TO CELEBRATE THE “MESSY MIDDLE,” I’m sharing a sketch that I’m working on. It represents my willingness to listen more & enter a state of Receivership, as Julia Cameron recommends in The Artist’s Way. Join our STUDY, SAVOR, & SUPPORT Each Other CHAT to study The Artist’s Way in our Monday book club, & share YOUR “MESSY MIDDLE” every Wednesday!
CHANGE YOUR WORDS, CHANGE YOUR MINDSET, CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
Do you call yourself a “Worrywart” or a “Worry Warrior”?
It’s all in the eye of the beholder!
Remember, the words we choose to label ourselves matters tremendously.
In a way, I use my worry to be an Attorney. Worrying is another name for identifying potential issues and strategies for overcoming them. And not only in an adversarial context, but also in negotiations where everyone can win in some way.
What’s more, my worries have absolutely saved our family thousands of dollars when I hire the right people and negotiate contracts for house repairs/renovations/insurance, etc.
I don’t think I could do it without “worrying.”
When it’s in a proper healthy amount, I just call it good “preparation.”
Plan in advance and there’s no headache, I say!
And avoid the sting of calling yourself the wrong thing. There’s no need. You know what’s true for you.
Worry Warriors, UNITE!
Now, take a Mindful Minute to reflect on your life:
When your mind ponders the “what-ifs” of life, do you subconsciously label yourself a “Worrywart” or a “Worry Warrior”?
Do you ever take time to elevate your mindset, by choosing better words to define yourself?
Do you have a Limiting Belief about “worrying”?
Do you tend to “worry” an unhealthy amount? Or, do you stay within a healthy amount of “preparation”?
Can you FLIP your words, to ELEVATE your mindset, to IMPROVE your life?
This week, experiment with using better words to Flip the Script & feel better now.
The Worry Warrior in me honors & respects the Worry Warrior in each of you, Marisa
Remember, we don’t have to figure everything out, all alone.
We can find solutions, together!
Please join us in my
This is a special group for Writers, Artists, & Creatives like us, to have deep conversations about the Books that we choose, so we can implement what we learn, and unearth our truest, most Authentic Selves.
It’s the perfect way to
Share Our Recipes for Happiness:
Have fun together;
Share our triumphs;
Vent from time to time — we’re human after all!
Take a lighthearted approach to private journaling & Artist’s Dates; and,
Here’s what we’ve been up to in the STUDY, SAVOR, & SUPPORT Each Other CHAT! !
From Tuesday 2025–10–14:
It’s WEEK #7 of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron: Recovering a Sense of Connection.
Come join us in the STUDY, SAVOR, & SUPPORT Each Other CHAT! for WEEK #7 of TheArtist’s Way by Julia Cameron: Recovering a Sense of Connection.
In Chapter 7, JC asks us to recover a sense of connection by focusing on:
(1) our receptive ability (how open we are to listening for & receiving help, direction, and guidance from the Universe); and,
(2) our active skills (the actions we take to do the creative work itself, that may be helped or hindered based on our perfectionism and/or willingness to take risks).
Many of us focus a lot on (2) and less on (1).
Personally, I find it fascinating that Julia Cameron defines art as “not about thinking something up. It is about the opposite: getting something down.”
JC makes it sound like art is something that the artist downloads from the ether, from the greater universe, from “the stratosphere….” And, when artists do this, “there is no strain. We’re not doing; we’re getting.”
So much so, the art itself “has its own plan. When a painter is painting he or she may begin with a plan, but that plan as soon surrendered to the painting’s own plan.”
Does this this concept of Receiving come naturally to you?
Is this an accurate depiction of your own creative process?
Please share your thoughts in the comments.
On a scale of 1 to 10, rate if you agree with JC’s opinion or not (where 10 means that you agree with JC’s opinion 100%).
Do you believe that your current rating is helping you in your creative work?
Or, do you want to change your rating?
Do you want to be more open to Receiving?
Do you want to take more Active steps?
If you want to change your ratings, how do you plan to change them?
Please share your thoughts in the Chat!
Let’s support each other so we can all grow in the direction that we choose for ourselves.
We got this!
From Wednesday 2025–10–15:
STUDY, SAVOR, & SUPPORT Each Other CHAT — Let’s SUPPORT EACH OTHER with a NOTES & POSTS BOOST!
Let’s celebrate the Messy Middle with “WEDNESDAY WIPs”! Post a Note featuring a Work In Progress — to intentionally celebrate what we are in the process of creating, so we can SAVOR & CELEBRATE the Messy Middle before it’s finished!
It’s a fun way for us to see what we’ve been up to, cheer each other on, & Like/Comment/Restack, so we can all GROW!
Like the Sketch I included in the CHAT (above). It’s a sketch that represents my willingness to listen more & enter a state of Receivership, as JC recommends in The Artist’s Way.
Pull up a seat & come to our comfy & cozy Creative CHAT! Here’s to the Creative CHAT for me & you!
If it’s not your cuppa tea/coffee/chai/matcha/whatevs,
Please Note:
For anyone who does not wish to participate in the Study, Savor, & Support each other CHAT, no problemo!
I will still publish my Newsletter, M&Ms, Sing-Along Storytime, Music, Videos, Science Fiction writing, & more!
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to send me a DM.
Have a fantastic weekend!
The Creative in me honors & respects the Creative in each of you,
Marisa
Subscribe if you want to see where this Creative Journey can take us!
Do not let that title fool you. This Chapter is really not for the faint of heart.
It struck me like a lightning bolt, to the core of Who I Am.
I’m not talking about some little gut punch, or a blissful A-ha moment.
That doesn’t capture how much it’s transformed my mindset, changed my trajectory, and altered the structure of my life, to become the person that I choose to be.
You’re probably wondering, What could possibly be so scary about abundance?
I can tell you right now, it’s because JC’s asking us to…
Tackle the monster of all Limiting Beliefs:
💵 Money, Money, Money! 💴
JC says some people believe money is bad. Others will only spend money on necessities, but refuse to spend money on things that are frivolous “luxuries” — when, really, buying them nurtures our creative spirit and is therefore necessary self-care.
And, beyond the necessities, money can allow us to be better stewards, to take care of ourselves, those we love, and society.
Most of all, money can give us freedom. To spend time doing what enlivens us. To live where we want to. To travel the world. To enjoy life’s many pleasures. To broaden the potential experiences we can enjoy in our lives.
Money matters! We all want it. We all need it. But do we have Limiting Beliefs about how we have to earn it?!
According to JC, people often believe that it’s hard to make money doing Creative Work. That the Universe will help us to make money if we’re working a serious, usually stressful, job, but the Universe wouldn’t help us just as easily to make money doing a job that’s fun or creative.
As JC puts it, “Most of us harbor a secret belief that work has to be work and not play….”
It’s time to get real.
I confess, I find it hard to believe that I could make enough money to not only survive, but thrive with Creative Work.
Even though there’s obviously tens of thousands of people making money with their Creative Work, I have a hard time envisioning me being able to do it. Because of how I was raised and told to pursue a limited number of “professions” — all of them “serious” and stressful — I often feel like other people are “allowed to have” creative careers, but not me…. Never me.
At my age, it’s laughable that I still feel this restriction inside of myself. But it’s rooted so deep in my lived experience, felt emotions, and sense of Self that I need to make a concrete plan to overcome it. Not just intellectually, but in my emotions and body. Or I will not be able to remove this. It’s blocking my ability to make money with my Creativity.
How can I do that? The practical mindset. The Type A, To-Do List Go-Getter inside of me immediately says, “You have to research exactly how other people make money doing creative work. Then see, if you do the same exact thing, will it work for you?“ In other words, reverse-engineer all of it and do everything methodically step-by-step until you achieve success. Doesn’t that sound like a wonderful plan? It sounds perfectly reasonable.
But, when journaling, I found myself troubled by a specific Limiting Belief: I don’t have enough time. Because I’ve taken so damn long to honor my Authentic Self and go on this “Attorney-to-Creative” Journey.
I thought I was “over it” — that I had gotten rid of the Limiting Belief “I don’t have time” — by committing myself to making 1 Substack Post per week. I might be slow, but at least I’d be making progress every week. That helped me to calm down and ease some of my anxiety about my Creative Work. But, then I had my recent health scare, and the same Limiting Belief came roaring back, screaming, You don’t have enough time! You’re too late! Game’s over!
That’s the record that kept replaying in my mind the entire time I waited for the results of my breast biopsy. Thankfully, it was benign.
But, my mind still whispered, “For now.” There’s been many cancer-related deaths in my family, on both sides. I’ve accepted that I might be diagnosed with cancer one day. It’s not certain, but it is a likely possibility. Sadly, that record’s going to keep replaying.
BUT, what if “You don’t have enough time” is a blessing in disguise?
While I was waiting for the results, I experienced an amazing synchronicity.
I logged into my YouTube and watched a video posted by Substacker Marketing Pro, Kristina God, interviewing one of my favorite writers, Karen Salmansohn.
This was a match made in heaven. Kristina’s shows everyone how they, too, can make money writing on Substack and Medium. She’s generous with her knowledge. She & Patrick just created a Collaboration Tool for Substack. And she inspires me as a fellow YouTuber, too!
And here she was, interviewing Karen, a bestselling author & designer. I’ve been a fan of Karen’s for a long time! I distinctly remember reading her books years ago, when I was deciding whether I could be brave enough. To ignore the naysayers who could only see me as an Attorney, who warned me to not-write fiction or pursue music or art, lest I be seen as “not a serious Attorney.” I loved reading Karen’s books. I saw how she’d melded her writing with awesome visuals that spoke directly to the Artist inside of me. And she gave advice about how to navigate life’s ups and downs in a way that was realistic, engaging, and funny!
As you know from reading my Substack Bio, or any of my work on Substack/Medium/YouTube, I firmly believe that self-improvement doesn’t have to be boring or stuffy; we can entrain our brains to get rid of Limiting Beliefs and adopt unstoppable self-belief in a way that’s not only science-backed, but FUN!
Ultimately, Kristina, Karen, and many other Creatives on Substack are PROOF that there is a way for me to make a living with my Creative Work, too.
Seriously, could the topics they discussed be any more timely for me? Like this one:
Why writing with the end in mind, even imagining your own eulogy, can fuel your most meaningful work, among many other insightful topics.
The Creative in me was screaming, “YASSSS!” 🔥
It felt MAGICAL…like synchronicity!
Even though I’m an I-want-it-to-be-science-backed type of person. A skeptic.
Even though my mind loves data & always asks, “Is that true?” Despite all that…
Just like JC said, it felt like the Universe was showing me a SIGN: You better pay attention, because their message is MEANT FOR YOU.
So, OF COURSE, I had to let them know:
Their Video was the message that I really needed. I was so grateful to hear it, especially while my nerves were frayed, waiting for those biopsy results.
And, how blessed I was to finally get the results later that same afternoon: Benign.
Not like my great aunt, who’d died from breast cancer.
Not like my two friends who’d had cancer, too.
Not cancer. Not for me. At least not now.
I could be GRATEFUL. I could relax a bit.
I did have time. And renewed motivation to not waste it.
The Creative in me was screaming, “YASSSS!” 🔥 — again!
What does it all mean?!
The meaning I’m choosing to give it:
I’m letting Julia Cameron’s message sink in, too. I’m ready to launch into the Unknown.
Instead of relying solely on my typical preference for the highly-practical and logical Left Hemisphere of my brain, that relies heavily on me being able to control all of the inputs in the hope that I can control the outcome of everything I do, I’m going to…
Study the Business side of making a Creative Career work: Marketing, Advertising, and — YES — Monetization
But — for the first time in my life — I’m going to take the completely opposite Right-Hemisphere approach, as well. Why? Because I’ve lived my life for decades the Left-Hemisphere-ONLY way, and it hasn’t worked for me: For the longest time, I didn’t publish any of my creative work. I didn’t share it with the world because I far too logical and “sensible.” I tried to stay in my box, to draw inside the lines, to do what other people said I “should do.” To check off all the boxes that people said I “have to” check off.
Where did that get me? It’s gotten me far enough that I’m actually publishing my creative work — whether it’s my science fiction series or my artwork or my music. But it’s never gotten me over the finish line. It hasn’t allowed me to eradicate this Limiting Belief that “YOU, Marisa, cannot make money doing creative work.”
So I plan to take the exact opposite approach: Instead of only creating a To Do List, and following it to a T, I’m going to lean into my intuition, into the creative Right-Hemisphere side of my brain, and just see what happens.
Like JC recommends, I am going to clearly identify the WHAT that I want:
“I want to make so much money with my creative work that I can choose to do it full-time if I want to.”
Omg. Did I say that out loud?! Did I just write that — where people can actually see it?!
I can’t stop laughing. It sounds absolutely ridiculous to me to be writing that right now.
No part of my intellectual side believes that this is ever going to be a possibility.
But the Dreamer inside of me, the Creative inside of me, is screaming from the depths of my soul, “THIS is what I want!”
But, my dear fellow classmates, that’s not even the hardest part. Teacher says:
JC says that we need to identify the WHAT, then let the universe take care of the HOW.
Honestly, I find this incredibly hard to believe. IT FEELS EXTREMELY WOO-WOO.
But, at the same time, it also feels strangely comforting.
To believe that the Universe will bring me the opportunities, people, and experiences that I seek, and — if I accept them & take action — my actions will propel me closer to my goal…it will WORK?!
That I can feel my way through the darkness, using my intuition as a guide?
It makes me feel…what? Uncertainty yes, but also a bit of comfort, and excited as well.
WISH ME LUCK!
I am going to try to have a more open mind.
I am going to lean into not-knowing.
I am going to meditate & enter a state of Receivership.
I am going to leave room for the Universe to surprise me with the HOW. And,
I am going to listen to my intuition, just like Kristina & Karen said: starting right NOW!
So, this morning, I recorded this song.
If you listen to the lyrics, you’ll see how perfectly it describes how I fractured my Self when I failed to honor my creative dreams for so many years.
These words capture my pain and the fear that I’ve had for most of my life: That if I truly embodied my Authentic Self and went 100% all-in, to being a Creative who makes money doing creative work, I would not be loved or accepted.
But I’m no longer willing to make the mistake of listening to those naysayers, to those gatekeepers who are keeping me from being my true Authentic Self.
Ignoring my Authentic Self is what cut me open, and failing to honor my Creativity is what caused my Bleeding Love.
That’s why I’m singing this “Bleeding Love” song today, not as me singing to some lover, but me singing to the Creative I long to fully be. The Creative I wish I could be in this world.
Could I ever make money doing creative work?
Would people pay for my music, my creative writing, or my artwork?
Would people part with their hard-earned money to buy
I don’t know. But singing this song lets me express the longing I feel, to be who I truly am. And I’m going to keep singing & using my voice. In writing. In music. In art.
Here’s to not-knowing, but doing the work anyway.
Here’s to proclaiming the WHAT and not-knowing the HOW.
Here’s to being who you CHOOSE to be.
The Mind That’s Open to Receiving in Me honors & respects the Mind That’s Open to Receiving in You,
Marisa
🤔 Now, take a Mindful Minute to reflect on your life: 🤔
⭐️ Do YOU have Limiting Beliefs that are blocking you from making money doing what YOU love to do? What actions are you taking, to pursue what you really want before Death comes knocking? ⭐️
Please join us in my
This is a special group for Writers, Artists, & Creatives like us, to have deep conversations about the Books that we choose, so we can implement what we learn, and unearth our truest, most Authentic Selves.
It’s the perfect way to Share Our Happiness:
Have fun together;
Share our triumphs;
Vent from time to time — we’re human after all!
Take a lighthearted approach to private journaling & Artist’s Dates; and,
Together, we’ll explore all the ways that we can 10x our life— mind, body, & soul.
We’ll learn the scientific, physiological, and psychological reasons why we are the way that we are. And combine that understanding with simple, active practices that will supercharge our self-improvement & give us unstoppable self-belief!
Plus, if you’d like to see me succeed (or flop 😂) as I practice in public,
You thought you were “over it,” but then there comes that same Limiting Belief, rearing its ugly head again!
Let’s SERENADE our Inner Critic!
Let’s SERENADE Our Inner Critic
in my STUDY, SAVOR, & SUPPORT Each Other CHAT (link below), where we love to celebrate the Messy Middle!☕️🍵
I wrote this in the middle of the week —on Wednesday — a.k.a. “hump day,” as some people like to call it.
I say it’s the perfect time to celebrate the “Messy Middle,” no matter what that might be in your life.
What is the “Messy Middle”?
It could be anything. But, whatever it is, it’s definitely something where you’re making progress, but you’re no where near finished.
I’m a firm believer in:
★ NOT waiting until a goal is accomplished to celebrate the journey.
★ BEING GENTLE with ourselves when it’s a struggle, something’s off, or it’s just not finished yet.
Today, I’m tackling the Messiest Middle that ever was: The Inner Critic.
Recently, when I was journaling, I found myself troubled by a specific Limiting Belief: I don’t have enough time.
I know why:
Because I’ve taken so damn long to honor my Authentic Self and go on this “Attorney-to-Creative” Journey.
I thought I was “over it” — that I had gotten rid of the Limiting Belief “I don’t have time” — by committing myself to making 1 Substack Post per week.
I might be slow, but at least I’d be making progress every week. That helped me to calm down and ease some of my anxiety about my Creative Work.
To serenade my Inner Critic, in the hope that — one day — it will finally LET ME LET GO
of this Limiting Belief
and all the other Limiting Beliefs that plague me.
What About YOU?
Take a Mindful Minute to reflect on your life:
⭐️ When you listen to the lyrics and imagine them being sung to your Inner Critic, does it help to soothe you?
⭐️ Do you ever take time to celebrate your “Messy Middle”?
⭐️ What’s a Limiting Belief that’s ailing you now?
⭐️ Do you ever wish your Inner Critic would finally LET YOU LET GO?
The Letting Go in me honors & respects the Letting Go in each of you,
Marisa
⭐️ Do you have all the answers? No? Me neither. ⭐️
⭐️ No problem, because we don’t have to figure it out, all alone. ⭐️
We can find solutions, together!
Please join us in my
This is a special group for Writers, Artists, & Creatives like us, to have deep conversations about the Books that we choose, so we can implement what we learn, and unearth our truest, most Authentic Selves.
It’s the perfect way to
Share Our Recipes for Happiness:
Have fun together;
Share our triumphs;
Vent from time to time — we’re human after all!
Take a lighthearted approach to private journaling & Artist’s Dates; and,
Here’s what we’ve been up to in the STUDY, SAVOR, & SUPPORT Each Other CHAT! ☕️🍵 !
From Monday 2025–9–29:
It’s WEEK #5 of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron: Recovering a Sense of Possibility.
Come join us in the STUDY, SAVOR, & SUPPORT Each Other CHAT! ☕️🍵 for WEEK #5 of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron: Recovering a Sense of Possibility.
In Chapter 5, JC asks us to examine how we subconsciously or consciously limit the potential goodness — the “possibilities” — that the Universe brings to us.
According to JC, we place false limits on the opportunities, experiences, and people that the Universe is capable of bringing to us. We don’t take it seriously. We don’t believe it’s possible. We dismiss our dreams as “grandiose.” So when we receive a gift from the universe, we disbelieve, so much so, we sometimes reject the gift by giving it back! What’s the source of the problem? Our Scarcity Mindset, this false belief that the Universe has limited resources.
JC believes in the opposite. According to her, “we are in the spiritual position of having an unlimited bank account.” JC encourages us to dream big, believe it’s achievable, and accept the possibilities that come to us.
How? JC says the solution is to open our minds and our hearts to receiving help from anywhere, no matter the source, because what we seek may come to us unexpectedly, via unanticipated synchronicities and unexpected sources.
JC says we can reduce our skepticism about external sources by working on it internally, in our Morning Pages (MPs). We can use our MPs to “ask for answers in the evening; listen for answers in the morning. Be open to all help.”
As we become more open to receiving external possibilities and expand our internal Mindset with our MPs, JC says we will experience a change in ourselves, like a “current, or river, [that] is a flow of grace moving us to our right livelihood, companions, destiny.”
⭐️ What about you?
🔬 Let’s reflect & examine our progress as we’ve been reading Chapters 1 to 5 in this book:
🔬 Do you see a river of change in yourself?
🔬 We can take measurements to find out:
⭐️ On a scale of 1–10, let’s give ourselves 2 ratings:
• (1) Disbelief about external possibilities; and,
• (2) Internal avoidance, as expressed in our MPs.
⭐️ Give yourself one set of ratings before we started reading The Artist’s Way.
⭐️ Give yourself another set of ratings now that we’ve read Chapters 1 to 5 of The Artist’s Way.
⭐️ Is there a change?
⭐️If our 1st ratings decreased in number, it indicates that we are more open to accepting external possibilities from the Universe.
⭐️ If our 2nd ratings decreased, it indicates that we are less resistant/avoidant, internally; we are more open to identifying and receiving solutions in our MPs.
⭐️ Did your ratings decrease or increase?
⭐️ Why do you think there’s a change?
⭐️ is there an External reason? Or Internal reason? Or, maybe both?
Feel free to share your observations in the Chat, like this:
For me, my numbered ratings for external disbelief decreased. Meaning that I am more open to accepting possibilities. I know this is because of the synchronicities I’ve experienced since I started reading this book. I am not to the point that I believe without skepticism. But I remain open-minded and feel better the more open-minded I become. And I always feel grateful for the goodness that has come to me. Especially for the kind and creative people I have met since I started my Creative Journey. Becoming friends with the *right people* who are also dedicated to living creatively and authentically, has been the best part of my creative journey. It’s made my creative work much more enjoyable and increased my enthusiasm to do it. I think that’s why I also see a reduction in my numbered rating for internal avoidance as well. I am still striving to meet my creative goals, and I am far from being done. But I can definitely say that I am enjoying the journey much more than before. Even though I have not reached my intended destination yet.
⭐️ What about you?
⭐️ Do you observe a shift in your own ratings?
⭐️ How has your river changed?
⭐️ Do you feel a sense of expansion as your numbers decrease? Or, a feeling of being blocked, as your numbers increase?
⭐️ I think it helps to remind ourselves that there is no “right way” to travel along our river. We are not “bad” for feeling any particular way.
Many times, we have to work through blocks to get to the other side, like lifting boulders that block our Flow. This not only helps us to let go of what no longer serves us, but also allows us to have a strong enough current to give birth to our Authentic Self. I find it’s helpful to remember that we must be gentle with ourselves no matter what we are experiencing. To just experience and notice what we notice in an accepting way.
⭐️ Please share your thoughts.
⭐️ Did anything from Chapter 5 resonate with you?
⭐️ Is there a different journaling prompt that’s been helpful for you?
Let’s support each other in the Chat!
We got this! 💪😉🙌
From Wednesday 2025–9–24:
STUDY, SAVOR, & SUPPORT Each Other CHAT — 🤗 Let’s SUPPORT EACH OTHER with a NOTES & POSTS BOOST! 🚀
Today, let’s celebrate the Messy Middle with “WEDNESDAY WIPs”! Post a Note featuring a Work In Progress — to intentionally celebrate what we are in the process of creating, so we can SAVOR & CELEBRATE the Messy Middle before it’s finished!
It’s a fun way for us to see what we’ve been up to, cheer each other on, & Like/Comment/Restack, so we can all GROW!🙌
Like the Sketch I included in the CHAT.
Pull up a seat & come to our comfy & cozy Creative CHAT! Here’s to the Creative CHAT for me & you! 🎉📚🥳📚🎉
If it’s not your cuppa tea/coffee/chai/matcha/whatevs,
Please Note:
For anyone who does not wish to participate in the Study, Savor, & Support each other CHAT, no problemo!
I will still publish my Newsletter, M&Ms, Sing-Along Storytime, Music, Videos, Science Fiction writing, & more!
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to send me a DM.
Have a fantastic weekend!
The Creative in me honors & respects the Creative in each of you,
Marisa
Subscribe if you want to see where this Creative Journey can take us!
A Sketch I’ve been working on since my very 1st Artist’s Date, since we started our deep-dive into The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron in my comfy & cozy ☕️🍵STUDY, SAVOR, & SUPPORT Each Other CHAT🍵☕️
Today’s Post tackles how the Dark can help us to see the Light
Do you have a Death Practice?
Do you give yourself a specific amount of time to stare death in the face?
Like giving yourself a good dose of Existential Crisis — on Purpose?
I’ve always been a fan of the Stoic Phrase memento mori.
It’s a Latin phrase that reminds us we will all have to die.
It’s that icky tap on the shoulder, the haunting whisper in our ear, pointing out the inevitability of death.
I have pondered death from time to time. But, I wouldn’t say that I have a devoted “Death Practice.”
I’ve maintained a Daily Gratitude Practice, instead.
Every weekend, my entire family — including my two young kiddos — have joined in. We list whatever we’re grateful for on that particular day.
Then, shit got real: I had The Real Death Practice hoisted on me.
My doctor became concerned by an area in my left breast.
What was the recommendation? An Ultrasound-Assisted Breast Biopsy.
What would be involved?
✓ Ultrasound.
✓ The prick of a needle and some pain before the numbing agent sets in.
✓ Incision into breast.
✓ Inserting a 4–8” Needle with a hollow core.
✓ Pressure and poking. Pressure and poking. Pressure and poking.
✓ Loud clicking noises as the doctor takes tissue samples for biopsy.
✓ Waiting…and wondering…and ruminating…for the results from Pathology.
Sound good to you?
As unappealing as it sounded, as the doctor recommended the procedure and described the steps to me, before he’d even asked at the end, “Do you have any questions?”
I already knew my answer, “Yes, I want the biopsy.”
Absolutely. Without reservations, YES.
Don’t get me wrong.
I’m not some Stoic Warrior, at the front of the line, ready to charge ahead into battle, screaming like I belong in Braveheart.
MY FEAR RUNS DEEP.
Two of my dear friends have had Breast Cancer.
One told me about her own breast biopsy procedure and described how her doctor refused to tell her the results on the phone, insisting instead that she come in with her husband, to hear the results in-person. She had surgery and survived without extensive chemo and without losing her hair.
The other had to do extensive chemotherapy and lost all her hair. She said it was brutal, but she survived.
This is what was running through my mind. Like everything our brains are primed to do, my brain ran through the list of similar stories and experiences from which I could draw. And, from my friends, 2 out of 2 breast biopsies resulted in cancer findings.
Plus, my Great Aunt died from breast cancer.
In fact, cancer runs on both sides of my family.
Both my parents have cancer (luckily, they’re both in remission).
But, they’re the rare two among many cancer-related deaths on both sides.
So much so, cancer’s always been in the back of my mind, like “One day….”
I try not to think like that. I tell myself not to. I don’t want to brainwash myself into believing that it’s inevitable. Because it’s not. Epigenetics and all that.
But, realistically, that word — “cancer” — has come up so much in my life, it’s like…
I’ve been training for this probability for my entire mental and emotional life.
I just never anticipated having to do it anywhere close to NOW.
Some people avoid going to the doctors because they’re afraid of what they might find.
Some people sense something’s off with their bodies, but they’d rather continue living without knowing, so they can stay oblivious to what might ail them.
As long as they don’t know for sure, they can live blissfully, I guess.
What about me?
Was I ready to dive in with that needle and get to the bottom of this?
YES.
And, it surprised me to see that all my mental chatter wasn’t focused on the prospect of dying.
I zoomed into what I wanted to keep living for:
• I love my family.
• I want to live for my kids.
• For my husband.
• For myself.
I wasn’t sad.
Instead, felt this dogged determination, to deal with it, come what may.
To be there for my kids and family. To get to see them grow up. To see them become who they’re meant to be.
To enjoy my parents and extended family, as much as possible.
And for me, I thought, “It’s taken me far too damned long to get myself to this place, where I am ready to wholeheartedly embrace my Authentic Self. Whatever I need to do, I’ll do. I want to LIVE.”
The Logistics
“How soon should I do this?”
“Can you do 9 a.m., tomorrow?”
Okay, so they want me to do it ASAP.
“Do you want us to turn off electronic notifications? So the doctor can call you with the results? Some patients don’t want to see the results themselves.”
Huh?! I thought, Don’t you dare turn off the electronic notifications!I want them ASAP!
Of course, I didn’t put it like that, though, and just asked them nicely. “Please keep the electronic notifications on.”
But, inside? Yeah. I wanted to be notified immediately. So I could see the scans and biopsy results in all of their Radiological glory.
Turns out, I didn’t have to wait to see.
During the biopsy itself, I got to watch the screen. I got to see the exact Ultrasounds as they were scanned, recorded, and photographed into the digital record.
I got to see the (hopefully little) shit that decided to scare me shitless.
The Before: Pre-Diagnosis
Before the Diagnosis, I told myself:
“HAND OVER HEART, if this turns out to be breast cancer, it’s going to light a fire under my ass so hot that I won’t bother sitting down.”
“HAND OVER HEART, if this turns out to be a benign, non-cancerous cyst, I will make it my Death Practice to pursue my Dreams with more Passion & Purpose than ever before. We all die, but I won’t have to look far to feel it in my body. All I’ll need to do is place my hands over my chest, and know that THAT’s how close my heart could have broken. THAT’s how time might be measured. With each single beat. Tomorrow’s not guaranteed.”
The During: Ultrasound-Assisted Biopsy
Throughout the procedure, the doctor was as gentle as she could be.
Before starting, she let me hear the click of the sampling device, so I wouldn’t be shocked by how loud it could be.
She warned me before each sampling was taken, so the pressure and clicking wouldn’t startle me.
She confirmed I was numb and comfortable.
And, throughout the procedure, a nurse held my hand and stroked my arm so gently.
The After: Diagnosis
BENIGN.
What changed?
Everything’s Changed.
I don’t have to worry that something malignant is going to metastasize from my breast to other areas of my body.
I don’t have to worry about surgery.
I don’t have to worry my family or friends by telling them I have cancer. And yet…
Nothing’s Changed.
The exact same rules apply:
It’s literally DAYS I have, to lose or to live wholeheartedly.
That’s how time is measured, by the rising and falling in my chest.
Same as yours.
And, no, tomorrow’s not guaranteed.
Not for me.
Not for anyone.
It’s literally DAYS we all have, to lose or to live wholeheartedly.
Now, take a Mindful Minute to reflect on your life:
⭐️ Do you have a Death Practice?
⭐️ Do you need to go to the doctor?
⭐️ Do you need to take better care of your body?
⭐️ Do you have something health-related that’s bothering you, that needs to be diagnosed?
⭐️ Have you noticed anything suspicious, something you know you ought to get checked?
⭐️ Are you open to finding out what it is? Or, do you lean toward blissful obliviousness?
⭐️ Do you live your life with purpose & passion, knowing that your days are numbered?
⭐️ How might pondering death help you to live life, wholeheartedly?
I’m making it my Goal to start a regular Death Practice. So I’m ready whenever shit gets real. I hope you’ll join me, to remember:
Memento Mori.
It’s literally DAYS we all have, to lose or to live wholeheartedly.
Now Let’s get Livin’!
The Hand-Over-Heart in me honors & respects the Hand-Over-Heart in each of you,
Marisa
⭐️ Do you have all the answers? No? Me neither. ⭐️
⭐️ No problem, because we don’t have to figure it out, all alone. ⭐️
We can find solutions, together!
Please join us in my
This is a special group for Writers, Artists, & Creatives like us, to have deep conversations about the Books that we choose, so we can implement what we learn, and unearth our truest, most Authentic Selves.
It’s the perfect way to
Share Our Recipes for Happiness:
Have fun together;
Share our triumphs;
Vent from time to time — we’re human after all!
Take a lighthearted approach to private journaling & Artist’s Dates; and,
Here’s what we’ve been up to in the STUDY, SAVOR, & SUPPORT Each Other CHAT! ☕️🍵 !
From Monday 2025–9–22:
It’s WEEK #4 of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron: Recovering a Sense of Integrity.
Come join us in the STUDY, SAVOR, & SUPPORT Each Other CHAT! ☕️🍵 for WEEK #4 of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron: Recovering a Sense of Integrity.
In Chapter 4, JC warns that many of us will feel the urge to shy away from, or completely avoid, writing our Morning Pages when we’re on the cusp of making a breakthrough.
Because the MPs force us to be honest with ourselves, to go beneath the surface-level platitudes we might say when asked, “How are you?” Instead of giving a cursory answer like, “I’m fine,” our MPs force us to tell ourselves the truth.
⭐️ I find like this pep-talk helpful, don’t you?
Because, let’s face it:
Life gets so busy, it becomes very easy to skip our MPs.
And I did skip my MPs a few times this past week. It’s not that I wasted my time. I got other writing done. So the time was spent doing Creative Work.
But, from reading Chapter 4, I’m reminded that MPs are the equally (sometimes more important) Self-Work that I need to prioritize — if not during the Morning, then sometime later during the day or before bedtime.
Even if I don’t have time to do 3 full pages, I do have time to write a few paragraphs. A little is better than nothing, right? 😉
⭐️ What about you?
⭐️ Have the MPs helped you to unearth any truths, hidden beneath the surface?
⭐️ Have your MPs given you any surprising revelations about yourself, like JC’s examples (e.g. a painter who realized she wants to write comedy)?
⭐️ Feel free to share as much or as little as you feel comfortable.
⭐️ Have you done your MPs every day? No judgment here!
⭐️ But, let’s get curious! If you skipped, what got in your way: external commitments or internal obstacles?
⭐️ Are you going to do anything to change your MP routine, to try to stay on track?
I want to dedicate more time to checking in inside this Chat, to hold myself more accountable with your help (a.k.a. the wonderful power of community)! Even if it’s just typing in a little emoji, like ✅📝, to share with everyone, “Hey, I did my MPs today!” I mean, who doesn’t like the satisfaction of writing a green check mark? Feel free to join me, using whatever emoji you’d like.
I think it’s worth it, if it motivates me to keep going.
Because the MPs have produced some interesting observations for me. Like I described in my last Post (linked below), I realized my wordy Writer’s Mind was getting in the way of my Piano Practice, and I needed to embrace Wordlessness to fix the problem.
Would I have made that connection without my MPs? Perhaps. But, I do think that my MPs got me there faster than if I had not given myself the time to deliberately reflect the way that MPs force me to do.
Here are some journaling prompts to consider this week:
🔬 Do your MPs help you to eliminate ambiguity and clarify your opinions about the people and/or experiences in your life?
🔬 Let’s be honest with ourselves. When we skip our MPs, are we secretly trying to avoid taking action?
🔬 Do we feel fear or optimism when we write our MPs? If it’s both, do our MPs help us to shift from fear to optimism?
🔬 If we did our MPs, would we be open to changing directions, like trying a different, possibly better path in our lives?
🔬 Do our MPs empower us to make better, more mindful choices?
⭐️ Please share your thoughts.
⭐️ Did anything from Chapter 4 resonate with you?
⭐️ Is there a different journaling prompt that’s been helpful for you?
Let’s support each other in the Chat!
We got this! 💪😉🙌
From Wednesday 2025–9–24:
STUDY, SAVOR, & SUPPORT Each Other CHAT — 🤗 Let’s SUPPORT EACH OTHER with a NOTES & POSTS BOOST! 🚀
Today, let’s celebrate the Messy Middle with “WEDNESDAY WIPs”! Post a Note featuring a Work In Progress — to intentionally celebrate what we are in the process of creating, so we can SAVOR & CELEBRATE the Messy Middle before it’s finished!
It’s a fun way for us to see what we’ve been up to, cheer each other on, & Like/Comment/Restack, so we can all GROW!🙌
Like the Sketch I included for this POST (above).
Pull up a seat & come to our comfy & cozy Creative CHAT! Here’s to the Creative CHAT for me & you! 🎉📚🥳📚🎉
If it’s not your cuppa tea/coffee/chai/matcha/whatevs,
Please Note:
For anyone who does not wish to participate in the Study, Savor, & Support each other CHAT, no problemo!
I will still publish my Newsletter, M&Ms, Sing-Along Storytime, Music, Videos, Science Fiction writing, & more!
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to send me a DM.
Have a fantastic weekend!
The Creative in me honors & respects the Creative in each of you,
Marisa
Subscribe if you want to see where this Creative Journey can take us!
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BONUS — Did you know that all SUBSCRIBERS can read the 1st Book of THE OBSIDIAN CHRONICLES (OBSIDIAN: Birth to Venus) for FREE?
Today’s Post tackles Ingredients #3 to 7, and Adds a Dash of…WORDLESSNESS?
3 🧘🏻♀️ Immerse yourself in your physical senses.
4 🌹 Feel your feelings.
5 💨 Breathe through all of them.
6 🌻 Pay attention to your thoughts,
7 🧘🏻♀️ mindfully without judgment 🤗.
This Recipe allowed me to realize that part of my Creative Routine was not working.
You see, it’s my Goal to practice piano every day.
Does it happen?
Nope!
Well, sort of.
Every night, I do go through all 88 notes on the Treble & Bass Clefs because it’s part of my nighttime routine. It helps me to go to bed when I picture the notes in my head as I’m drifting off to sleep.
Now, since that’s a fully-entrained habit, I’ve decided to focus on sitting at the piano and actually practicing every day.
But, as any piano enthusiast will tell you, there’s a BIG difference between playing for fun at the piano; and practicing deliberately, to learn new pieces, troubleshoot problem spots, and gain a practical grasp of music theory.
My goal is (1) Deliberate Practice, followed by some fun (2) Playing.
My Recipe helped me to see myself clearly — mindfully & without judgment.
In the past few weeks, I’ve noticed that Deliberate Practice requires me to SLOW down to focus and do what feels like tedious work.
Ironically, after a long day, this makes my verbally-minded Writer Mind SPEED UP.
All of a sudden, my mind will not stop its chatter.
Then comes the dreaded…
PROBLEM: Labeling.
When my experience of (1) Deliberate Practice is “bad,” (2) Playing doesn’t happen. As in, I don’t sit down at the piano at all.
Notice I used the word “bad.”
My mind automatically used these words, too:
• “Hard”
• “Laborious”
• “Boring”
Or, my personal favorite,
• “Ugh!!!”
SOLUTION: Tweaking my Recipe…again
Whenever I have something that’s not working in my life, I try to take an experimental mindset, like I’m a Scientist, troubleshooting an N=1.
Or, if you’d rather I not mix metaphors:
I will tweak my Recipe, like I’m Marisa, a Michelin Chef. 👩🏻🍳
Having prepped my Ingredient #6 (Pay Attention to Your Thoughts)…
I realized that the thoughts I am thinking about Deliberate Practice, as opposed to the Deliberate Practice itself, are spoiling my recipe!
It’s bitter. It’s sour. What I’m anticipating is so bad I won’t even step into the kitchen.
Now, I move onto #7 (Mindfully Without Judgment):
I remind myself that this doesn’t mean I “suck” as a Chef.
It doesn’t mean that I am a “bad” Musician.
As any piano player will tell you, there’s a lot to learn, practice, and master before you can truly express yourself at the piano, to “become one with” the music.
Like any skill, it requires time, determination, and grit.
Plus, you have to entrain your brain and body to be physically and mentally capable of identifying the correct notes, and controlling your fingers to play the correct keys, at the right tempo, with proper expressiveness.
In other words, it’s not easy.
Old Perfectionistic Marisa would have rushed to call myself “Bad.”
Recovering Perfectionist Marisa gives me an extra dollop (or, better yet, dumps the entire container) of #7: being Mindful — Without Judgment.
It doesn’t help me (or anyone around me, who has to hear my playing 😂) to label myself or the task of Deliberate Practice as “bad.”
If I label Myself “bad,” my playing will automatically be worse than if I used positive thinking or appropriate praise to motivate myself.
If I label Deliberate Practice “bad,” I just don’t sit at the piano at all.
The easiest way to improve? Go heavy on Ingredients #3, 4, & 5:
3 🧘🏻♀️ Immerse yourself in your physical senses.
4 🌹 Feel your feelings.
5 💨 Breathe through all of them.
After a long day, I realized that these 3 ingredients change exponentially, depending on the Words that my mind automatically uses to LABEL my experience.
And, interestingly, my mind has a tendency to PRE-LABEL my experience BEFORE I do it.
So, I started to experiment with how I might be able to damper my Wordy Writer’s Mind.
Using #3, I focused on the physical sensation of sound. I closed my eyes and listened more closely as I played.
Then, I focused on #4 & 5: I breathed through any discomfort I felt when I made mistakes; and, I felt the expansiveness of my breath when I allowed any positive emotions to grow as I entered a state of Flow.
When that still wasn’t enough, I realized how crucial Ingredient #3 (Immerse Yourself in Your Physical Senses) is for me.
At its max, it’s got to be so physical, it’s WORDLESSNESS.
Is that even possible, though — for a Writer’s Mind like mine?
Can I shut off my words?
YES!
I’ve discovered that I can!
It’s not easy (especially if I’m playing something like the score to a Pop Song).
But, it is possible. And the more practiced I’ve become at this, the easier
(1) Deliberate Practice and (2) Playing have become for me.
When it comes to Music, I’ve found that Focusing on
JUST THE MUSIC = The Secret Ingredient!
Suddenly, I am able to play without the Labeling, before I start or during!
It’s like the Notes hit my eardrums and, as soon as I perceive the sounds they produce, they calm & quiet my Wordy Writer’s Mind.
Yet again, experimentation to find a better way of Being is the path forward.
It’s still not easy.
It doesn’t work every time.
But, I think it will work better & better, the more I keep at it.
Now, take a Mindful Minute to reflect on your life:
⭐️ What’s YOUR Recipe for Happiness?
⭐️ Do you ever tweak your Recipe?
⭐️ Do you have something in your life, a Goal that’s thwarted by an annoyingly verbose mind?
⭐️ Do you tend to Label tasks you have to do, making it that much harder to get it done? Or does it make you avoid the task altogether?
⭐️ Do you ever drop into Wordlessness?
⭐️ If not, do you think you might give Wordlessness a try?
⭐️ How might Wordlessness help you?
The Deliberately WORDLESS Writer in me honors & respects the Deliberately WORDLESS Reader in each of you,
Marisa
⭐️ Do you have all the answers? No? Me neither. ⭐️
⭐️ No problem, because we don’t have to figure it out, all alone. ⭐️
We can find solutions, together!
Please join us in my
This is a special group for Writers, Artists, & Creatives like us, to have deep conversations about the Books that we choose, so we can implement what we learn, and unearth our truest, most Authentic Selves.
It’s the perfect way to
Share Our Recipes for Happiness:
Have fun together;
Share our triumphs;
Vent from time to time — we’re human after all!
Take a lighthearted approach to private journaling & Artist’s Dates; and,
Here’s what we’ve been up to in the STUDY, SAVOR, & SUPPORT Each Other CHAT! ☕️🍵 !
It’s WEEK #3 of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron: Recovering a Sense of Power.
In Chapter 2, I loved how JC normalized all the negative outside obstacles we might encounter, to emphasize that they are not defects, but simply part of the design on our creative journeys.
In Chapter 3, JC normalizes the seemingly-negative inner experiences that we may have:
• Anger
• Skepticism about Synchronicities
• Shame
• Criticism
I find it helpful to remember I have a choice when facing all these challenges.
⭐️ Don’t you?
It makes me realize that my initial reactions — especially if they’re negative — might be showing me only one side of the coin.
Here are some journaling prompts to consider this week:
🔬 Can we pay closer attention to our initial — often emotionally painful — reactions?
🔬 Can we ask ourselves to examine the opposite (how might this serve us)?
🔬 Does considering the opposite make us feel resistance, or does it expand our perspective?
🔬 Does this practice empower us to make better choices?
🔬 Does this practice point me in a better direction?
⭐️ Please share your thoughts.
⭐️ Did anything from Chapter 3 resonate with you?
⭐️ Is there a different journaling prompt that’s helped you to grapple with these concepts?
Let’s support each other in the Chat!
We got this! 💪😉🙌
Pull up a seat & come to our comfy & cozy Creative CHAT! Here’s to the Creative CHAT for me & you! 🎉📚🥳📚🎉
If it’s not your cuppa tea/coffee/chai/matcha/whatevs,
Please Note:
For anyone who does not wish to participate in the Study, Savor, & Support each other CHAT, no problemo!
I will still publish my Newsletter, M&Ms, Sing-Along Storytime, Music, Videos, Science Fiction writing, & more!
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to send me a DM.
Have a fantastic weekend!
The Creative in me honors & respects the Creative in each of you,
Marisa
If you love to learn about the science of self-improvement, please Subscribe to my YouTube Channeland signup for my freeSubstack Newsletter.
Together, we’ll explore all the ways that we can 10x our life— mind, body, & soul.
We’ll learn the scientific, physiological, and psychological reasons why we are the way that we are, and combine that understanding with simple, active practices that will:
• Enliven our emotions & creativity;
• Enhance our efficiency & productivity;
• Foster a greater depth of Self;
• Build the Secure Attachment that we need to develop a Growth Mindset; and,
• Reprogram our minds to pivot from the Sympathetic Nervous System to the Parasympathetic Nervous System when we need it to, more often than not.
I’ve planned so many exciting & fun things to share with you (in addition to music!) and I can’t wait for you to get all the FREE goodies I’ve prepared for you.
We CAN do this, TOGETHER!
Are you serious about self-improvement & want to have unstoppable self-belief?
Then SUBSCRIBE TO MY FREE SUBSTACKand entrain your brain the quick & easy way, with my daily Mindset & Meditation (M&M) practice.
Every day, I write & share 1 handwritten M&M in my “Notes” if you want to grow with me.
My GOD, it took me FOREVER to get to this place! To be able to say any of these Affirmations and honestly MEAN it! If you’re not there yet, this is one way you CAN get there!
Wearing pink and every color imaginable, something bright and bursting with joy, each and every day.
So much so, strangers who see me often will come up to compliment me and say, “That pink you wear? That’s your signature!”
They ask me, “Where do you buy your pink lipstick?” I tell ’em and they buy it for themselves.
And — it warms my heart! — when I see all my friends who mostly wear black excited to show me they’re wearing bright bursts of color! “We match!” they exclaim, with massive smiles.
It’s just COLOR, but for our spirit, it’s INVIGORATING!
Together, we revel in the freedom — the FUN & FLOW — we gain from LIVING, carefree!
YES, in this most subtlest of ways, we get to be free from the confines of a society that tell us that you can only be successful, respected, and/or loved if you behave / dress / talk / exist in a certain type of way.
And it makes you wonder…what other silly Limiting Beliefs am I allowing?
Are they helping me to TRULY LIVE my life?!
We can QUESTION our Inner Critic.
We can ask:
Who are we performing for?
Who are we living for?
Who are we masking for?
I’ve stopped hiding who I am. See?
Now, take a Mindful Minute to reflect on your life:
⭐️ Are you happy living in the shadows?
⭐️ Or, are you shining bright, in the light?
⭐️ Is your Spirit bursting full of color?
⭐️ Are you allowing your Truest, Most Authentic, Self to be seen?!
Take it from me, there’s so much to be gained when you stop living like the shell of who you are.
Embrace the REAL YOU.
Live Authentically.
STOP pretending you’re happy.
START being happy.
The Hello Kitty in me honors & respects the Hello Kitty in each of you,
Marisa
⭐️ Remember, you don’t have to have all of the answers. ⭐️
⭐️ And you don’t have to figure it out all alone, on your own. ⭐️
You’re welcome to join us in my
This is a special group for Writers, Artists, & Creatives like us, to have deep conversations about the Books that we choose, so we can implement what we learn, and unearth our truest, most Authentic Selves.
It’s the perfect way to
Share Our Recipes for Happiness:
Have fun together;
Share our triumphs;
Vent from time to time — we’re human after all!
Take a lighthearted approach to private journaling & Artist’s Dates; and,
Here’s what we’ve been up to in the STUDY, SAVOR, & SUPPORT Each Other CHAT! ☕️🍵 !
It’s WEEK #2 of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron: Recovering a Sense of Identity.
I love how JC warns us about the common pitfalls all Creatives encounter when they embark on their journey of self-discovery & creative expression.
What makes it so refreshing is how she normalizes all the challenges:
• It’s normal to have an Inner Critic who needles you with little mental digs, to undercut the progress you’re making.
• It’s normal to be misguided, distracted, and sometimes completely thwarted by other people who are Blocked Creatives themselves.
• It’s normal to be targeted by Crazymakers who try to pull us into their storm centers.
• It’s normal to have an Inner Skeptic who doesn’t accept or is quick to dismiss the creative opportunities that come to us.
• It’s normal to Daydream of the past or of the future, rather than focus on what’s possible in the present moment.
I find it helpful to Normalize all these challenges.
⭐️ Don’t you?
It makes me realize that facing any of these challenges and the related feelings of discomfort, avoidance, annoyance or fear are not defects. They’re simply part of the design.
They’re steps on the journey that most, if not all of us, will face from time to time. And that’s perfectly okay.
Even better? Coming together as a community of Creatives — among other Writers and Artists like you! — who “get it.” It’s freeing to realize we’re not alone in our struggles. It’s normal to have doubts, even normal to want to run for the hills!
But what we must not do is give up.
I feel stronger with the support of you all here. I hope I can encourage you to keep going, while I do the same.
⭐️ What about you?
⭐️ Please share your thoughts.
⭐️ Did anything from Chapter 2 or even Chapter 1 resonate with you?
Let’s support each other in the Chat!
Pull up a seat & come to our comfy & cozy Creative CHAT! Here’s to the Creative CHAT for me & you! 🎉📚🥳📚🎉
If it’s not your cuppa tea/coffee/chai/matcha/whatevs, please Note:
For anyone who does not wish to participate in the Study, Savor, & Support each other CHAT, no problemo!
I will still publish my Newsletter, M&Ms, Sing-Along Storytime, Music, Videos, Science Fiction writing, & more!
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to send me a DM.
Have a fantastic weekend!
The Creative in me honors & respects the Creative in each of you,
Marisa
Subscribe if you want to see where this Creative Journey can take us!
BONUS — Did you know that all SUBSCRIBERS can read the 1st Book of THE OBSIDIAN CHRONICLES (OBSIDIAN: Birth to Venus) for FREE?
If you love to learn about the science of self-improvement, please Subscribe to my YouTube Channeland signup for my freeSubstack Newsletter.
Together, we’ll explore all the ways that we can 10x our life— mind, body, & soul.
We’ll learn the scientific, physiological, and psychological reasons why we are the way that we are, and combine that understanding with simple, active practices that will:
• Enliven our emotions & creativity;
• Enhance our efficiency & productivity;
• Foster a greater depth of Self;
• Build the Secure Attachment that we need to develop a Growth Mindset; and,
• Reprogram our minds to pivot from the Sympathetic Nervous System to the Parasympathetic Nervous System when we need it to, more often than not.
I’ve planned so many exciting & fun things to share with you (in addition to music!) and I can’t wait for you to get all the FREE goodies I’ve prepared for you.
We CAN do this, TOGETHER!
Are you serious about self-improvement & want to have unstoppable self-belief?
Then SUBSCRIBE TO MY FREE SUBSTACKand entrain your brain the quick & easy way, with my daily Mindset & Meditation (M&M) practice.
Every day, I write & share 1 handwritten M&M in my “Notes” if you want to grow with me.
Self-Love’s been my #1 solution. The more I’ve come to accept who I am and love myself — regardless of what other people might think — the more safe & secure I feel to keep learning and keep growing, without that urge for approval I used to have.
(2) Special Ingredient #2 =
🤗 Connection with Community
This is the special ingredient that brings PURPOSE & MEANING to my Life.
And it’s a total 180, compared to how I used to live.
I used to hide who I was.
I used to suffer in silence, all alone.
I used to feel like no one in the world knew who I truly was.
They saw me (and didn’t want to see me as anything other than) as an Attorney.
They didn’t know I loved to do creative writing, art, or music.
And — when I was finally brave enough to share — they not only “didn’t get it.”
They told me to NOT do — or at least hide — these things.
Talk about feeling rejected!
I felt so alone.
Because I didn’t know any other Writers, Artists, or Creatives like me.
Without realizing it, I became a “Shadow Artist” — a term coined by Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist’s Way.
As she puts it, I was one of the “Young writers…pushed toward lawyering, a talky, wordy profession….”
She even described what happened to me: It’s the “rare family, faced with the myth of the starving artist, [that] tells its children to go right ahead and try for a career in the arts. Instead, if encouraged at all, the children are urged into thinking of the arts as hobbies, creative fluff around the edges of real life.”
“They [were] raised to the role of shadow artist and…need to work consciously to dismantle it.”
Dismantling may be hard, but that’s precisely what I aim to do for the rest of my life, however long it takes!
💥Creative Fluff, no more!
💥Shadow Artist, be gone!
Yes, this is the time to fully express and honor who I am: A writer! An artist! A musician!
Now, take a Mindful Minute to reflect on your life:
⭐️ What about you?
⭐️ Are you ready to set your intention for your lifelong Creative journey?
⭐️ What kind of Creative do you intend to fully be?
⭐️ What’s YOUR Recipe for Happiness?
Remember, you don’t have to have all of the answers.
And you don’t have to figure it out all alone, on your own.
You’re welcome to join us in my
This is a special group for Writers, Artists, & Creatives like us, to have deep conversations about the Books that we choose, so we can implement what we learn, and unearth our truest, most Authentic Selves.
It’s the perfect way to
Share Our Recipes for Happiness:
Have fun together;
Share our triumphs;
Vent from time to time — we’re human after all!
Take a lighthearted approach to private journaling & Artist’s Dates; and,
If you love to learn about the science of self-improvement, please Subscribe to my YouTube Channeland signup for my freeSubstack Newsletter.
Together, we’ll explore all the ways that we can 10x our life— mind, body, & soul.
We’ll learn the scientific, physiological, and psychological reasons why we are the way that we are, and combine that understanding with simple, active practices that will:
• Enliven our emotions & creativity;
• Enhance our efficiency & productivity;
• Foster a greater depth of Self;
• Build the Secure Attachment that we need to develop a Growth Mindset; and,
• Reprogram our minds to pivot from the Sympathetic Nervous System to the Parasympathetic Nervous System when we need it to, more often than not.
I’ve planned so many exciting & fun things to share with you (in addition to music!) and I can’t wait for you to get all the FREE goodies I’ve prepared for you.
We CAN do this, TOGETHER!
Are you serious about self-improvement & want to have unstoppable self-belief?
Then SUBSCRIBE TO MY FREE SUBSTACKand entrain your brain the quick & easy way, with my daily Mindset & Meditation (M&M) practice.
Every day, I write & share 1 handwritten M&M in my “Notes” if you want to grow with me.
Let’s Get this BOOK PARTY started with our 1st Book Selection! 🎉📚🥳📚🎉
Welcome to the Study, Savor, & Support Each Other CHAT for The VICTUS Method: Synergy of Science & Self! 🎉📚🥳📚🎉 Check out our 1st Book selection below!
Welcome to the Study, Savor, & Support Each Other CHAT! 🎉📚🥳📚🎉
In last week’s Post, Iannounced that I would be using my Substack CHAT to host a group for Writers, Artists, & Creatives like us, to have deep conversations about the Books that we choose, so we can implement what we learn, and unearth our truest, most Authentic Selves.
Yes, we will Study, Savor, & Support Each Other in our Creative Pursuits…
But this will NOT be some uber-serious, stuffy exercise.
Every week, we will take one Chapter and do a deep dive to STUDY the practical methods that are recommended to support our minds, bodies, and/or emotions, to pursue the Creative work that we choose.
And I’ll provide Journal Prompts to help us in our private journaling, so we can put the knowledge that we’ve gained into practice.
Having said that, I’m also a firm believer that self-improvement should not be too serious or boring.
We can use fun & humor to build sustainable habits.
And we should SAVOR the experience!
We should enjoy our Creative Journey, in the present moment, no matter how much progress we’ve made!
So I propose that we focus on SUPPORTING each other!
Let’s:
Have fun together;
Share our triumphs;
Vent from time to time — we’re human after all!
Take a lighthearted approach to journaling;
Grow the CREATIVE GENIUS inside all of us! 💐🌺🌷🌸🌹🌻🌼
With no pressure to perform or pretend to be farther along when we’re not.
That means sharing drafts, if we’re comfortable.
Sharing unfinished, imperfect work.
Whatever we feel we need to share, we can share, to be supported by other Creatives who “get it.”
And, when our work’s finally finished, we can share our Final Posts, Notes, Music, Art, whatever we’re proud of, so that we can Like, Comment, and/or Restack each others’ work.
This is how we can come together, to grow through our own individual efforts, and feel the support of a kind & supportive Creative Community, too.
If that sounds good to you, then please join us & say hello!
To start, we’ll be practicing THE ARTIST’S WAY by Julia Cameron.
If you’re not familiar with Julia Cameron’s book then you’re in for a real treat.
This is the 12-week Program for Journaling & Artist’s Dates that Elizabeth Gilbert has praised so much, she’s said, “Without The Artist’s Way, there would have been no Eat, Pray, Love” — Elizabeth’s global sensation that went from being a NYT bestselling book, to being a Julia Roberts movie. It’s the seed that sprouted Elizabeth’s lifelong Creative Career!
If this practice was able to help fortify Elizabeth’s mindset, to be brave enough to share her writing with the world and live a monumentally successful and fulfilling Creative Life, on her own terms, then…
Why not try it for ourselves?
That’s my thinking: “If it’s good enough for her, if it’s worked for her, why not try it, to see if it can help us to be true to our Creative Self?”
We’ve got nothing to lose, and so much to gain.
It’s part of our Evolutionary Programming.
Yes, we cannot be Human and not-be-Creative!
We are hard-wired for creativity.
Nature made sure of that.
Otherwise, our species wouldn’t have evolved.
We wouldn’t have survived if we weren’t able to create: Tools. Language. Stories.
Indeed, what is an Artist? A human who creates.
That’s the only criteria.
Making money — while preferable — is not a requirement.
Being “Perfect” is not required, either.
In fact, in the INTRODUCTION to The Artist’s Way, I absolutely love how Julia Cameron tells us her own story:
In the most authentic way, she makes no effort to hide the fact that she struggled with alcoholism, to the point that she became concerned she might not be able to experience the same level of creative success if she quit drinking. As if her creative power might disappear.
But she was brave and did it anyway.
She became sober and — with the help of her Morning Pages — she found she could Unblock the inner dialogue that was keeping her in her own way.
I love how this proves none of us have to be “perfect” to be successful creatively.
And it’s precisely the messiness that’s in our Morning Pages that can free our creativity and enliven our spirit.
Yes, We are all capable of Creativity — regardless of Our Personal Beliefs
A Note:
I know from reading some reviews of Julia Cameron’s work that her personal belief in God has made others shy away from trying her program in the past.
Indeed, JC gave her book this subtitle — The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity.
However, in the edition that I have, she also emphasizes that believing in “God” is not required or expected for her 12-week program to work.
She says, “Do not call it God unless that is comfortable for you.”
She recommends substituting the word “God” for whatever resonates with us personally, whether that’s “flow” or “Mind” or “Source” or “Universe.”
Or, she says, if none of thoseapply — “if you remain forever an atheist, agnostic — so be it.”
In this way, I think she opens the door for Believers and Non-Believers alike to be open to trying her creative practices, to see what resonates with us as individuals, and let go of the rest.
This is important to me because I want everyone in the Chatto know that they are welcome to participate however they would like, to honor their own personal beliefs.
What matters most is that we come together to STUDY, SAVOR, and SUPPORT Each Other on our unique creative journeys.
I resonate most with the Connection we can all feel, to ourselves and to other people when we create and share our creations.
It’s amazing to
Envision words or art or music in the privacy of our minds;
Craft them with our hearts, hands, and words;
Share them with the world; and
Feel that amazing feeling of understanding and empathy that’s possible when other people are touched by what we create.
It’s like a little bridge that connects us, when others see themselves reflected in you.
And so healing when we see ourselves reflected in them.
Plus, I love the idea of helping each other to be brave — to get over our Limiting Beliefs, so we can all be our Authentic Self.
I don’t know about anyone else, but for me when it comes to living authentically, it’s about damn time! 🤣
So, if that sounds good to you, please join us in the CHAT!
For anyone who does not wish to participate in the Study, Savor, & Support each other CHAT, no problemo!
I will still publish my Newsletter, M&Ms, Sing-Along Storytime, Music, Videos, Science Fiction writing, & more!
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to send me a DM.
Have a fantastic weekend!
The Creative in me honors & respects the Creative in each of you,
Marisa
If you love to learn about the science of self-improvement, please Subscribe to my YouTube Channeland signup for my freeSubstack Newsletter.
Together, we’ll explore all the ways that we can 10x our life— mind, body, & soul.
We’ll learn the scientific, physiological, and psychological reasons why we are the way that we are, and combine that understanding with simple, active practices that will:
• Enliven our emotions & creativity;
• Enhance our efficiency & productivity;
• Foster a greater depth of Self;
• Build the Secure Attachment that we need to develop a Growth Mindset; and,
• Reprogram our minds to pivot from the Sympathetic Nervous System to the Parasympathetic Nervous System when we need it to, more often than not.
I’ve planned so many exciting & fun things to share with you (in addition to music!) and I can’t wait for you to get all the FREE goodies I’ve prepared for you.
We CAN do this, TOGETHER!
Are you serious about self-improvement & want to have unstoppable self-belief?
Then SUBSCRIBE TO MY FREE SUBSTACKand entrain your brain the quick & easy way, with my daily Mindset & Meditation (M&M) practice.
Every day, I write & share 1 handwritten M&M in my “Notes” if you want to grow with me.
Inside ALL of us, there’s a Creative Genius who’s dying to grow & bask in the sun!
I often ask myself, “Why are you getting in your own way?”
I often tell myself, “It’s imperative that you STOP ignoring your true, Authentic Self!”
And it’s not only me.
I want to scream at the top of my lungs, to absolutely anyone & everyone who’s willing to listen, “The WORLD needs MORE of the real, authentic, & CREATIVE you. Yes, YOU!”
ALL of our minds, bodies, & spirits are dying to grow our creativity!
Don’t believe me?
Then, I dare you to see if this resonates:
It’s a recent Note, written by , a fellow Substacker who writes the Bone Fire Newsletter.
(And can we please admire her handle “@ poutdracula”? As a lover of all things spooky, I just love that ♥️🧛♀️!)
But, I digress…back to her Note:
Check out the # of Likes: 421.
Check out the # of Restacks: 53.
Check out the date Kate posted it: August 8, 2025.
Do you get what I’m trying to show you?
Do you see what I’m trying to say?
It’s now August 22, 2025, and this Note is still being commented on, shared, and loved.
By ALL THESE PEOPLE!
Why?
Because we are all STARVING for Creativity!
Me included!
I Liked, Commented, and Shared Kate’s Note, with the following Restack:
Why is this sooo incredibly soothing to me?
The idea that an artist took the time to document the creation of all these colors in such an intricate way, with so much love and care is so amazingly beautiful.
Especially when seen from the perspective of our hectic, relentlessly achievement-obsessed, go-go-go world.
Yet here we see what happens when we slow the fuck down and learn to appreciate beauty.
To see it so clearly we can reproduce it.
To savor each color’s ingredients, like a delicious recipe.
Artists really are blessings to the world.
They bring out the beauty in everything, even color.
Don’t YOU want to experience that kind of devotion to LIFE, in all of its technicolor glory for yourself?
Not as an Onlooker who can only admire art from afar, but as The Artist who gets to freakin’ CREATE it?!
Don’t you want to be The Artist, to feel that creative spark, to embody the experience of creating from your own imagination, and sense that miraculous connection with the deepest parts, buried inside yourself?
I know I do!
When WE are the Artist, we get to express your own Creativity, to give birth to it.
It’s why I do my creative writing, and publish my own science fiction series, The Obsidian Chronicles.
Making art is the glorious embodiment of BEING IN LOVE WITH LIFE itself!
But it takes more than a passing appreciation to make this happen.
It takes devotion.
It takes time.
And it takes more than a fertile mind. It takes so much love and care.
Because…
There are weeds in the dirt, in the muck of our lives.
There’s the doubt, the inner criticism, the imposter syndrome, the plethora of False Evidence Appearing Real — the F.E.A.R.s — that have to be yanked out of our hearts, minds, and emotions until they’re gone from our spiritual soil, so we can allow our uninhibited, Creative Self to pierce through the muck, to grow onwards and upwards, to finally SHINE IN THE SUN!
But, even then, we know the FEARs are gone only temporarily.
Until the next variant of weeds pops up.
Until the other pests descend.
What hope do we have if we try to do this alone?
What hope do we gain if we do it together?
It’s a slow & steady seeding that I plan to plant — to grow not only my single solitary garden, but a worldwide Creative Garden, full of every color imaginable — so full of creativity that it can bloom and blossom in ALL of our hearts.
That’s why I’m devoted to exploring all the different methods for fostering our Creativity.
Yes, I’m willing to look everywhere for anything that can help us to open our minds and broaden the scope of what we think is possible.
I want us to see our creativity so clearly that even the blues are no longer named a simple “blue,” but take on such different hues, tints, and tones, that we can name them by their distinct names, like the Russians have two distinct names for “light blue” and “dark blue.”
Like, the Inuits of the North American Artic have 52 distinct names for all the variations of snow and ice that they can see.
Yes, their sight can teach us.
This is the wisdom I’ve gained, from studying them, culturally:
1. When you change how you see,
what you see changes; and,
2. How you see changes not only who you are,
but who you could choose to become.
Don’t you want that, to have that kind of miraculous transformation, in how you see YOURSELF?
I do.
I want to discover what I am truly capable of.
But that can be scary.
We all know the immense amount of self-doubt we can have.
To create anything brings out the Inner Critic — in fact, mine are so numerous, I call mine “wraiths.”
Do you think I want to battle them alone?
Nope.
Lucky for me, I don’t have to!
And neither do you!
Starting next week, I will be using my CHAT to host a group for Writers, Artists, & Creatives like us, to go deep & unearth our truest, most Authentic Selves.
This will be an on-going, free opportunity for us to come together as a community, to explore ALL the methods we can use to honor our creativity, in a supportive and caring environment.
Let’s learn to see differently, so what we’re capable of seeing can evolve.
It doesn’t have to take years. It can happen in a moment. In a flash of inspiration. In an epiphany.
Having said that, it can also be daunting.
Even with a Growth Mindset.
Even with an open willingness to try.
Because it requires us to sit with ourselves.
To start, we will build a private journaling practice.
The goal is to do this, even imperfectly.
To spew whatever words are forming the thoughts in our minds each and every day.
Like daily brain-dumps.
Sometimes it’ll be uncomfortable. Confronting, even.
Other times, it’ll feel miraculous.
The choice is ours: It can break our spirit. Or break our soul wide open.
The only way we get to find out, is to do the damn work.
This Community’s Built for that.
For support.
For accountability.
For us to cheer each other on, so we keep doing The Work, even…
When life happens and gets in our way.
When doubt rears its ugly head and gets in our way.
When depression, anxiety, and, yes, boredom get in our way.
When WE get in our own damned way!
These are the times when we must come together as a community to support each other in this most hallowed of practices:
To learn how to see ourselves clearly.
This will develop our creative skills — whether that’s writing, music, art, sculpting, building by hand, or even coding like a computer science engineer — all types of Creativity are welcome and will be celebrated here.
No matter the creative goal we choose to accomplish individually, we can all use this practice to go inward.
To give ourselves time for true reflection. To journal with ourselves. In private. So that we can learn to listen, to hear what our Creative Spirit actually has to say.
Then, when we are ready, we can come to the Chat to share our triumphs, tribulations, and hurdles with each other, in a supportive and welcoming environment.
Just keep in mind, this will NOT be some uber-serious, stuffy exercise.
Yes, there will be deep conversations.
But, I’m also a firm believer in using fun & humor to build sustainable habits, so I propose that we focus on:
Having fun together;
Sharing our triumphs;
Venting from time to time — we’re human after all! — and,
Taking a lighthearted approach to journaling & going on Artist Dates!
With no pressure to perform or pretend to be farther along when we’re not.
That means sharing drafts, if we’re comfortable.
Sharing unfinished, imperfect work.
Whatever we feel we need to share, we can share, to be supported by other Creatives who “get it.”
And, when it’s finally finished, we can share our final Posts, Notes, Music, Art, whatever we’re proud of, so that we can Like, Comment, and/or Restack each others’ work.
This is how we can come together, to grow through our own individual efforts, and feel the support of a kind & supportive Creative Community, too.
If that sounds good to you, then please join us & say hello!
Because No Creative should struggle alone!
It’s just not necessary in this day and age. It’s needless suffering.
And I know how pointless it is, because I’ve suffered in silence for far too long, pretending to be happy when I was really fracturing my Self.
Keeping our struggles to ourselves is a huge reason why there’s an epidemic of loneliness, depression, and anxiety in our society — despite our being the most technologically-connected humans in history.
It’s why we’re so addicted to our phones and apps and TV. We’re just numbing ourselves.
Because it’s too fucking sad to know that, deep down, we’re killing our dreams.
Nah! Not me.
I’m determined to try whatever methods I can to grow the Creative Garden of my dreams.
In addition, if you love to learn about the science of self-improvement as much as I do, I’ve got so many amazing resources for you to grow & learn with me, as I’m growing & learning, too!
Together, we’ll explore all the ways that we can 10x our life—mind, body, & soul.
We’ll learn the scientific, physiological, and psychological reasons why we are the way that we are. And…
We’ll combine that understanding with simple, active practices that will supercharge our self-improvement & give us unstoppable self-belief!
When you SUBSCRIBE TO MY SUBSTACK, you’ll gain access to these 2 resources:
(1) Every week, you’ll get my free Non-Fiction Newsletter on Substack, entitled Marisa VICTUS: Science of Synergy & Self; and,
Since I’ve started my Attorney-to-Creative Journey, I’ve learned that you have to be brave to go after your Dreams. But you don’t have to climb the mountain all by yourself. That’swhy I’m building my own Mindset & Meditation (M&M) Community, so we can all invest in our truest, most Authentic Self.
I hope you’ll join me, so we can go on this Journey together! I can’t wait to see how much we can learn, grow, and gain!
🌸 Every day, I write✍️1 handwritten✍️ M&M (Mindset & Meditation) Note.🌸
🧘🏻♀️If you want to grow with me, repeat these daily affirmations like I am.🧘🏻♀️
🙌Let’s entrain our brains to adopt these empowering beliefs.🙌
I’m the “Attorney-on-a-Creative Journey,” and I’m using my advocacy skills to advocate — vehemently — for the AUTHENTIC life we all NEED & DESERVE!
SUBSCRIBE if you’re like me:
I AM:
❌ DONE with neat boxes that make other people comfortable, but fracture my Self.
❌ DONE with compartmentalizing my identity to make myself polite or palatable, depending on who’s asking.
❌ TIRED of the societal system that tells you you can only BE one thing, one profession, one type of person.
❌ PISSED OFF, for all the time that I’ve lost doing what other people expected me to do.
❌ TRASHING the concept of “or”
I AM:
✅ ADOPTING the concept of “AND”!
✅ DEDICATED to embracing my Whole, Authentic Self!
✅ LIVING by my new mantras:
💥 Authenticity over approval.
💥 I prioritize my personal preference.
💥 Social approval’s nice, but my peace matters more.
🦸🏻♀️ DETERMINED to honor my Authentic Self from here on out — no matter what anyone else says!
👩🏻🔬 TESTING every science-backed method recommended by the experts to improve my life, my mind, & my spirit!
🤓 METICULOUS about tracking Effort, Success, and Progress, so get ready to nerd out on the data with me!
🧬💜🔮 BRINGING SYNERGY TO SELF-IMPROVEMENT by utilizing every modality known to man to enhance the power of positive self-talk, to entrain our brains to adopt unstoppable self-belief. Including:
📚 Stories (non-fiction & fiction),
🧘🏻♀️ Meditation (for body & mind)
🎵 Music (all genres),
🎨 Art (traditional & digital, like the Mindset & Meditation (“M&M” Affirmation👇),
🙆🏻♀️ Yoga (challenging & gentle),
💪 Fitness (lifting/barre/pilates/kickboxing/martial arts), and
💃🏻 Dance (Zumba, Ballet, even the bass-boosting ooh-la-la).
Seriously, ALL of that?!
Yes!
I LOVE all of these.
I’m already doing all of them.
And I’m all about blending them, because…
I L❤️VE Synergy!
It’s the best way to build a positive lifestyle that’s sustainable & dynamic.
And I strongly believe that Self-Improvement does NOT have to be so serious. Or boring.
Self-Improvement can & should be FUN!
And these multi-purpose methods will boost our mind, body, and creative spirit.
YES, I’m PSYCHED to share ALL of them with you, so our journey inward is guaranteed to be full of JOY, FLOW, and ADVENTURE!
Nothing is off the table. We’re going to do it all! Even…
Welcoming MAGIC into our life!
In fact, right before I wrote this today, I celebrated this amazing moment of Synchronicity:
Don’t you just love it when the Universe shows you the TRUE, Authentic You?
I woke up to see that someone new ❤️’d a comment I wrote in a Chat, long, long ago, to answer the Question,
“What would you tell your Younger Self?”
Now, my Spirit’s on 🔥FIRE🔥!
I’m pumped to live for my Purpose, 👊🦸🏻♀️💪
And 😆 EXCITED to meet my fellow Creative Souls who are just like me.
Let’s build the AUTHENTIC Life of our dreams!
LET’S GO!!!
If you’re brave enough to become who YOU want to be, and you want to Co-CREATE a community of Creative Fighters who refuse to quit being true to themselves, then SUBSCRIBE & come join me!
And if you’re not brave enough (yet), come join me anyway!
‘Cause I am NOT timid.
I am a Zealous Advocate, and this is my Rallying Cry:
“I NEVER QUIT!”
“I NEVER QUIT!”
“I NEVER QUIT!”
“— and neither should YOU!”
Unless we’re going to Quit like THIS:
If this resonates with you, join me.
Together, we can use The VICTUS Method to THINK-DO-&-BE our way to becoming who we CHOOSE to be.
👩🏻⚖️ The Attorney in Me’s ready to Advocate for me & for YOU!❤️
Marisa
🦸🏻♀️ OLD BIO: The Go-Get-’Em Coach
Hello & Wecome to The VICTUS Mindset & Meditation: Synergy of Science & Self Newsletter!
Are you passionate about self-improvement?
Are you living life at your fullest, greatest potential?
Do you want more joy in your life?
What do you do when who you are is NOT who you are meantto be?
If you find yourself asking these questions, then the VICTUS Method is the solution. Because it’s not about being perfect or having the answers all of the time. It’s about adopting a holistic Growth Mindset that gives us permission and freedom to experiment, to reprogram our brains to adopt new, healthier ways of being, until we can THINK-DO-and-BE our way to becoming precisely who we choose to be!
Together, we can explore all the ways that we can 10x our life — mind, body, & soul.
We’ll learn the scientific, physiological, and psychological reasons why we are the way that we are, and combine that understanding with simple, active practices that will:
• Enliven our emotions & creativity;
• Enhance our efficiency & productivity;
• Create systems and habits to guarantee our success;
• Foster a greater depth of Self;
• Build the Secure Attachment that we need to develop a Growth Mindset; and,
• Reprogram our minds to pivot from the Sympathetic Nervous System to the Parasympathetic Nervous System when we need it to, more often than not.
I’ve planned so many exciting & fun things to share with you, and I can’t wait for you to get all the goodies I’ve prepared!
It’s my goal to serve something greater than myself, and there’s nothing greater than helping others to end suffering in their Inner World.
Because I know exactly what it’s like to suffer in silence, feeling disconnected from who I truly am. I wish I’d had someone back in the day to help me. But, I didn’t give up.
I have a sensitive soul, but I’ve always been a fighter. And I love to create systems — I’ve won awards for the ones I’ve created in my legal work — and, believe me, I’m even more passionate about this!
So, join me & our like-minded community!
SUBSCRIBE & you’ll gain access to these 4 resources:
💌(1) Every week, you’ll get 1 Post from my Non-Fiction Newsletter on Substack, entitled Marisa VICTUS MINDSET & MEDITATION: Science of Synergy & Self📰
🌸 (2) Every day, you can visit marisavictus.substack.com/notes to entrain your brain — the quick & easy way — by reading my Mindset & Meditation (M&M) Notes filled with uplifting and empowering affirmations that I write in my artistic, handwritten style of calligraphy. ✍️Repeat these affirmations like I am, and we can adopt these empowering beliefs together.🙌
📚(3) To THANK YOU for Subscribing, you can download a FREEcopy of the 1st Book in my science fiction series, The Obsidian Chronicles. This Bookfunnel link makes it super easy to Download the eBook and read it on your preferred eReader application (like Kindle and others). Download the FREE bookathttps://dl.bookfunnel.com/wvhdzhiir7 Additional Chapters in the OBSIDIAN Series will be serialized on Substack.
📺(4) Lastly, I believe it’s best to use all of our senses to entrain our brains to adopt unstoppable self-belief! Which is why I create Videos & Music for your viewing & listening pleasure. SUBSCRIBE to my FREE YouTube Channel @ http://www.youtube.com/@marisavictus to receive Bonuses there, too.
Since I’ve started my Attorney-to-Creative Journey, I’ve learned that you have to be brave to go after your Dreams. But you don’t have to climb the mountain all by yourself. That’swhy I’m building my own Mindset & Meditation (M&M) Community, so we can all invest in our truest, most Authentic Self.
I hope you’ll join me, so we can go on this Journey together! I can’t wait to see how much we can learn, grow, and gain!
🌸 Every day, I write✍️1 handwritten✍️ M&M (Mindset & Meditation) Note.🌸
🧘🏻♀️If you want to grow with me, repeat these daily affirmations like I am.🧘🏻♀️
🙌Let’s entrain our brains to adopt these empowering beliefs.🙌
Join our STUDY, SAVOR, & SUPPORT Each Other CHAT to study The Artist’s Way in our Monday book club, & share YOUR “MESSY MIDDLE” every Wednesday!
When your mind ponders the “what-ifs” of life, do you subconsciously label yourself a “Worrywart” or a “Worry Warrior”?
Do you believe that your current rating is helping you in your creative work?
Let’s SUPPORT EACH OTHER with a NOTES & POSTS BOOST! 
1 handwritten
If you want to grow with me, repeat these daily affirmations like I am.
) as I practice in public,
