The last total solar eclipse happened nearly 7 years ago.

(6 years, 7 months, and 17 days ago to be exact).

That was the worst summer of my life.

I had quit my job to start freelancing years earlier, but I had just decided to focus solely on copywriting.

I had less than a hundred dollars in my bank account (and was living off credit cards because asking my parents for money was too much).

I had moved back home for what was just supposed to be a summer (ended up being a year).

I was unlearning all the toxic religion I’d grown up believing and relearning what it even meant to be my true self.

That was the year the word “authenticity” became important to me.

I was so tired of the lies, the hypocrisy, and the “because I said so” answers to life.

I wanted something real.

Authentic.

And when the eclipse happened…I didn’t even notice.

My sister told me about it afterward.

A global phenomenon that only happens a few times in your lifetime.

And I missed it.

I didn’t tell anyone then, but I was honestly just too depressed to care.

The environment I was in was doing a number on my mental health, and I couldn’t see a way out.

But I never stopped trying.

I spent every waking minute reaching out to clients.

Cold emails, Facebook groups, DMs. (If only I’d known about LinkedIn back then!)

I’d had a few smaller retainers. Not enough to live off of but enough to be doing something.

Then my brother texted my sister and me one day months later. He wanted to see if we could rent a place together.

- I said yes without knowing where we’d even move.
- I signed a lease without knowing how I’d pay my portion of rent.
- I took a risk without knowing how it would turn out because I had to.

And not even a week after signing that lease, I landed the biggest retainer clients I’d ever had at the time.

That one client paid me more than I’d made at my previous full-time job.

To others I’d told about that client, they’d said things like:

“You got lucky.”
“That’s not a secure job.”
“She could fire you whenever she wants.”
“Why would someone pay you so much for writing?”

They hadn’t seen the literal sweat and tears that had gone into it all. And they certainly didn’t see the vision for my life that I saw.

All they saw was someone who wasn’t shining the way they expected her to.

Thankfully, I didn’t listen to them.

Here’s the lesson (read this) ↴

Make sure you hear this because it’s important:

Your success story will oftentimes look like a total eclipse.

There will be a time of darkness. A time when you have no f*cking clue what to do.

But just like the eclipse, that time is only momentary.

- It’s not fun.
- It’s not luck.
- It’s not easy.

But it is necessary from time to time.

And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Being an entrepreneur will have you believe that you always have to be on it 24/7.

But nature isn’t designed that way.

Even without an eclipse, the sun still sets every evening.

We still need to rest.

And we still get to shine after the dark moment passes.

So, with all that said.

Go outside.

Watch today’s eclipse (wear safety glasses please).

And maybe for the first time ever, be at peace with dark times.

Because the sunshine always feels so much brighter once the darkness passes.

Challenge

Today’s challenge is simple:

Go outside.

No, you don’t have to go outside specifically to see the eclipse (though I recommend it as long as you have safety glasses).

But you should get outside just because nature is beautiful.

So take a break.
Go outside.
Breathe.

This is the message I wish I would have heard on August 21st, 2017.
So now it’s the message I’m giving you.

Shine bright, Besties. 🫶🏽✨

Your favorite story coach,
Cyndyl

P.S. In honor of the total solar eclipse, I’m giving away 3 Wakeup Calls, totally free! Simply reply to this email or DM me on LinkedIn. First come, first served.

P.P.S. Don’t forget, even if you don’t win one of my free calls, you can still get help telling your story and building your brand by booking a Wake Up Call with me at a special rate just for my email subscribers or by asking me about my 1:1 coaching!