The Wheels On The Sub[stack] Go Round&Round

No boxes on here. Nope. Only circular wheels of inspiration.

I love the synchronicities of life. I love how acknowledging all the synchronistic magic and following their nudges brings more of them, and then some.

For the longest time I’ve had a dream of earning my bread, even if only little crumbs, through writing.

When my life was dominated by high control religion, auto immune disease and chronic depressions I had that same desire too. It felt like a way I could, maybe, just maybe, gain some financial independence from health benefits and still, somehow, work within all of the confines of the varying walls of suppression - whether that be the guilt of spending too much time away from anything not to do with the religion; the chronic exhaustion, or the days where doing anything beyond making a cup of tea felt like someone asking if I could walk on water, whilst eating fire and balancing a basket of kittens on my head.

Earlier in this year, I wrote 75,000 words for a book and then I scrapped the lot because it felt too heavy and I couldn’t afford the costs of an editor and all the things required to create a book to be proud of.

Now, halfway through a course called Substack Soirée with the delightful Keely Rees and Sara Tasker and I know in my bones it is one of those exquisite and breathtaking synchronicities that found me rather than me searching, grappling and struggling. Why? Because it makes me feel lighter and lighter with every class, every lesson and every interaction and that is always a sign it’s my truth.

A Suzy Sweetener: Asking if something makes you feel lighter or heavier is a great tip to assist in finding what is true for you

In the last two and half years, I’ve attended every free workshop or course known to every platform of social media ads on Growing Your Own Business, Marketing and all the How To’s of Entrepreneurship. If there’s been any available pennies I’ve immediately bought a course or attended weekly networking circles on the same things. All of them, apart from Lee Harris’s which I’m currently loving, have left me feeling drained and heavy.

Almost without exception, the business gurus and experts want you to be posting daily (if not hourly), tighten in on that niche and then tighten it up some more, know the “avatar” you are selling to, be a contortionist, get in that box, label it up…

The thing is I’ve been in a labeled box all of my life. I couldn’t breathe in that box and it was buried six feet under (aka a coffin), let alone stretch, grow and expand in it. Lack of oxygen saw my soul die.

I'm not suggesting for a single second that the mentors are wrong. I'm sure their strategies work for many, and indeed, I know that at some point, I'll implement some of their experiences and teachings. And yet, I’m a multi-faceted, multi-layered being. I want to write, speak and create oh so many things and I simply can’t - not at this juncture in my journey anyway - do what the business experts are asking me to do. And in trying, I lose all air again and start to suffocate.

Suffocation leads to procrastination and, ultimately, more death of self. More suffering.

So, here we are. I intend to grow using Substack. It gives me room to breathe. More than that, it gives me a wheel (like the joyous one above) to start moving forward AND to create and PLAY with. It feels JOYFUL, as does the Substack Community. And within the momentum of that moving wheel will come the ability to strategise some; to properly buckle in a niche.

In creating we find clarity.

I can put everything here from podcasts to writings to daily joys to website.

I must choose Joy.

“Let your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” Nelson Mandela

I love that the Substack Soirée and Substack itself actively encourages us to mindfully acknowledge the work and labour of love that goes into our writing and thus be unashamed to ask for paid subscriptions.

By way of example, this 5-minute read took about two hours to write. Granted, a lot of time was wasted spent looking on how I can strike through a word in order to add a touch of humour or lightness but you get the point.

Creating anything delightful takes time and passion. It will inevitably include a whole plethora of colourful ingredients such as life experience, the tot up process of our own learnings and failings; it’s every book we’ve read, every tear shed. It’s the learnings and wisdom we’ve garnered from 1000’s and 1000’s of pounds worth of courses, training and tuition. It’s every failure and every success. It’s every job we’ve had - the ones we loved and the ones we loathed. It’s every moment of magic witnessed and every tumble in the mud endured. It will be lovingly baked with our unique blend of flavours that only we can create.

In the coming weeks I plan to start up a paid subscription for Substack, but fret not! There will always be free content. And the paid content will be for no more than a cup of coffee per month. Yes! Just per month. And not even a fancy pants, bells and whistles, Pumpkin Spice affair, nope, just a plain old cup of joe for some regular inspiration on convivial things like quotidian magic, marathon training, communication/public speaking skills, herbs, NLP, healing the unconscious gunk 98% (or thereabouts) aren’t even aware of, healing suppression of self, and aaaall that good stuff.

As I read somewhere: You can make anything by writing.

That line has been sat on my vision board this year, 2023. Thank you Universe for sending me Substack and the uniquely elegant Sara Tasker and Keeley Rees. In doing so it feels like it has put a beautiful set of inspired wheels in motion.

And all with joy, ease and flow.

Ahhh. And the journey continues…

A bicycle - two of my favourite kind of wheels