It may be that you are reading this post because you’ve subscribed to one of my previous blogs/sites (e.g., via Feedblitz), including:

• Boundary Crosser
• A Bigger Voice
• Networking Naturally
• Ordinary Life, Extraordinary Living

Don’t worry.  Even though this new blog looks very different from my previous blogs and sites, you’ve come to the right place.

You might be wondering: “What this is this new blog about?  How does it relate to posts from previous blogs?”

Let me connect the dots.  (For those of you who have been following my work on story, take note.  Story helps to show how my past fits into my present.) It’s taken me over a decade to get to this new place, where all of the pieces of me fit into a tidy message:  I help “misfits” find their place in the world.

You may have found my writing at different parts in my journey–as a “wisdom entrepreneur” exploring how to build communities, as a “boundary crosser” who sees the beauty of inhabiting more than one world and cross pollinating between multiple worlds, or as a natural networker teaching best practices through a cow metaphor.  All of these aspects of me led to what I do today–helping “misfits” find their place in the world.

It’s only in hindsight that I realize what is so obvious to me now.  For years, I’ve been blogging about misfits (e.g., boundary crossers), and what they need to do to walk their own path–develop self-mastery, uncover their story and build their tribe.

This blog is about Self-Mastery, Story, and Tribe.  It’s also about the advantages of being a misfit. 

Self-Mastery is a lot of what the “old” Ordinary Life, Extraordinary Living blog was about, essays about my life journey that increase self-awareness, yours and mine.   These essays continue to be a major part of this new blog.  Standing out and walking your path is not for the faint of heart.  It requires quieting your “Gremlins” and having the courage to let go of fitting in. It demands being comfortable in your own skin.  Self-Mastery helps you get there.

Story is a piece of what I wrote about in A Bigger Voice.   To turn one’s remarkable wisdom into a movement (a goal of A Bigger Voice) people have to know more about you, through your story.   Story is just as important for finding your place in the world.   A cohesive narrative enables you to make meaning of your life and at the same time, attract kindred spirits  In this blog, I’ll write about how  to tell your story, what makes for a great story through case studies, and the power of story.

Tribe covers networking and community building, two topics that were previously covered in the Networking Naturally site and A Bigger Voice blog.  What I’ve discovered is that tribe building is important because it allows you to belong, without sacrificing who you are.  When you have a tribe, fitting in no longer has meaning.  You have the freedom to be more of who you are.  This blog is a place to explore what it means to belong vs. fitting in, how to build community, and the finer points of networking, including effective use of social media. Photo by oatsy40.

If that sounds like a lot to cover, you’re right.  And this new blog is the “stringing of the pearls” into an intricate necklace.  The necklace wouldn’t be nearly as interesting without pearls found in many places.

I’d love to hear your thoughts–about this or anything else that’s on your mind.  Please comment below.

 

 

 

PS.  If you have a favorite post from a previous blog, it’s here–somewhere. Posts from my previous blogs have been imported into this new blog.  I am in the process of figuring out how to make this blog more searchable, by streamlining the categories (which is currently a mish mash of topics I’ve covered in nearly ten years of blogging.)  One step at a time…