What's the Vibe?

 Our CMO Kelsey Makaiwi, Millennial podcast host and creative extraordinaire, just informed me that Google maps has a section called, “Vibe.” And it’s the first section she checks when looking to try out a new restaurant, cafe, or hotel. 

“What’s the vibe?”

I found this fascinating. Of course we’re drawn to places because of the vibe: Is it hipster? Casual? Elegant? Professional?

We’re also drawn to people and communities because of their vibes. 

In the Your Bestselling Book course and our new Story Cure community of writers, I often reinforce the message that we are each other’s number one cheerleaders! We do offer helpful feedback when requested, of course, but we are mindful to do so in a way that is supportive and uplifting. 

Our community is full of people sharing their most vulnerable moments – the experiences in life that brought them to their knees: Addiction, infertility, abuse, childhood trauma, or loss of a job, feeling uncertain about the path forward. These are the very moments that help us to discover our most authentic selves. They offer us liberation from societal expectations and force us to confront our fears. They guide us into the truth of life itself.

But they’re also tender. When we share them, we are fragile. We need to be held with love and care.

This is The Vibe of YBB and The Story Cure. If you dig that vibe, then come join us! 

We would love to help support you on your journey, whether you’re authoring a book, writing a screenplay or children’s book, cogitating on a documentary, taking the stage as a public speaker, or wanting to do more writing on a newsletter or Substack. 

Aloha,

MeiMei

Writing Tip of the Week: Vibe Check

The next time you’re writing, check your own vibe with yourself.

• Angry School Teacher vibe? Do you yell at yourself for every mistake? Slap yourself on the metaphorical wrist when you can’t find “the right word?”
• Dazed and Confused vibe? Do you stare at the blank screen, wondering, “What next? How do I get this done?”
• Shrinking Wallflower vibe? Do you worry that you’re not good enough? Fear that your voice doesn’t deserve to be heard, or won’t be appreciated?

All these vibes are normal! Every one of us experiences them sometimes.

Let it go. 

My advice is to cultivate:

• Best Friend vibes. Be loving to yourself. Tell yourself, “You got this. You’re an amazing person and the world is a better place with you in it.”
• Life Coach vibes. Treat yourself like your own coaching client. “You can do it! Set a schedule and stick to it. 5 minutes a day!”

Or come to us! We hear at Your Bestselling Book and the Story Cure are already primed to love you and become your life coach and best friend.

Aloha,
MeiMei

Quote of the Week

A good friend knows all your stories. A best friend helps you write them.

• Artist Cecelia Rose