Issue #1: What Stories Do You Tell Yourself About Yourself?

Introducing Ad Astra

Jan 06, 2020

Hello friends,

It’s so good to have you here. Welcome to Ad Astra, my weekly thoughts on creativity, living boldly, pursuing your dreams, and doing all that while being human (which means dealing with your own doubts, failures, and fears).

Why am I the one to offer these thoughts?

Well, for the past four years I’ve done all of the above. In 2016, I quit my well-paying corporate job and decided to go after a dream I’ve had all my life.

I defined the dream in these very loose terms: engaging in creative endeavors, traveling all the time, telling stories, not being tied to one specific location, having the freedom to do what I want, and working on projects that truly light my fire.

Fast forward to today…

and I am a published travel photographer, writer, entrepreneur, and a travel company founder. I’ve worked with dream publications such as National Geographic Traveller and AFAR Magazine and traveled to spectacular places — such as Mongolia and Rwanda — on assignments.

I’ve gotten paid for taking photographs and putting words to a screen, and I’ve produced work that I am proud of.

Most importantly, I am slowly coming to a realization that the only person that stands in the way of my dreams is… me. My fears, doubts, and insecurities about what I have to offer to the world are the biggest blocks standing in between my current reality and the one that I want.

Of course, there are also practical matters. To get where you want to be, you have to put in the work, there is no question about it (we’ll talk about doing the work in later issues). But once you start telling yourself a NEW story about yourself, a story about where you want to be before you are actually there, there is no limit to who you can become.

Here is an example from my own life:

When I quit corporate and defined that dream (see above), I had no idea how to actually get there.

(Side note: don’t be like me and quit cold turkey like that. Unless you like scary things.)

I had zero connections in the travel publishing industry and not the slightest idea on how (or where) to even start. Yet, something told me (or rather, whispered to me) that, in order to make my dreams a reality, I have to be the FIRST ONE to start believing in them.

So I sat down one afternoon and put my new story to paper. I started using it everywhere: in conversations, when meeting new people, when putting my bios up on the web, etc. When people asked me what I did for a living, I answered boldly that I am a travel photographer and writer, even though I had no idea how to actually become one (yet).

Once you start telling yourself a NEW story about yourself, a story about where you want to be before you are actually there, there is no limit to who you can become.

So, here is my challenge to you this week.

Take out a piece of paper (or record a video if you’d like) and start putting down a story about yourself that you want to see in the world. This is not a story about who you currently are, but rather, it is the one about who you want to be in the near future. Perhaps you want to be a published book author. Maybe you’d like to travel for a living. Whatever it is that you’re after, put a story about that person out there.

What we tell ourselves matters. We weave stories about who we are and what we can or cannot do and, over time, these stories become our truth. So, if we want to change something in our lives, we have to start telling new stories about our lives: first to ourselves, then to others.

Onwards!

Yulia

Sign up below so you don’t miss the next issue (it’s free until February 2, 2020).

P.S. Ad Astra is a weekly discussion on these four topics:

Living Your Boldest Life: tools, tips, and strategies on pursuing big projects, such as pitching National Geographic or launching a company
Going Pro: my tips on quitting the job you don’t want and becoming someone you want to be instead (in my case: a writer, photographer, and entrepreneur)
Putting Your Imagination To Work: insights on storytelling and creativity, i.e. creating a winning pitch or coming up with ideas, consistently
Personal Growth: how not to stand in your own way to your dreams and on being human with failures, doubts, and struggles (we all have them!)

The newsletter is going to be free for the first four issues (starting with the one you’re reading now).

On February 2, 2020, I’m going to turn it into a paid subscription content only. If you sign up in the four weeks following February 2, the subscription is going to be $5 a month, going forward, forever. Think of it as taking me out to coffee, once a month, and getting four opportunities to ‘pick my brain’ on the topics above while you’re doing it.

After March 1, 2020, the regular subscription is going to be $6 a month (or $65 a year if you choose an annual subscription).

Why am I doing a paid subscription?

There are two reasons:

I believe that what I have to say has value. I have accumulated the thoughts, tips, and strategies I am going to share with my readers in this newsletter in over FOUR years of experience going after my dreams and living boldly every day. This is a lived, breathed, and tried-and-tested insight that I am now putting out into the world. If you’re not willing to (or able to) pay for the subscription, that’s totally fine. After all, there is a lot of content already out there EVERYWHERE that you may search for on your own. But if you have $5 a month to spare and are looking to make some meaningful changes this year, then I believe this will be worthwhile to you.
As a freelancer and entrepreneur, I do not receive a salary from anyone :) Every minute I spend on this effort is a minute I could be spending on sending out more pitches, hustling, trying to figure out where my next dollar will come from… you get the idea. So, as someone who gladly and willingly participates in the creative economy (and supports other people pursuing creative work), I believe that there are other people out there willing and ready to support my work. If you are one of them, join us, hit subscribe, and welcome to Ad Astra*!

*What is Ad Astra? It’s part of a Latin saying ‘per aspera ad astra’ which means ‘through difficulties, to the stars’ ✨