Unsubscribes
I shouldn’t write about this.
It’s always awkward when I talk about my relationship with my email list, to my email list.
If you're new here, know that I deeply appreciate you letting me take up space in your inbox.
If you’ve been around for a while, you know my newsletter is my favorite medium to communicate my thoughts and share what I’m working on.
Yet, sometimes I still wonder, Is anyone reading this?
There’s a tendency to want people to stay how we like them. An example is when we love a band for a certain album or style. Then, when they release something different, we say they’ve changed—their old stuff is better.
While some fans go on the journey with an artist, others won’t—and that’s totally fine.
While I’m no musician, I consider what I share here as part of my art.
And since I put my heart into these emails, nothing feels more like a virtual rejection than when someone unsubscribes. Every time it happens, I look at the history of how they’ve engaged.
Did I say something to offend them?
Am I not fulfilling the promise they signed up for?
I SHOULDN’T DO THIS, AND IF YOU HAVE AN EMAIL LIST, DON’T DO THIS.
It’s not sustainable. As a list grows, so do unsubscribers.
Most of the time, I don’t know the people. Yet, over the last few months, I’ve seen many people unsubscribe with whom I had a personal relationship with.
Past clients and people with whom I’ve had back-and-forth email exchanges. When it happens, it feels like a mini-breakup with no explanation and leaves me confused.
Yet, at the same time, I understand and embrace it. Guides come in and out of our life. This is a natural part of the journey.
Also, much of my content over the last six months has been geared toward meditation guides, coaches, and wellness practitioners.
I try to make the messages universal, but I understand that may differ from what they signed up for.
While this specific niche is not my only focus, I have found great inspiration in directing my energies here.
When we change, and people don’t like it, we have two choices.
Be untrue to ourselves in order to please others.
When we do this, we might get recognition and end up successful. Like some mainstream musicians, we may have a formula for what works and merely stick to the recipe.
But we’re burdened with the knowing that what we’re doing isn’t where our full inspiration lies.
As they say, Good is the Enemy of great.
The other option?
Unapologetically follow our HeART
….wherever it leads… whatever wacky corner it goes down…
Our Soul has many gifts to express. To limit it to the same thing over and over again wouldn’t be embracing the full scope of our potential.
I originally started writing this as a journal entry to myself to remind me that I must choose the second path. (And I hope you do as well.)
The worst betrayal is to ourselves.
While I’d love for you to come with me for the journey, I understand if you want to get off at this stop.
Staying or leaving, I invite you to think about:
Where are you being untrue to yourself to appease others?
Where are you dimming your light in order to get praise or keep the status quo?
Where are you not letting your current self be fully expressed or seen?
Stop hiding. We need your authentic light—however it wants to shine.
I have so much love for you.
Thanks for being here, however long that might be.