#149 – How to Turn Mush into a Great Story
The horrifying and fascinating factoid that can change your story's impact
This is Adventures in Storytelling your weekly note with resources, insights, and actionable tools for better communication through storytelling. Enjoy. (Read to the end I’ve got details on that FREE training I mentioned last week😆)
I don’t do well with change. Despite being one of the few certainties in life, it’s an experience I always have to coach myself through for a myriad of life and personality reasons. But the thing is, good stories—and we want our lives to be composed of good stories—are all about change.
It’s one of the most consistent elements of great storytelling. Without change you probably don’t have a story. Or at least not a very good one. It’s one of the final things I teach in all of my storytelling workshops. Transformation.
I’ve shared about it before—it’s the key to ending a story well. But today I want to get into it because the truth of life and stories is that the thing that is required most of us is change and yet it is one of the hardest things to do for so many of us. Think of the last time you had a big change in your life, whether you chose it or not, how did it feel? How did you respond?
I moved to Mexico City for five months in January and will be going back again this December to do it again (I’m done with snow for the next bit, if I can swing it). It was the best choice I’ve made for myself in this post pandemic life. Yet and still, I spent the first two weeks at peak anxiety because the culture and routine shifts were massive. Beautiful but massive.
It’s not just hard, it’s also disorienting to do things differently. And while I’ve been doing things differently for a lot of my life that practice hasn’t made it easier. My latest journey with Re-Work and redefining what work can look like for me and helping others do the same has shown me that. It’s difficult work but it can lead to wonderful things.
I read the book Motherhood by Sheila Heti recently and in it she talks about the notion of transformation through the familiar metaphor of the caterpillar becoming a butterfly. But she (quite shockingly for me) notes that in fact the caterpillar first, “turns to mush. It disintegrates, and out of this mush, a new creature grows.” I was at once horrified and fascinated by this factoid. MUSH 😱. I read that and the next day told my Re-Work co-founder that on the other side of healing from burnout and charting a new path I was “the mush.” And she totally got it, letting out a loud laughing cackle of understanding.
And often that place of being mush is also where your story unfolds. Whether you’re healing from burnout or growing a business or seeking something different in your career, you may be in the mush phase of things. And the thing to do when you’re mush I’ve found is to ground yourself. In your story, in what you know to be true; and ground yourself through teachers and guides who can show you the way. Because they’ve been mush too and may have accepted that they will probably become it again at some point. If they’re doing it right.
So if your story is mush, if you are mush, that’s okay. You’re doing the work and having the experiences that will allow you to transform into that new creature. Write it down, note your experiences, and remember who you are AND who you’re becoming. Post pandemic a lot of us are in that mush phase, so I also find it helps to be kind to the folks around you sorting through their story and do what you can to support them in it.
Because on the other side of mush is transformation and a really beautiful story to share.
A Story Well Told - Free Masterclass Details! ✨
In the spirit of helping move from mush to butterfly, I wanted to share details of the free training I mentioned last week. Marie really helped me get practical about what my work life could look like after my burnout healing journey and she’s is offering a free training TWICE this week. And again next. If you’ve been struggling with finding a way to be joyful in your productivity or looking for tools to help you re-Work your relationship with time and work, you may find this helpful. Just Head to this link to sign up.
In the training Marie will also share a bit about the program that really helped me make some practical shifts in my mindset around time and approach to work, Time Genius. If you’re interested but hesitant, feel free to reply to this note any time with questions.
To add even more knowledge and value for you, if you do choose to sign up for Time Genius send me a note with your purchase confirmation and I’ll share two additional resources to get you started:
Free access to my Career Storytelling 101 webinar. I created this webinar to help professionals begin to craft a unique career or business story. Whether you're on the job hunt or looking to make a bigger impact where you are (aka land that promotion or client). It’s ALL ABOUT the key elements of storytelling for meaningful connection as your grow your career and business. Gain clarity and tools to express your unique story.
A 1:1 online feedback session with me! Chat marketing, chat career storytelling, chat Time Genius. I am a communications and marketing expert that has deep knowledge of leverage storytelling to engage audiences AND about approaches to healing burnout and changing how you work. Take an hour with me and ask about anything. (I’ll send a note to set us up for success with a bit of focus for the session in advance, don’t worry).
I hope you’ll take advantage of Marie’s free training. I have benefited greatly from her knowledge and want the same for you. So, check out the masterclass and then feel free to DM me with any questions if you're curious about the Time Genius program itself--I live it and mentor in the program so I know the material WELL and am happy to share. In the spirit of always sharing, I may earn a referral fee if you choose to purchase through my link.
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Really loved this piece - read it to my 16 yo who is currently in the mush phase and I cried when I read it out loud!! She thought I was a bit weird but I think the message resonated.
I share your shock and fascination with this caterpillar going to mush going to butterfly. Never heard it before.