My Write of Passage Journey

finding a lighthouse in the vast and murky online ocean

Dec 29, 2023

The Message

It's a crisp October morning, and I'm sitting at my desk, eagerly waiting for my cup of Earl Grey to cool, still dripping sweat from my workout. As I open my laptop, I face the daunting sight of 22 unread emails.

Okay, that’s somewhat manageable.

Little did I know that what I was about to read would change the course of my ~~day~~ life.

Most of the emails are newsletters I love, bank statements I rarely look at, and marketing at its finest, working me hard, so I don’t dare hit unsubscribe.

I get through one — delete.

I devour another — archive.

Then I power through the entire content of the last newsletter left in my inbox.

All are completely separate from one another, and yet three of them share the exact same message for me this morning.

That message is . . .

“Have you ever heard of the digital cohort, Write of Passage? If not, here’s why you need to check it out. It’s an online writing course that’s starting soon, I took it, and it changed my life. Click here to learn more.”

Every time I hear that something has changed someone’s life, two things usually happen:

My inner critic immediately shows up and says,

Yeah . . . Sure . . . Whatever . . .

Interjected shortly after by my curiosity,

Well, what if it did? Is it worth checking out?

Most of the time, my curiosity wins, and the investigation begins.

I click on this video of David Perell sharing a 13-minute story about how we were made for more than this.

Digging his message, I dive in deeper and do some research.

At my core, I know I am a writer. I know this.

Maybe this is how I get started?

I’ve written for a good portion of my life, but mostly scribbling in journals and jotting down poems here and poems there.

I used to write mediocre poetry back in high school, but I do remember it lighting me up brighter than the most decorated Christmas tree. That was twenty years ago, and for some reason, I’m feeling called to rekindle that flame, but I am clueless as to how to get started.

I intentionally abandoned social media in 2020, hoping to focus more on being present to my life and my healing and blossom into the best version of myself. Plus, I just spent wayyyyy too much time on my phone.

Well, it turns out that plan worked. I virtually haven’t touched any of it since, and I am more present, intentional, and happier because of it.

The Dilemma

If I start writing online, I’m gonna have to get back on social media, aren’t I?

How do I take my nonexistent writing career online? Without much of a presence on social media?

What does that even look like? Can this Write of Passage help?? What the heck is Substack???

I finally do enough sifting and rummaging, and I’m convinced that Write of Passage is right for me, but how much is it?

I scroll down to the part where I find the price . . .

Yikes!

My financial situation isn’t the best to justify this significant purchase. But I’m also torn trying to imagine the immense value Write of Passage represents for my life. It’s a solid investment in me and my future. I’ll figure out a way. I know I will.

So I wait patiently. . . A couple more days.

It’s less than a week away from WOP Cohort 11, and I still haven’t pulled the trigger.

I find myself knee-deep in my inbox again, skimming through emails, and I come across one from WOP.

I open it up and find out it’s an email offering a select number of scholarships for the program.

I mean, what have I got to lose?

I apply. I share my WHOLE story. And all within the word count they gave me.

I didn’t get it.

However, not all hope was lost.

I was counter-offered the perfect discount, which I swiftly and gratefully took advantage of.

I AM IN!

The Gift

The course/cohort was five weeks long, and David promised three things:

Publish quality ideas
Find your people
2x your potential

All this came true for me and more, but I had to show up and do the work.

Each week, we were given a prompt (direction) and an opportunity (deadline) to publish.

I promised myself that I would hit publish — all 5 weeks.

And I did!

Here they are, in order:

I won’t spoil the rest of the Write of Passage movie, just in case anyone is thinking about experiencing it for themselves (Cohort 12 begins in April), but here’s a tiny teaser about the value Write of Passage provided for me:

Write of Passage was a community of connection and great conversations.

Write of Passage was my accountability buddy that I was searching for.

Write of Passage was my direct path to the world of online writing.

Write of Passage was how I justified getting my journey started.

Write of Passage was learning how to edit and give feedback.

Write of Passage was taking my writing to the next level.

Write of Passage was expressing what’s on my heart.

Write of Passage was pushing past all of my fears.

Write of Passage was blood, sweat, and tears.

Write of Passage was shared camaraderie.

Write of Passage was my commitment.

Write of Passage was articulateness.

Write of Passage was excellence.

Write of Passage was stylistic.

Write of Passage was Love.

And much, much more!

The Vision

This Substack publication was born from wanting to share my journey and the lessons I’m integrating from my experiences with ayahuasca, which has thoroughly supported me and given me the courage to share authentically and vulnerably.

I must give credit to WOP for helping me get my writing off the ground and into the world. I also have so much love and gratitude for the WOP community. They held me accountable and held my hand along the way. Without them, it wouldn’t have been possible. Words won’t do it any justice.

This is only the beginning.

I will continue to share more visceral, vibrant, and vulnerable stories about my life and experiences.

I will explore all avenues of what it means to be creative and find my voice, including poetry, prose, and podcasting.

I will bring you with me on my journey of learning more about the beautiful mystery of life, the mystical wonders of spirituality, and the magical adventures of ayahuasca.

I intend to build an engaged community with the common thread of Love infused throughout all of it.

If you are reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart for being an integral part of my healing process.

I love you ~ I’ll see you in 2024 (Our time to soar!)

🙏🏼🫶🏼🦜

~~~

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