Crickets.

That’s been the sound I have heard quite a lot this month as I’ve been writing about Enoughness. This tells me that one of the following may be true:

1. People aren’t reading about Enoughness because a) They aren’t interested or b) It’s too close to home.
2. People ARE reading but not responding because a) They aren’t interested or b) It’s too close to home.
3. People are reading and having amazing conversations about the theme with a few close friends, but they aren’t willing to share their thoughts publicly on social media.

My intention with DoYouMind.life is that it become the go-to source for connection, inspiration, and empowerment. When we share our stories, we change the world. Thus, I share my stories with honesty and openness—I’m putting myself out there, being vulnerable again and again.

When all I hear is crickets, it plays into my stories of Not-Enoughness. “Don’t they like me?” It makes me think of Sally Field’s, “You like me. You really like me!” (Which is a misquote by the way). It’s a tough paradigm to break, this looking to others for validation. But I’m working on it, and I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing.

I don’t know whether my stories need to be read—that’s not mine to determine. But the piece that IS mine is that they need to be written. When I discipline myself to sit down and explore a theme, especially one as challenging as Enoughness, I am forced to face down some of my own demons. Then I discover books about the theme and am emboldened, and then I get to sit and have conversations about the themes with powerful, intelligent, and delightful women. Sharing all this with readers is a joy.

I’m not looking for validation—I can give that to myself. I passed the “I Am Enough” station a while ago; my train is barreling on toward Abundance. I can see it on the not-so-distant horizon. So I don’t need to be told that you enjoyed the article. I mean, great, thanks. What I WANT is to facilitate conversations! DoYouMind is a place to open up conversations about topics that matter, and I can only facilitate if you’re also willing to open up and share your experiences.

If you disagree, please do so (politely, of course). If a topic is hard for you, say so. You get to decide how much to share, so you don’t need to get into TMI territory. But please jump on in and help create a community of support and respect. I’ll look forward to your comments!

Until next time,