The Edge of Not Being Enough
Manage episode 356008746 series 3371631
Today’s walk is a special one. We’re not just diving into a topic; we’re diving into an edge, a sharp one at that. I am talking about the edge of ‘not enough’ and the many forms it takes; like not good enough, not strong enough, not smart enough, not fast enough, not young enough, the list goes on as to how it chooses to appear before us. Ultimately, this not enough-ness takes on the form of familiar questions mainly, who am I? and subsequently, who are you?
On this walk, I invited back a familiar face from Episode 17, Genevieve Georget, to discuss at length, this feeling of not enough-ness as we begin to respond to our lives and respond to whatever spotlight is shown our way.
In This Episode
- (04:31) – How today’s conversation emerged from Genevieve’s new magazine.
- (08:54) – The dilemma of sharing or not sharing.
- (11:18) – On honoring our own stories as well as other people’s.
- (15:22) – What’s the difference between vulnerability and fragility?
- (20:20) – Diving into a writer’s journey on facing the question of ‘who am I?’
- (28:40) – Why I often held back my vulnerability and openness.
- (35:45) – The importance of not retreating when feeling vulnerable.
- (40:50) – The editor side of Genevieve and finalizing drafts of storytellers.
- (53:05) – Living in a world that leans into gentleness.
- (57:05) – The reason why I’ve done coaching, guiding, and why I started On This Walk.
Notable Quotes
- “This isn’t simply about sharing your stories as a writer or being vulnerable in your art. This is about us finding that edge within our lives. I’ve often held back that vulnerability and openness because of my own self judgment; those feelings of not enough-ness or shame or even just not wanting to look as if I was clueless and as confused as I actually was feeling. I feared embarrassing myself or being judged, by holding back that often perpetuated whatever the situation was for longer than it needed to be. I’d walk around with that feeling of constriction and dissonance within me because I knew that I had retreated. That I hadn’t spoken to whatever was there at the moment. For me, I hid. And then I beat myself up for not having the courage to learn. Ultimately, I needed to find that edge and start stepping past it.” – Luke (28:30)
- “I think it also highlights that vulnerability is a learned skill. The more we practice it, the easier it becomes, more comfortable. We become in that space of sharing those things. Of course, it's super normal if all you have ever known is superficial conversation and it’s completely normal to feel afraid of how this piece of yourself, of your heart is going to land especially with strangers. But the more you do it, the easier it becomes. The more you start to see that people are actually very open and receptive and grateful for that vulnerability but also you begin to have space. The more you practice it, the more you create space between yourself and other people’s responses to it. So, on both levels it becomes easier, it becomes a love bubble that you create around yourself. The right people are drawn to it. The people who aren’t or who are critical, you start to care less.” – Genevieve (08:54)
Our Guest
Genevieve Georget is a writer and photographer from Ottawa, Canada that believes in cultivating space for vulnerability, truth, authenticity, and storytelling. In her last two books, Solace: A Journal of Human Experience (2019) and Her Own Wild Winds (2016), Gen explored grief, pain, love, and inspiration. Genevieve finds joy in her life with her husband, her kids, and her golden retriever. Her newest project is her new magazine called Gray and Granite, which she describes as a story teller’s journal, a place for stories to land, life to be shared and connections to be made.
Resources & Links
On This Walk
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