Badassery Magazine October 2017 Issue 17 | Page 26
selves up over time, harden with
scar tissue, and remind me of
where life slashed me to the core
trying to destroy me. And yes
there are times I grieve Younger
Me who was innocent and un-
touched and unblemished – who
didn’t know how painfully hard
life can be at times. But she also
wouldn’t have known she could
make it through either, had she
known what life would throw at
her.
And so I stand at this precipice
and ask myself, w here do I go
from here? Further, what do I
want to do with my one life? I
am beginning to answer those
questions with one thing at a
time; I realize now I don’t have
to solve all of life’s ills or all of
my life’s struggles in one fell
swoop. My sister once called
my style of essay writing “stone
setting” or “path laying”, where
as a writer I lay one stone down,
ask my readers to take that one
step, and only after that lay
another stone. Then one by one
lay stones down; eventually, one
looks behind to realize a path
has appeared a single step at a
time. You might not know where
you’re headed at the outset, but
once you arrive, looking back,
you nod and smile, ah yes, this is
the logical destination. It makes
sense, but only in hindsight. And
I guess that’s much how I ap-
proach life in this moment – to
look at the next thing, and the
next thing after that, and then
the next. It’s all I can handle
sometimes without being over-
whelmed with everything that
needs doing or solving or attend-
ing to.
I think the biggest difference
this time is I am actively craft-
ing this transition along with my
circumstances. I am not sitting
idly by, waiting to see what life
creates for me. I am participat-
ing: things happen, and then I
take them and make them mine.
I know at the close of this tran-
sition – because it will conclude
at some point – I will be different
yet again. And I don’t fear it as
much.
About the Author
I 'm a storyteller. I have been since childhood, and now I am thrilled
it is part of what I pursue professionally - assisting others in find-
ing the words to tell their story. Your story is your message to your
clients, to your networking partners, and knowing how to articulate
yourself clearly will give you confidence in presenting your busi-
ness to the community. I specialize in long content: interviews, bios,
blogs, creative non-fiction essays and articles for web content.
I'm an entrepreneur. I have been since middle school when I ran
my own babysitting and house sitting service. Having researched
entrepreneurship extensively from a social psychology construct, I
understand the intersection between personal and business iden-
tities. Your business is likely an extension or expression of your
personal self-concept, what you want the community to see of your
personality. I help navigate those waters, giving you confidence to
charge what you're worth. How you price your services also gives a
message to your clients - make sure you're sending the right mes-
sage with your pricing.
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