💌 You're doing better than you think
💌 You're doing better than you think
On gaining outside perspective, a tip for better storytelling, and turning ideas into a story
Hi friends & new subscribers,
Hello from Toronto!
I am finally back home after 7 (!) weeks of being away.
I didn't realize how much I missed home until I started appreciating our condo's ample space since I spent most of my time in a hotel suite.
I’ll be leaving again in about 3 weeks so I’m taking advantage of this time to immerse in my creative projects, catch up with friends and family and enjoy Toronto’s weather.
What are you looking forward to in the summer?
This week, I'd like to talk about how no matter how hard your life feels right now, there's always someone who's going through worse, which warrants humility.
You're doing better than you think
When I was working on my last shift as a travel nurse in a hospital in Kingston, I met a nurse who shared his lifestory with me.
We talked about his experience as a correctional nurse — a nurse who works in prisons, forensic mental health, and other places I personally wouldn't dare to go. When I asked him, "what's it like to do that?"
He told me that he loved it.
He then opened up his own life story where he told me he has a history of substance abuse, lived in the streets, and went through some really bad sh*t (his words, not mine).
Right now, he's on a self-improvement journey where he's been taking care of himself physically and mentally, and he's on his way to getting a full-time nursing job with benefits and pension and moving to a new apartment.
I was fascinated how he was able to turn his life around from his lowest moments.
Right now, when he shares his moments with the patients he takes care of, he becomes an automatic source of inspiration.
I encouraged him to start writing online and share his story because it truly is a powerful story. (This is something I tell random people I meet — I love your story. You should start writing online.)
But his story also made me think of how good I have it.
Heck, my latest "problems" right now are the following:
I don't know if I should go to the US and do travel nursing
I don't know if I should upgrade my camera for YouTube
I don't know what theme to pick on my blog or how to grow my email list
These "problems" suddenly look so minuscule compared to what others are going through when they tell me their struggles and stories. They look more like an opportunity than a problem.
It doesn't mean that our problems are invalid or that we aren't allowed to have them. But sometimes, we need an outside perspective to ground us in what truly matters.
This is a small reminder that if you're feeling overwhelmed in your own little bubble, go and converse with other people.
Take an interest in other people's stories, and you might learn something new about yourself.
🧚 3 Fairy Tips for Multipassionate Creators
On creativity: Set the location. Set the scene. It makes all the difference.
In the book Storyworthy, the author talks about the importance of setting the scene in storytelling. Whether it's with written or visual storytelling, knowing where the protagonist is at the moment is crucial to give the readers/viewers context. This is something I'm personally trying out. If you've noticed, I start my newsletter with "hello from X!" or "where this happened" so I can take you on the adventure.
On entrepreneurship: Join communities and then solve problems for a specific community.
I'm currently reading a book called The Minimalist Entrepreneur by Sahil Lavignia. He's the CEO of Gumroad. In the book, he talked about starting your journey in a community. If you love coffee, start looking for coffee communities. If you're an aspiring writer, look for writing communities. If you love books, look for communities that are obsessed with books. Once you find your community, you can learn from them, figure out their problems, and help solve them. Sahil argues that's how minimalist businesses are born. It sounds simple, but a business is merely a tool that solves a problem.
On life: Focus on what you can control and take responsibility for your rewards and your punishments.
We've heard these two pieces of advice before. But, I recently learned that they come from two different schools of thought: Stoicism and Existentialism respectively. Ever since I stopped using social media, I've been trying to be more mindful of my actions. This has been a struggle, by the way. But I did this because I wanted to understand why I overthink, why I worry so much, and how I can stop doing that. This article called Why I'm not a stoic by Mark Manson (author of the subtle art of not giving a f*ck) gives you a good overview of the different schools of thought if you don't have time to dive deep into all of them. It helps tame the fear when it comes to going after your big, ambitious goals.
✨ Latest Work On The Internet
In case you're curious, here is my most recent work in the last two weeks.
✍️ No written pieces in the last 2 weeks ☹️
🎥 How I turn ANY idea into a medium blog post (in 1 hour)
🤔 A question for you this week:
When was the last time you took an interest in other people?
With online love 💌 ,
Jerine
p.s. as always, let me know if you have any questions, concerns or comments. I’d love to hear from you.