister, I almost forgot we had to have so many conversations and discuss difficult emotions. And you are exactly right, it's what brought us closer and allowed us to understand and empathize with each other more.
Such a beautiful, insightful review, Michelle! What a great reminder that life is short AND long, and it’s all about the people and growth along the way. Looking forward to seeing where 2023 takes you!
Thank you so much for your comment and for inspiring me with your own openness and beautiful essays. I'm looking forward to see where 2023 takes you as well :)
This is all really good, and two parts of your reflection jump out for me.
"Lieberman argues that a lack of self confidence comes from a lack of action." This is a huge insight in my opinion, one that has been equally revelatory to me. I love this link between anger and confidence, pointing to how frustrated we can become with ourselves when we don't pursue our real lives.
The second piece comes at the end, when you acknowledge that life is short, and LONG. This is a very useful and valuable insight and it strikes me as a being an advanced but necessary practice to hold both of those perspectives simultaneously, because we need the necessity that comes from remembering it's short, as well as the patience required to take advantage of the gains from consistent practice over time.
Looking back, I see how much more calm and evenly keeled I am today because I feel more confident in myself and more satisfied with what I'm working on.
I heard on a podcast a while ago, something along the lines of "we always think what if something happens tomorrow, but what if we live to 100?" and I think about that all the time now. Always trying to balance enjoying the moment but also making good decisions for my future self.
Thank you for reading Rick and for the thoughtful comment!
What if I live to 100? This is going to be my new recurring inquiry for the new year.
As newish subscriber to your newsletter, I am looking forward to seeing what you continue to write about next. Keep going. 👍
Thank you for the encouragement Jonathan! Looking forward to connecting more in 2023!
💜💜💜 you’re an icon for many. Happy 2023, onwards and upwards. :)
Thank you so much for all your support Malavika! Happy 2023 :)
Awesome to see the progress you've made in 2022, Michelle. Looking forward to more of your work in 2023!
Thank you Randy! I'm looking forward to more of your work as well!