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What's Your Message?
This isn't a trick question, although it might be tricky to answer. People who have spent a couple of hours in real conversation with you (and have been listening) could probably make a fair guess. After all, haven't you had the experience of "getting someone's message" after tailing them and their bumper stickers for a couple of blocks?
Sometimes people mix their bumper metaphors -- like the car I once saw that had "God is my co-pilot" plastered on one end, and "Don't follow me - I don't know where I'm going!" on the other. But in general, there's a theme -- and as I'm sure you've noticed, it isn't always a pretty one. When the flagship stickies feature PMS, Broomstick and "the B word," you get the message. But I always wonder, does the driver? ("I am full of anger and I will hurt you -- stay away!")
To my chagrin, my central message actually is a bumper sticker: "Trust the Process." Growing up, I learned the scripture, "Trust God with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding," and though my experience of God has radically changed, I've never gotten far from that credo. I've written a poem entitled, "Wintertime Trust," and half of a novelography called, "A Matter of Trust." As a writer, counselor and astrologer, that's the message underneath every other message.
While none of us can be defined by a single message, there are usually one or two that the others cluster around like a well-diagrammed sentence. Those central messages are what we're repeatedly telling the world ... about us and our view of life. Whether we are aware of it or not. |
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1. Know your core messages. Your personal one. Your professional one. Your lifelong one. I assure you, you have them, whether conscious or unconscious -- and conscious is better. Ever meet someone who purports to be "all about love," yet you avoid them at all costs? Their real message isn't the one they're touting. Know your message from the inside out.
2. A message isn't just what you say, it's who you're becoming. My friend JohnnieRay has a message: "Dance is healing." It isn't a tagline for his dance business, it's the truth of him. Dance has been his greatest healer. When he teaches -- whether to seniors, couples, disabled people or the self-proclaimed two-left-footers -- you feel the healing spirit of joy in his teaching. And when he dances, just watching him makes you feel better!
3. Good News - you're not the perfect messenger. When I was a new therapist, I was surprised to find that my clients were happy when they learned I had my own struggles. (They don't teach you this in therapy school.) I had thought they would be disappointed, but turns out that being human is a worthwhile quality in a therapist. Ditto that for a messenger. Last week I had major trust malfunction. I felt like a big, bright truck that proclaims, "We'll Tow U Anywhere!" -- but is broken down by the side of the road. I had to call my private AAA hotline to get back on track. Times like these keep me close to my message and away from imagining I've graduated with honors from Camp Trust.
4. Don't let your message turn into a bumper sticker. (Even if it started out as one.) Know the feeling of someone reciting their shtick and it's clear that all the juice was gone a few thousand miles back? Or a once-lively message that has become a pat answer? "Oh don't ask Maridel, she'll just say, 'Trust the Process.' " And you can hear the tone, right? If your message is no longer energizing you, it's not charging anyone else's batteries either.
5. Allow your messages to change. Sometimes a message runs its inner course. It has taught you what you needed to become. You got it! Time to learn -- and broadcast -- a new one. Maybe it's a new version of the old message. Maybe it contradicts the old one. Maybe it's something you never thought you'd hear yourself say! As you evolve, so do your messages.
Til we cross paths again,
Maridel |
If you have a message, personal or professional, that you would like to get out into the world, I would love to be of assistance. Maybe your message is the size of a flyer or a personal profile. Maybe it would best fit a blog, a newsletter or your website. Maybe it belongs between the covers of a book. Whatever the size and form of your message, as an author and lifelong writer, I can help. Using a collaborative process and tuning my work to your voice, I will polish your message to reflect the the truth of you. What is your message, and how can I help?
Free Coffee Consultation
Let's sit down together for a cup of coffee and share ideas about your writing project or needs. Please feel free to email me at Maridel@evolvingjourney.com . | |
