Owning Your Story as A Path to Enoughness

Is the path leading out or in? 

Story is a really powerful thing. Most of us know it can entertain, create commitment, mend fences, and even spark a movement.  But do many of us know that the simple act of writing our own story can be life-changing?

My only child is currently engaged in the age old right of passage of writing his college entrance essay - three little paragraphs that seemingly hold sway over so much. But as his writing-coach mom, I have been struck by something else about the process.  Regardless of the practical results of his essay, the act of writing and claiming one's story is a profound moment in a person's life.  It is a moment of answering, "Who am I?  What is my value? What do I want?  Am I enough?"

When we write our story, we are thick in the act of meaning-making.  It is as if we broaden the lens  from being the experiencer to also becoming the observer, from character on the screen to also being the audience in the seats of the theater.  As observers, we could interpret our role as central characters in so many ways - as victims,  heroes, teachers or learners. And depending on the lens we choose, our stories look and feel very different.

I have come to believe that a need for meaning-making is something inherent to us all.  We've all been taught the hero story, one which begins with a call to adventure, presents one or more problems to be solved, and a conclusion where either we solve the problems or we gain a new valuable insight about ourselves.

All too often, though,  the standard story line is one of good versus evil, right versus wrong, winners versus losers. But real life is rarely, if ever, that simple or absolute.  Our stories are imperfect, our victories incomplete. Our most satisfying and heartbreaking  moments come because we have put aside that stark "otherness" and dare to connect in what Rumi referred to as "the field" "beyond rightness and wrongness." The alternative to meeting in that field is isolation, stagnation. 

I think we are being challenged in these confusing times to claim our deepest stories amid the loudness and roar of all the fleeting outer stories, and to claim them as empowering, meaningful "enough stories." When was the moment we realized we were enough to make a difference? When did we step out of patterns of powerlessness, blame or shame to feel our precious, one-of-a-kind spirits shining through?

Reading my son's story about himself has been a very moving experience for me. Some of the greatest privileges in my seventeen years as a parent have been our sacred conversations when I've remembered to reflect back to him his precious "enough story" until he could clearly see himself.

Everyone knows from direct experience that the most powerful stories ever told are ones not crafted in this complex and fleeting web of "have to's" "should's," winners and losers,  but those which connect to something much deeper and more universal and enduring   -  the heart. Yet I don't think that young people of any generation have ever been so challenged to be and do so much at a young age.  It is so easy for them to doubt themselves and lose themselves in the complexity of expectation, convention and nuance that is heaped upon them.  If for no other reason, I think it is imperative that we get in touch with our own enough stories so we can help our children to affirm theirs.
 
To claim our enough story is to remember again who we truly are; to remember what we love and why we have come; to affirm that we are and in fact always have been enough to be perfectly who we are. To do this is to claim for ourselves and for the world a greater sense of peace, liberation, self-acceptance and purpose.  In my opinion, nothing could be more powerful - and meaning-full - than that.

How about you?

When was the moment you realized you are enough to make a difference?

When did you step out of old patterns of powerlessness, blame or shame to feel your precious, one-of-a-kind spirit shining through? 

You can find our more about Laurie or her book, Enough!  How to Liberate Yourself and Remake the World with Just One Word at www.theenoughmessage.com  

Laurie writes another monthly blog, Wisdom From the Circle, sharing the themes that arise in her women's circle each month. 

Ten Ways to Be an Enough Pioneer

For those of you who know my story, skip ahead to the next paragraph.  For those who don't, here it is in a nutshell:  The book is a result of a "divine download" I received back in 2011:  "I am enough.  I have enough.  We are enough. We have enough.  Enough!"   Being the researcher and "sciency" person that I am, I began an investigation to confirm that this message could be the  truth.  The research took me into the diverse realms of quantum physics, evolutionary biology, cutting edge technology as well as into the heart of feminine and indigenous wisdom, budding social movements, archetypal mythology and systems theory - the overarching patterns present in nature herself. I was searching for evidence that the truth of us, the truth of the entire universe, is that we are enough and have enough, and that scarcity is a man-made story that can be changed. I found so much more than that.  I found that the Enough Story is already arising, and that it is inevitable and unstoppable. The evidence that confirmed this assertion is contained in my book,Enough!  How to Liberate Yourself and Remake the World with Just One Word.   It has been an amazing journey to write this book, not without personal initiations as I learn to fine tune how to more fully embody the Enough Message.  But so, too, I must admit that it has been a journey that has been green-lighted by grace in many ways that I never,ever expected (like finding a publisher on my first try without a literary agent and the beautiful book cover.)  I believe this is because the Enough Message is not about me and doesn't belong to me (I affirm this in the book) but that Enough is on the tip of the tongues of millions of people who are waking up right now from the planetary myth of lack. My aim is to affirm what people already know and to report what they find as they adopt this more accurate worldview about the world we live in.   I want to encourage people to trust their knowing rather than to go on feeding the "never enough" illusion that causes so much deep suffering and separation. The end result of trusting one's enoughness and nature's teachings about enough is empowerment. Action. Community. Healing. Creativity. Transformation. Compassion. Belonging. Meaning. Inner and outer peace. Well-being.  I have experienced all of these in my life and want to be part of integrating them into our collective planetary culture.  
      

Why the Enougher Community Needs You Right Now:   

As you probably have heard recently in the news, the book industry is in chaos.  It has never been more flooded with titles.  Questionable tactics are being employed to provide paid reviews and momentary best seller status for a fee, making it harder than ever for the consumer to determine which reviews are authentic and which books are truly worth their time and money. Most challenging for a first-time author, most consumers will not bother to find out more about a book if there appears to be no prior interest in it. The most authentic and honest way to eliminate uncertainty and to establish credibility is to establish a visible community  - real people who authentically share an interest in the book's message.     

You have a powerful role to play.  You are the early pioneers of the Enough work and can use your leadership abilities to help many people. I cannot do this without you. 
    

Ten ways  to participate as pioneers of Enough:

Some of these will literally take less than a minute of your time. Pick one - or more.  I would be deeply grateful for whatever you choose to do. 


1. Join my mailing list. (two quick fields: name + email) You can unsubscribe at any time.
Click here for signup form:
http://eepurl.com/bCSLPH 

2. Are you on Facebook?  "Like" me on Facebook.  I have three pages you can "like."
Click on these and press the "like" button:
 https://www.facebook.com/EnoughLiberateRemake  https://www.facebook.com/laurie.mccammon.author   https://www.facebook.com/wisdomfromthecircle

3. Are you on Twitter?  Follow me on Twitter
https://twitter.com/EnoughMessage

4. Subscribe to and comment on my blogs.  I LOVE comments!  I have two blogs:
http://theenoughmessage.blogspot.com/http://wisdomfromthecircle.blogspot.com/

5.  Write a one or two sentence endorsement of me or my Enough work, which I will immediately post on my website. Please let me know if I can include your name and the name of an organization or business you represent.   It doesn't have to be anything over the top. It is better - more authentic -  if it isn't.  Just something that says to a potential reader that I am trustworthy and have something of substance to offer them.  Send your endorsement statement here.  Here are a few samples:

Endorsements of the Enough work:  
"I've found the Enough work to be very beneficial.  Now every time I hear myself say 'I'm not enough' I catch myself and realize it is not the truth of who I am. I am enough, and that's such a liberating and empowering belief."  

"Laurie has opened my eyes to all the hidden abundance all around me and even within me.  She shows me what is possible when I believe I am enough and I have enough to change my life -  and therefore to change the world." 

"In the book, Laurie asks when, in the time between our birth and now, we lost our enoughness. That was an ah-ha moment for me.  I realized that Never Enough was a story I had ingested, and not an unchangeable reality. Since its a story, I can change it!"

"Enough is not another self-help formula.  It is, instead, the underlying truth that penetrates every aspect of life in the cosmos from quantum to cosmic.  As such, Enough offers an easier path to change than self help.  It offers a path of maximum grace, ease and synergy because we are consciously joining a universal flow. We can relax into Enough, knowing we have the wisest, most loving partners always with us - nature and our collective base human nature!" 

Endorsements of Laurie as a coach, speaker, leader or writer:
"I've found Laurie to be an attentive and compassionate listener. She asks questions that get to the heart of the issue and seems to find a way to lovingly mirror back the best of me."

"As an environmental activist, I struggle with exhaustion and hopelessness.  There seems to be so much to do and I don't feel enough to make a dent in any of it.   Laurie helped me to realize there's an alternative way to engage in activism, one oriented towards what we want rather than fighting what we don't.  As a result, my activism is starting to feel more joyful and enlivening."

"Laurie is a leader in the wisdom circle movement and her background is in transformative education, so she doesn't just spout ideas from the lectern.  She knows how to connect people essence to essence.  She sits with us, deeply listens to our heart wisdom, shares from her heart and knowledge base, to be able to weave our stories together in to a totally new, generative group wisdom."

"Laurie is an unusual blend of scientist and mystic, concrete and intuitive, yin and yang, head and heart. By pivoting between the two realms, she gives us a sense of  divine wholeness and encourages us to embrace our own divine wholeness."

6.  If you are willing to write an independent book review (short paragraph) for Amazon or Goodreads in the future, I would be happy to send you a copy of the book when it comes out in early 2016.  Let me know if you'd like to be a reviewer.    

7. "Retweet" and "Share" my social media posts with friends and colleagues you feel would be interested. I have been working very hard to curate useful, positive and meaningful content on all my social media sites. My intention is to be seen as a primary source for this kind of inspirational content.  I do not spam or exhaust people with sales pitches ever.

8.  If you live in the Portland, Maine area, ask me to come speak to or facilitate a circle for your group, church, book club,school, business, etc. about Enough. (Or refer me.) I need to practice public speaking and come very cheap for now (free!)  I LOVE to assist with fundraisers for local nonprofits by giving keynotes and when the book is out, sharing book revenues at the event with the hosting organization.

9.  Engage with me and the Enougher community on Facebook and Twitter. Comment.  Share your ideas and experiences.  How is the Enough Message impacting you and how you think and feel?  What part of the book was most helpful? What was most challenging?  What other news items, organizations or projects  have you found that relate to or corroborate Enough?

10.  Do you have a blog, Facebook group, radio show, newsletter or e-zine?  I would love to provide high quality content for you.  I'm happy to be interviewed or to write a guest blog, article or post tailored to your audience that gives them concrete value. I have high quality audio and video capability if you'd like me to record something you can post on your website or social media.   

Again, I am truly grateful.  The book is only the very beginning seed of what is possible for us as a community of synergistic planetary change agents.  I look forward to a long, mutually beneficial relationship with you. Please keep in touch. I love hearing your stories.  
Thanks so very much!
   

With loving gratitude,
Laurie McCammon, MS 

You can find our more about Laurie or her book, Enough!  How to Liberate Yourself and Remake the World with Just One Word at www.theenoughmessage.com  

Laurie writes another monthly blog, Wisdom From the Circle, sharing the themes that arise in her women's circle each month.