Hi everyone,

Today I bring you an essential reminder that has given me great freedom. I would not be here creating or teaching without this insight:

Life is just one big story made up of all the little stories we tell ourselves.

Our relationships, our identities, our approaches to living- they are all stories.

You get to choose what is in your story and how to tell it.

When I realized this, my life changed forever. The fact that I’m here, doing what I love, is a full reflection of that.

Eleven years ago, I was living in the story that I needed to be a scientist in order to be happy and secure. It was the story I had internalized since birth, since I was born into a family of devoted scientists.

I worked hard to fulfill that story, only I didn’t realize it was a story. I thought it was a fact. Everything was going well except for one thing: that story was making me unhappy and sick in spirit.

By some stroke of grace, I started traveling, where I got to try on other stories vastly different from mine. Stories like that of a Zen buddhist monk, a Burmese fishmonger, an ochre canyon.

I remember the moment when my previous story ripped. I literally heard the tear. I was left with a blank page, and it was terrifying. I didn’t know what to do with my life anymore or what gave it meaning.

Through a long period of exploration, I slowly discovered shards of an alternative story that made my soul sing. The pen came into my hands. Creativity, teaching, adventure, and deep friendships filled the pages. I also discovered beauty in the empty places.

I realized that I couldn’t find the feeling of home or belonging, because I was living in a story that wasn’t mine, made of smaller stories that weren’t mine.

So, if you are not feeling at home in your life, remember:

Everything is a story.
It’s all just one big story.
You get to choose which one it will be.

Ask yourself:
What stories are holding me together?
Which ones need a rewriting?
Which ones need an ending?

Rewrite Your Story with Us!

While it took me more than ten years to live my own story, I knew there had to be a more efficient and systematic way to discover and rewrite our own stories, so we feel at home in our lives.

This led me to create my Unravel program, which brings people from all walks of life on a guided 12 week journey of self discovery. Together, in a playful and safe container, we learn how to rewrite the stories that keep us small, and how to embrace the ones that make our hearts sing.

With great delight, I announce enrollment for this year's journey is now open until March 21st, 11:59 pm PST. We begin March 30th and already have a beautiful group to journey with, coming from California to Japan.

As a special thank you for being in my Skillshare community, I'm also giving a $300 discount off the full program price this year.

Watch this video to hear what it's like from our community.

“I've have been trained in personal development for 15 years and am trained in therapy. Unravel managed to open parts in me that have been locked until then. It has changed the way I perceive myself, the way I talk to myself, what I give myself permission to be and do. It has changed everything."
-Isabelle Leturcq

Check out the Unravel website for more info, which includes a robust presence of Unraveler voices and stories. You can also find the recording of an Unravel Open House event that I held last February.

If you have any questions, feel free to message me. It'd be a joy to have you with us for this unforgettable adventure. You can finally live your own story.

Cheering you on,
Dandan

PS: If you know someone who is feeling lost or stuck, would you let them know about this opportunity by sharing the website? www.unraveljourney.com. Thank you!

From Our Alumni:

“I would describe Unravel as the biggest catharsis of one's life. It gave me the depth I was looking for and was unlike any inner work I've encountered before. It has given me this clear vision, this map. It has cleared the fog that was right in front of me.”

-Josefa Fox, Chile

“With Unravel, it's like waking up and being like ‘wow, this is me!’ I didn't expect this to be so life-changing, game-changing. In three months, we went into things I thought would take me years to unlock and explore. I had a hard time feeling happy, and now I feel happy."

-Jennifer Salomonsson, Sweden

"I left the Unravel journey with a toolkit of things that I use almost everyday when I'm thinking: ‘Why did I do this?’ or ‘Why do I feel this way?’ I discovered parts of myself I had never questioned before. I can look into the future with a more hopeful heart that I will be happy, constructive, and creative.”

-Sean Doran, Ireland

Dandan Liu

Filmmaker | Contemplative Creative

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