New Method 1 | Self-Reflect to Self-Design

For 4 years now, I have shared an essay and held a weekly Zoom call where the Stack World / New Methods community can get together to work through how to design our lives for autonomy and independence. Members joined from all over the globe and it's been an incredible journey getting to know you all. I'm also very impressed with myself that despite my chaotic schedule, I only missed one call for the whole of 2024 due to a delayed flight.

Anyway, the result of all this work was my book New Methods For Women a series of essays on how to find your true self.

If you really know me, you know that I do not stay in the same place for too long. Starting out with Zoom calls, to newsletters, to a book, to a journal club, New Methods forms Season 1 of my life and this year I am entering my Season 2. To repeat myself, would be to remain stagnant and I believe that I serve my community best when I am growing and sharing.

That said, I don't want to leave you empty handed, so each Friday I will send you a weekly affirmation and action points to remind yourself to hold your head high.

The New Methods Community will also gather on Zoom for a Business Q&A on the last Sunday of the month

Conveniently there are 49 essays, plus 2 Bonus essays that will be inlcuded in the paperback version. So thats one for each week of 2025.

I hope you enjoy them!

Love Shar x

Take a deep breathe in...and say it with me...

We question every element of our person to determine which part of our being is prescribed or self-designed. There is much discussion on what is natural or unnatural when it comes to the application of womanhood, and let it be known that ‘natural’ is merely customary to those who hold the power. Since the day you were born (possibly even while you were in the womb), there has been a narrative impressed upon you about who you are and what you want. Today is the day you start turning over every single physical and mental trait, every fancy and folly, every ideological belief in your mind, prodding a finger at it to check for the firmness of truth. Through self-reflection, we aim to peel back our layers and analyze whether our assigned character traits and beliefs represent our True Self, or if we are simply feeding into the narrative we were assigned by others. Today is the day we can choose whether we want the weight of our predetermined narrative to continue to crush us or if we want to move consciously and awake through the world, knowing we have the power to write our own story, line by line.

Actions

• Write down a list of words to describe your personality.
• Determine if they are how you see yourself or how others see you.
• Write down a list of words of what you believe to be true about who you are.

Read the full essay and 48 other lessons for how to take control of your life in my book New Methods For Women. Already got your copy? Gift it to the woman in your life who you want to see win.

Can't wait for your book to arrive? Listen to my personal narration of the audiobook instantly!