Being Known — Checking In!
When will you know you’ve won? — Newsletter #31
When will you know you’ve won?
When I work with new coaching clients, I ask them ‘what is your dream for yourself and your life?’ We’re not often gifted this question, nor the safe space in which to explore it.
Most often, most of us tend to hurry through life, put one foot in front of the other, try to check off our to-do lists, maybe hit some of our New Year’s goals, and the rest of the time — we survive!
Once I’ve encouraged my client to dream, I bring him/her back down to the here and now as we start to work backward — from their preferred futures to today. Together, we will identify their wants and attach them to action steps that are specific and measurable — because you need to know where you’re going in order to know whether you’ve arrived. In coaching, we will create the path, map out the journey, and begin to take steps towards it.
In explaining coaching to a new client recently, I used the car metaphor; therapy is like looking in the rearview mirror, whereas coaching looks forward. Of course, as you’re driving, you do look back and side to side — it’s a holistic experience, but you have to know where you’re going and be able to identify when you’ve arrived. “When I drive to Frisco”, I said, “I get in my car and drive North, and once I’ve reached the IKEA I know I’ve arrived,” I said. “What’s your IKEA?” I asked her.
And so today, I challenge you to find your IKEA with your writing or any other life goals you're working on. Share with us in the comments — how will you know when you’ve won?
Being Known’s monthly writing prompt
August writing prompt: Haiku-it!
This month I invite you to indulge with me in my favorite poetic form — the haiku. I realize that this may challenge some of you — and that’s ok — because the prompts are here to invite you out of your comfort zone where you may discover a new hidden world, talent, love, or joy.
So jump in and haiku it with us this month!
A haiku consists of just three lines and 17 syllables in total; following a 5–7–5 rhythm respectively as in the below:
Haiku bring me joy (5 syllables) Seventeen syllables, they (7 syllables) Pack a mighty punch. (5 syllables)
Haiku poems do not tend to rhyme, but can, and punctuation is up to the poet. While traditionally haiku were written about nature, modern haiku is up to the poet’s discretion. I suggest utilizing a syllable counter to check your counts — there are many available online.
I suggest you check out fellow Being Known writers Sтepн Tнoмpѕoɴ and Haikuster’s work — as they are both haiku masters.
Tag the prompt poem, tag your friends, submit your haiku (or many haiku preferably), and join the fun!
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 additional time for response.
Welcome new writers!
A warm welcome to our new writers this week: Sara Taylor Mermelstein, Fiza Ameen, and Cristina Marie Pagan — 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. Anthony David Vernon, Smillew Rahcuef, Michael Hollifield, Alison Jacobson, Ginger Tran, Y.M. Saegusa, Sarah Beshr, Skyla Jade Blake, Liane White, SMACKINCOHEN, Bryce Godfrey, Dazzling Shene, Priyam Samantray, Priya Tandon, George Cloake, Celine Lai, David Graham, Carol Townend, Jade Willow, Edwina Toulmin, Beatrice Causey, B.R. Sheno, Ankit Priyadarshi, Mag Moreno, Margarette Mathias, Daniel R. Fincher, Amanda Wilson, Jonathan Townend, and America Zed, Dennett, Beth Byfield, Alicia Rust, Francesca Fowler, Sarah McInnes, Joy Lin, Lara Manetta, Eurielle, Sadie Seroxcat, Erin O’Connell, Julia Winsa, Nick, and CARMEN F MICSA.
The numbers
We are growing!
- 202 writers
- 499 followers
Keep writing and sharing your work. I am excited to grow together!
This week’s distributed stories
This week’s distributed poems
- Winds of Change, by Sarah Beshr
- Arches and Geysers Await, by Samantha Lazar
- Living the Life, by Dennett
- Depression — You Can Beat It, by David Graham
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
Galit Birk, PhD is a life coach and a soon-to-be-therapist. She has a PhD in Psychology and a Master’s in Counseling. She is a writer, an editor, and a poet. She is a single mom. She is a deep-feeler who is passionate about people having it all, and living a life they love! Follow her on Instagram.