The Fall Soul Selfie Challenge : The First Three Days

Back in May, I dared to lead my very first Soul Selfie photo challenge on Instagram because I wanted to give a voice to people to hear what they needed to say to themselves. It was a great success and I promised all the participants that I would do it again in the fall. So here I am doing this once again with the amazing group of people on Instagram that I call friends.

Fall colors

 

?Day One – Work? #Soul_selfie ? Sadly, in Amerca, work often means you take a job you hate for the health insurance coverage you’ll receive. It’s betting you’ll get sick. It’s a fear mindset. So talk of doing work that is soul satisfying,s sounds like you’re banana nut bread bonkers. Surely that won’t pay the bills and the health insurance so what’s the point. That definition of work is sad. . My work is to heal my heart, raise my children, and be a better writer. I’m unpaid but this is soul satisfying work. However, I do think you can do both paid and soul work in your life but you have to be clever about how to balance your happiness . And on the other hand, as Elizabeth Gilbert spoke of in her book Big Magic, it’s mean to put the complete burden of paying the bills on your creative inner child. It will crush her. When I am brave enough, I hope to get paid to write. My inner girl’s been safe but if I don’t show her off, she’ll think I’m saying she’s not good enough. The time for this is coming too just as time came for having my children (last one born at age 46) and for my healing (all of my 40’s). I feared all of this work and yet it’s been amazing work! What is your definition of work? Join me this week for the #Soul_selfie challenge. One week of digging a little deeper, telling a little more truth, and being a little more vulnerable. I guarantee it will change you just a little.Tag me @shalaghhogan and include the hashtag #Soul_selfie ! #work #truth #taleswithfriends #liveauthentically #creativemamas

A photo posted by Shalagh Hogan (@shalaghhogan) on Oct 10, 2016 at 4:03am PDT

 

?Day 2 : #Soul_selfie – Play? My inner little girl has been held back from her freedom to play for so long, she’s begun to misbehave and have little fits. She’s been told there’s more important things in need of doing and she needs to suck it up. When I deny my creativity yet again, I can feel her tantrum brewing. . . But this past September, I committed to allowing time to creatively play with art every day. Essentially, I committed to being a better parent to her. And my oh my, how this has shifted me. In one month’s time, I am finally calling myself an artist. I have made art everyday until playing has become a given. Until my creative expression became non-negotiable. Until my inner child trusted me again. . . Play every day in every way you can. Your inner child will celebrate you for it and she’ll trust you again. And you’ll finally get to be the good guy. #truth #taleswithfriends #liveauthentically #creativemamas #play #playground #creative #creativechallenge

A photo posted by Shalagh Hogan (@shalaghhogan) on Oct 11, 2016 at 4:17am PDT

 

?Day 3? Decide ? #Soul_selfie challenge? My decisions to marry a second time, have my children with my elderly eggs, and buy a house (that I’ll never be happy enough with or move out of most likely) are inextricably who I’ve become. Purposes I’ve chosen courageously and selfishly. . . But I just turned 50…my next season asks the ultimate question “What am I doing here on earth?” How to decide what my purpose is, that’s the one thing that haunts me. To get it right. . . While part of me knows I’ll have to work to find the answer, the other part keeps hoping for an epiphany or for someone else to tell me. And most of me knows I’m a little scatterbrained. . . Yet the person I am needs to make a difference in a noble fashion. I am purposeful by nature and intentional about following a compass of fearlessness and truthfulness. If Fear Pushes and Vision Pulls, in the middle is this decision waiting for the chance to gallop out of the gate in passionate pursuit of that purpose. And perhaps the decision has already been made, I just need to open my eyes to see it. . . #truth #taleswithfriends #liveauthentically #creativemamas #purpose #decide

A photo posted by Shalagh Hogan (@shalaghhogan) on Oct 12, 2016 at 4:41am PDT

When I see all of these amazing people joining in to the challenge, I know that there is a need for us to all create a safe place for our words to be heard. Instagram has been that for me like no other place. And even after I’ve healed so many of the things that need healing, I hope I will always find respite and a place to feel out my feelings here.

And If you enjoyed what you read, subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my thrice weekly posts via your emailbox. And visit me on Instagram to see my daily pictures, friend me or like my page on Facebook. Or come find me on Twitter orPinterest too. I am always practicing Intentional Intouchness so chat at me please. I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thanks to you for your visit.

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