The Story of an Unlikely Friendship
I had never met her before she slept on my couch for two weeks. Frankly, I was worried I was going to regret my decision. I am a lone wolf, after all. I like my space and I like my alone time. So when Crystal called me one day and said, “Anna, I just got a job offer in Boston. Can I stay with you for a while until I get on my feet?” My first thought was, “Of course.” And my second thought was, “Oh gee, I hope I’m not making a mistake.”
Crystal found me on TikTok and later joined my program, Personal Brand Accelerator. After she graduated from the program, she went on to become one of my coaches. I knew her and I trusted her. But I didn’t know know her. You know what I mean?
I will never forget when I pulled up to the airport and got out of the car to greet her. “Hi there,” I said, and gave her a big hug. She was short, just as I suspected :) I placed her luggage in the back of my Jeep and drove us to Beacon Hill.
Immediately, I knew I was going to like her. I could sense she had a grounding presence; soft and gentle, yet strong and willful at the same time. Different from what I imagined she would be.
Crystal stayed with me for two weeks until she was able to find her own place. Since then, we’ve spent a lot of time together.
It’s an unlikely friendship, the kind I have never known before. There’s no pride. And I feel safe enough to share the heartbreaking moments from my past that I had long ago buried. Determined never to dig up, for anyone, not even myself.
These intense moments of honesty have preceded blissful moments of release, where I have begun to feel lighter and more liberated then ever before.
Crystal agrees. She says, “There’s no way I would’ve told you those things about me if you hadn’t told me those things about you.”
That’s the power of sharing your story. And there are many ways to do it, too. Perhaps in a blog post or newsletter, with a friend, or in a container like Personal Brand Accelerator. The more you share, the more you give others permission to share, too. Exposing our secrets dissolves them of their power, so that we no longer feel separate or defective, but rather connected and whole.
No masks, no hiding. And ultimately, when we share honestly with others, we are more free to be honest with ourselves. And thus we begin to experience a blissful sense of joy that comes from letting go.
This Week:
On TikTok: My Solo Date to the Symphony
On Instagram: Did someone tell you to “niche down”? Don’t. Read this instead.
On the Blog: My Office Makeover: How We Created a Big Transformation On a Small Budget
