And Don't Call Me Shirly

Issue 37

Greetings, dear ones. This edition has nothing to do with its title. Sometimes, I heed the voice in my head and do as it tells me to do, and other times I don’t (thank god). This request, titling Issue 37 “And, Don’t Call me Shirly," seemed harmless enough, and so I listened.

Do you know what it’s like to write for a company that teaches people to write? It’s hard. Really hard. Then, add hard to that, and it’s even harder than that. Welcome to my job.

At the moment, I’m writing website copy and other brand-defining words for Write of Passage. Let me reveal something about myself: sometimes I try too hard and I miss the mark. And sometimes I don’t try hard enough and I miss the mark. In both cases, I miss the mark. When I hit the mark, I assume I’ve missed it. Can you relate?

But, when I remember I have a body (soles to my feet, inner ears, underarms) and I connect with what I know deep within, always, the result is better.

If only we remembered our bodies. Our heads run ahead, assuming they can do it all alone. Yet, we’re more powerful when we integrate. Remember your body.

On the whole, I’m doing well enough in my new job, but I want to be great. Therefore I practice kindness to myself multiple times a day.

Being kind to oneself is truly a practice. How can that be? If we spoke to our friends the way you speak to ourselves, we’d have none to speak to.

How aware are you of what the voice in your head says? I assure you, what you say to you is nasty.

I’ve witnessed mine and someone else’s voice first-hand in an exercise that externalized said voice. I’ve heard enough to know that most of us say horrible stuff to ourselves all day long. I’m learning to hear mine. It’s illuminating. The good news: we all do it. The bad news: we all do it.

What if we asked ourselves “How do I enjoy myself a little bit more?” 20 times a day? What about once a day for 20 days? The practice feels impossible to remember, yet berating ourselves is a no-brainer. Still, we can try.

(Stops to ask: how do I enjoy myself a little bit more?)

I enjoy neon. Anything neon. The feeling it gives me is electrifying. There used to be an epic Bodysuit swimsuit in the 80s—zippered front, purple panels, neon center—you remember it?

A sweatshirt with graphics drawn by Tucker Nichols of the Bay Area.

The only similarity between that swimsuit and this sweatshirt is yellow neon. But it was worth going down memory lane for a moment.

Sometimes I add items to my newsletter like a shopping list. I share items that catch my eye before I enjoy them myself. This edition has a couple of those. This sweatshirt by Tucker Nichols. This beanbag (that if you watch this tutorial, you’ll want too).

Finally, this one’s free. I urge you to listen to this podcast episode. I’ll just drop it right here and see who picks it up. Every episode of the Art of Accomplishment is worth your time, actually, but we’ll start small and work our way up.

That’s all folks. Your prescription is nested in the body of this newsletter. Until next week…