Emerging From A Slight Identity Crisis
A sharp and shining new focus for Going Gently
What am I doing here? More importantly, what are YOU doing here?
Last week I received a video audit of Going Gently from
of .She said many useful (and many complimentary) things, but the feedback that niggled me like a stone in my shoe was that Going Gently had an identity crisis. When she visited my home page she was confused. There were posts about all sorts of different things - fear, IFS, my eco-activism, growing your Substack - and a jumble of photos. How did it all join up? Where should she start? Who was Going Gently actually for?
I want to (and will) continue to bring different aspects of myself here, but I agreed that it was muddled. What does drive the engine of Going Gently? I began wondering about new short descriptions for my writing here and tried a few out for size: ‘transforming suffering into beauty’, ‘an invitation into ease’, ‘finding sweetness in the everyday’...
None of them quite hit the spot.
Later I walked into our local town to say my daily prayer for the Earth and as I sat in silence afterwards, the cold air on my cheeks, these six words landed from who-knows-where:
Helping you be kinder to yourself.
This is what stitches my work at Going Gently together.
Becoming kinder towards all of the different parts of me has transformed my life over this past decade. It has made it possible for me to say no, and to make better offerings to other people and to the world. It has brought me ease in my relationship with myself. I am more realistic about my limits. I am less disappointed in myself. I am happier. I am more free.
Using these six words as a kernel, I have written a new welcome post which introduces my work. I’ve reorganised my Going Gently site to make it easier for people to find their way around. I’ve got plans for two more self-study courses - How To Be Kind first, followed by How To Feel Better - and I’m going to use photos of close-up nature on my pieces to remind me of its wisdom and its consolation. It’s all feeling rather lovely.
I hope we can continue to journey together, whether you dip into my words every few months or whether you faithfully read every post. Sarah commented yesterday that my writing was ‘spectacularly comforting’ - it makes me so happy to know that Going Gently has been of service. What a gift - for me to want to offer something, and for you to want to receive it.
Bowing.
Go gently,
Satya <3
Yes, I was in love with myself, there by the water, but not like Narcissus, unheeding of others. Instead, feeling so at home in my body freed my attention to turn outwards, fully and forever. We are taught so often that love of self is shameful and should be curbed, but I believe now insecurity makes in us a distracting background noise that drowns out the precious here and now. My mind had never been so clear and open in those outdoor days. ~ Tanya Shadrick
If you know someone who could be kinder to themselves, maybe offer them the gift of Going Gently?
I like seeing all the parts of you and don't particularly care if they're muddled. I like muddled. People, I find, are fairly muddled.
The essence of your writing - helping us all be kinder to ourselves - has always felt quite clear to me. Through all of your posts, it's been the connecting thread. It's what brings me back and look forward to reading your work. Very grateful for it