Being Known — Checking In!

Who do you want to be? — Newsletter #23

Who do you want to be?

What do you want to be when you grow up?

We all remember being asked this question as kids, and perhaps some of us are still asking ourselves the same question today.

But how often have you asked yourself WHO do I want to be when I grow up? How do I want to show up in this world for myself and others?

This is an entirely different question and far more important, for what we do may come and go but who we are stays with us; it defines us, and we take it with us everywhere we go! We get to show up as who we are from job to job, from city to city, from school to school, from relationship to relationship and so forth — you get the point!

So who are you? And are you living consistently with the person you see yourself to be, with the person you want to be? Tell us in the comments.

This past Friday, I attended a webinar with Abby Wambach, two-time Olympic Gold medalist, and Adam Grant, American psychologist, author, and organizational psychology professor at Wharton. It was profound, as expected, as well as inspiring, empowering, and thought-provoking. Later that day I ordered Abby’s book Wolfpack: How to come together, unleash our power, and change the game, and promptly finished it by Sunday. This is a tiny little book with a huge message and a must-read for all women!

Upon her retirement from soccer, grappling with her own sense of identity outside of the sport, Abby says:

You see, soccer didn’t make me who I am. I brought who I am to soccer, and I get to bring who I am wherever I go. So do you. So don’t just ask yourself, ‘What do I want to do?’ Ask yourself: ‘Who do I want to be?’

I invite you this week to marinate in this and to bring all of who you are into your writing; show up as you are, as you want to be, both on and off the page.

Being Known’s monthly writing prompt

June writing prompt: Self-Care.

Self-care goes beyond bubble baths and manicures, above date nights and happy hours, and extends farther than massages, wine, or hot chocolate.

Self-care is a practice; it’s self-discipline, integrity, and self-love. Self-care makes us feel alive! Self-care is not selfish but is rather a caring, loving, and nourishing act of service.

What is self-care to you?

This month I invite you to indulge in self-care with us! Tag the prompt poem, tag your friends, submit a story, essay, or poem and join the conversation.

Important notes from the editor

• Please remember to follow Medium’s distribution standards on all of your submissions; this includes formatting on titles/subtitles and images.
• Please provide 48-business hours for feedback on your submissions; editors often have day jobs and lives too. Be patient with us.
• Note that we publish pieces that are at least three minutes long, with the exception of flash fiction and poetry. Pieces longer than five minutes may take an additional day for a response.
• Please follow fellow writers, and honor our community. Let’s affirm one another and help each other grow!

Welcome new writers!

A warm welcome to our new writers this week:

Anthony David Vernon, Smillew Rahcuef, Michael Hollifield, Alison Jacobson, Ginger Tran, Y.M. Saegusa, and Sarah Beshr — thank you for your courageous willingness to be known with us.

Thank you existing writers/editors!

Thank you to all who ongoingly contribute to the collective story that is — Being Known: Tina L. Smith, Gayle Kurtzer-Meyers, Sarene B. Arias, Aimée Gramblin, Carolyn Riker, Kate Mackay, Geetika Sethi, Vixen Lea, Paula Light, Suntonu Bhadra, Quy Ma, Deena Thomson, Doug Ecks, Gal Mux, Sydney Duke Richey, Rob Janicke, Steph Jouppien, Rica Keenum, Caitlin Vestal, The4thQuadrant, A Simple Writer, Deeksha Agrawal, Nia Simone McLeod, Penofgold, Emily Jennings, Nicole Linke, Rabia Zulfqar, Anwesha Mishra, Connie Song, Eva Rotolo, Edward S. Majian, April Callaway, Sarah L. Harvey, JD Greyson, Shreya Deodhar, Sтepн Tнoмpѕoɴ, Mia Verita, Efron Koen, MFA, MA, Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她), Sarah J. Baker, Aceline Lavanya, Haikuster, Shubham Goel, Lisa Gastaldo, Emily Hargrove, Cheshire Chaton, Junaid Jamshed, Poetry Lover’s Companion, Paul Mulliner, Heather Jauquet, Jupiter Grant, Gillian Lesley Scott, Denee Francese-Smith, KB, Mihai Baluta-Cujba, Debasmita Chatterjee, Gianfranco Vigneri, Deborah Weir, Amy Pierovich, Rebecca Ruth Gould, Elan Cassandra, Rowen Veratome, Josie Elbiry, stacy becker, Brinda Koushik, Paul H. Harder II, Brad Creech, Caroline Mellor, Heather M. Shrum, Melinda Heyer, Courtney Denning (she/her), Jodi Rempel, Gretchen Lee Bourquin, Jois G., Raegan Hedley, Anna Woods, Jamie Russo, Mark Tulin, Michael Datz, Ruby Thomas, Leslie Anderson, SHRM-SCP, Bingz Huang, Rachel Reid, Joellen Goth, Amber B., Debbie Weiss, Kahli Bree Adams 🖋️, Rambling Rose, Edward Riley, Dave Logan, Shae De Pass, Ivan Yong Wei Kit, Nombuso Makhubu, Kajeetha Sarvananthan, Maria Garcia, Shawn Day, Silvia Poldaru, MA, Psych Write, Rute Barros, Rachel Maree, Hilda Carroll, Yana Bostongirl, Randy Shingler, Élan-Writer, Michelle Lovett, Humaira Iqbal, Connie Ottmann, Frankie Garcia.Maja Savic, Deb Wood, Kate Warrington, Julia Marsiglio, Emily Ann, Heather C Holmes, Mimi Bordeaux, Ashley Nicole, Ritambhara Khemani, M. Dal-Wray, Debora Chifunda, Rowen Quinn, Enne Baker, and Nathanael, Ramblings Anon, angelism, David Friend, Daphni Sawyer, Aeishwarya Baviskar, Sh*t Happens — Lost Girl Travel and Samantha Lazar, Jeremy McKay, A.M. Radulescu, Steve Campbell, Georgia Jauslin, Graveheart Neel, Glassgirl, Lennie Varvarides, Sahil Patel, Lamar Dull, and Nathan L. Senter, Prasanniya, Zeenat Merchant Syal, M. Glad Poetry, Elizabeth Barnesco, Giulietta Passarelli, Anthony Eichberger, Manisha, Hannah Kewley, Sheetal Prakash, Jaylee Reign, Rosy Gee, Sean F Corbin, Vilma Reynoso, Sarah Mui, Paul Mansfield, Elizabeth Willsea, and Naomi Leila.

The numbers

We are growing, slowly but surely!

• 164 writers
• 396 followers

Keep writing and sharing your work. I am excited to grow together!

New stories (please read/clap/comment for your fellow writers!)

• *The First Cut, by Tina L. Smith
• *The Sexiest Way of Dressing Oneself for a Dress-Down Theme Party, by Geetika Sethi
• Doing Things Just for the Sake of It, by Shubham Goel
• Eventually, I Shall Return, by Paul Mansfield
• Jigsaw Puzzle, by Steve Campbell
• To the Mind That Overthinks, by Lamar Dull
• Taking the Time, by Giulietta Passarelli

*Chosen for further distribution by Medium

New poems (Please read/clap/comment for your fellow poets!)

• *She Became a Garden, by Carolyn Riker
• *Hot Air Balloon, by Rosy Gee
• *The Space Between, and *Watching the Ducks, by Galit Birk, PhD
• Taking Care of Myself, by Edward Riley
• Dear Me, by Jupiter Grant
• Butterfly, and Loveless, by Giulietta Passarelli
• Turmoil and Chaos, by Randy Shingler
• Burnt Embers, by Naomi Leila
• Daring to Share, by Jupiter Grant
• Daring to Love, by Heather C Holmes
• Day Moon, by Maria Garcia
• There He Lies Sleeping Soundly, by Graveheart Neel
• Outside the Comfort Zone, by Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她)
• The Vines of Shame, by Rowen Veratome
• You’re Embarrassing Me! I Miss the Sun, and My Dreams Unfolding, by Galit Birk, PhD

*Chosen for further distribution by Medium

Thank you all

I am excited to continue to grow and to make magic together in our writing and in our lives. Continue leaping out of your comfort zone, drop the perfection illusion, love yourself, live fully, dare greatly, and live the life you imagine with presence and gratitude!

I see you, and I am grateful for your courage and willingness to be seen here with me and with our Being Known community.

With Gratitude, Galit Birk, PhD — your editor