I am enough. And so are you.

Hiiiiii!

Has fall made its presence known where you are?  Agh…it sure has for me. 

Now that November’s crept in, I was forced to pull out the long pants, fuzzy sweaters, and my favorite pair of sock slippers given to me Christmases ago by cousin Alice. 

Despite the cold, my condo was extra warm recently. 

My sister, Nancy visited and let me tell you—we did more shopping in the time she was here than I have done alone in the past six months.  There’s nothing like sisters and shopping; it’s the perfect excuse to bond.   

Tsis tas li, we spent time writing.  If you’ve seen me perform before, I may have mentioned Nancy. 

She’s the mastermind lyricist behind some of your favorite songs including “Cia Rau Txoj Hmoo” and “Puag Thaum Ub.”  And she’s really good at it with my music peers and producers raving about her writing.

Believe it or not, we’ve actually never sat down and wrote songs together before. 

What?!?!

Yeah…I know.  Whatever you’re thinking, I am thinking it too.

I've always believed my ability in singing is stronger than it is in writing.  So for me, collaborating as songwriters for the first time was exciting.   

But it was also very challenging. 

We both had different ways of creating and communicating our art to one another—even though we’re sisters.  (We ended up going shopping, as it was a very much-needed break after each session.  Don’t judge us.  Hehe.)

Surprisingly, despite what I believed about myself, I came away feeling empowered as a songwriter after our last songwriting session. 

I realized that I have my own strengths in songwriting and that I should not doubt myself just because I think someone else writes better than me.  I saw how my creative mind delivered itself through lyrics and why that is exactly what distinguishes me as a songwriter.

It’s kind of like the analogy of the grass being greener on the other side. 

Sometimes, we have to stop staring at the other side, actually lie down on our side of the grass (aka “earthing”, fyi) and experience its innate gifts to realize that what we have is enough. 

I am enough. 

You are enough.

So with that, I'll bet you have your own story of when you realized your side of the grass was pretty darn green, even though you didn’t see it that way before. 

I’d love to hear your story.  Leave me a comment below and share with me!

Wherever you are, I hope you’re finding warmth whether it is with your sock slippers or your talented sibling.  Until next time…

Dream BIG,
Pagnia