Burn the stories that keep you small
I shared this with a friend a few days ago and she immediately started crying.
We all carry shame stories.
Some are loud and obvious, while others whisper quietly beneath the surface, shaping how we see ourselves. Shame comes from the mistaken belief: “I am bad. I am not enough. I am unworthy.”
At a Junto men’s retreat, my friend Andrew Horn led an exercise where we wrote down the shame stories that still lingered. Mine was: “My art is just a side project.”
Somewhere along the way, I had convinced myself it wasn’t worth my full effort – maybe it was fun, but not enough.
Here’s the magic: that same day, when I finally checked my phone, I had an email waiting. Confirmation of an art piece sold for several thousand dollars. And then another one sold too. It wasn’t even about the money, it was someone saying “YES.” A validation that what I created was a real value to them. And that I am, in fact, an artist.
Later that night, we burned our shame stories in the fire.
What’s the shame story you’re ready to burn? The one that’s been holding you back, keeping you small, dimming your light?
Write it down. Burn it. And watch what rises transformed and transmuted from the ashes.
– Yanik
