A Letter About Trust
In March of this year, I was asked to be part of a group to provide feedback on and to help spread the word about a podcast that would soon be launching called “One Away”. I immediately said YES!
You see, a few months prior, I had reached out to Bryan Wish of BW Missions after coming across his Wish Dish platform. Bryan’s Wish Dish platform was built to allow individuals to use their voice and share their stories as part of a larger community, something bigger than themselves, with the goal of forming authentic connections between the writers and the readers. At the time, I was playing with the idea of a blog like this where I would share stories and interviews of individuals that decided to “Dive In” head first at different times in their lives. Whether personal or professional, the concept was intriguing to me because the individuals that I had met that had taken this approach all had one thing in common. They had the ability to push fear to the side and move forward. My blog concept took a different turn like so often life does, but needless to say, I reached out to Bryan via LinkedIn asking if he would be open to connecting. We were on the phone together a week or so later.
Immediately upon connecting with Bryan, I knew he was an exceptional human. He was juggling multiple projects at the time, but he was willing to take time out to chat with me. He is down to earth. He listened to my idea. He shared his feedback. He offered to connect me to other individuals that might be able to help as I explored my concept. He shared his story with me. I just loved everything about his vibe. My gut feeling to reach out and connect had been right.
And so when Bryan asked if I would be willing to take a listen to his new podcast that would be launching soon, “One Away”, it was an easy decision. “One Away” explores the stories of individuals who made that one call, sent that one E-Mail, or made that one connection that turned out to be life changing. Each episode explores that “one away” moment and what followed. Every episode of the podcast has offered me some golden nugget of information, a new perspective on how I think about things, or pushed me to pause and reflect on my own experiences and how they have changed me. If you haven’t checked it out yet, it’s a must listen!
I have personally had several of these “one away” moments, like when I blindly reached out to Bryan originally hoping to pick his brain and get some feedback only to find months later that that one message via LinkedIn to a then stranger would trigger a series of events and connections that has changed my life both personally and professionally. Isn’t it so amazing when that happens? The Universe is funny, connecting us to seemingly random people when in fact, it’s not random at all. There was a reason I felt pulled to send that message on that particular day. There was a reason Bryan and I connected. Thank you Universe!
The BW Missions community that Bryan has formed is full of so many exceptional humans that he has pulled together, each of us offering up our authentic selves to the group. Bryan is a true “Pathfinder” and he leads us with his path finding voice, helping guide us to dig deeper, discover our own path, and to be empowered in this one life we get to live. This community represents a safe space to me, not full of judgement, but instead, full of support, full of individuals that are open to sharing and individuals that want to see others grow and learn and rise up. This community represents established professionals, entrepreneurs, athletes, authors, thought leaders, and so many more. In a short time, I have formed lasting connections with members of this community and I am forever grateful for THAT.
Through the community moderator, Brandon LaBella, we were given the opportunity to participate in a letter writing exercise with the community members. It was facilitated in a way that allowed us to be anonymous. After being given a prompt, we were to write a letter on that topic with just three rules: show up as your authentic self, hand write your letter, and use a pen name so as to remain anonymous. The letters would be then be submitted and distributed at random to another community member. This way, nobody knew who wrote the letter they were receiving. Of course, I agreed to participate. I am so glad that I did.
Do you know how powerful it is to freely write on a topic not knowing who will read what you wrote? To simply put pen to paper and let your intuition lead? There is something magical about that and even more magical about receiving a letter on said topic from someone who will likely never be revealed to you.
Below is my letter about what trust means to me. I suppose it’s not so anonymous anymore, but when I came across this scanned image the other day, I was reminded of this amazing community, this awesome exercise in writing, sharing, and being vulnerable, and I knew I had to share it here.
Trust is a feeling. Trust is a foundation. Trust is being vulnerable. Trust is believing. Trust is knowing. When shared, trust is where the magic begins.
I am so thankful that I trusted my gut, connected with Bryan, jumped on the opportunity to be part of his podcast group and community, connected with so many exceptional humans, and continue to experience my own “one away” moments that positively impact me day to day.
You just never know where this journey called life, where the Universe, will lead you next.
Trust yourself. Trust your intuition. Send the E-Mail. Make the phone call. Write the note. Reach out and connect. Take the leap. DIVE IN.
Some day, a week from now or maybe years from now, you will look back with a smile, having pushed fear to the side, and know that those times represent your very own “one away” moments in life.
*To listen to Bryan’s “One Away” podcast visit: https://bwmissions.com/podcast
*To learn more about BW Missions visit: https://bwmissions.com