24. A writer's journey with Marcus Harrison Green
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Think back to a moment when you first made a decision to do something.
Maybe it was to have kids. Maybe it was to go back to school. Maybe it was to start a business. Whatever that decision was, think about where you are now versus where you were then. And between now and then, there is time, and distance. There is this journey, so to speak.
And on this journey, there have been experiences, memories made, emotions felt, mistakes, successes, surprises…maybe even odd coincidence here and there that kept you on that path. Whatever ended up happening between that decision and where you are now, I bet you could not have predicted the journey…and how it would play out. We never know how any one decision will go…right?
And, yet, you do it anyways. Even with that bit of uncertainty. You do it anyway. Maybe it’s a burning passion, or a clear mission, or maybe just a spark of an idea that you can’t imagine NOT pursuing.
You have a calling. This decision, this goal, it calls to you.
In the latest episode of The Vibrant Introvert Podcast, our storyteller is Marcus Harrison Green, a man from South Seattle. He is also a writer, publisher, and founder of a local new source, The South Seattle Emerald.
Several years ago, after trying out an unfulfilling career in finance, Marcus trekked back to his hometown of Seattle. From there, he pursued his passion for writing. In his story he tells us about how this passion led him on a journey to start a publication—a publication that would become the South Seattle Emerald. All he had was a decision—the decision to start on his journey…and from there, the adventure began.
You will hear how, after 8 years of publishing, he is on the brink of a whole new adventure.
Listen to Marcus’s story. As you take it in, look for his amazing ability to both imagine and embrace uncertainty, his willingness to let go of previously held values, and continued dedication to move toward the fierce desire to serve his community.
See how the road got bumpy and how over time, he learned to let go and to trust that he was exactly on the path he needed to be on.
In this story, Marcus talks about his values led him to providing news coverage for his South Seattle community. Over time, he held strong to the idea of empowering and uplifiting the voices of a community that deserved to be heard.
When I listened back to this interview I was struck by Marcus’s ability to trust and to be led by a sense of strong values and yet also willing to accept no clear tangible end point.
He’s talking about a simultaneous letting go of potential thoughts/ beliefs/ rules about what it could become…as well as an overattachment to an outcome.
Over time he let go not just of the outcome or of his identity as the leader of the work and found himself instead as steward to allow those values to continue to develop under someone else…and in that letting go…what new values is Marcus free to pursue? What new path is he able to take as a whole new detour, a whole new adventure?
Like many moments leading up to this, I want to call out how this is the moment where the skills of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can be so helpful.
This is the moment where one can pause, recognize current discomforts, choose to be willing to experience them because moving through discomfort is aligned with a set of deeply held values, and make a commitment to act despite the difficulties of changing course.
Changing course is…hard. And a lot of thoughts, and beliefs, and discomfort can come along with it (if you want to hear something close to that in my own experience just listen back to episode 22 where I share my story as an entrepenuer.)
But, if done with a mix of values and good timing, changing course can be incredibly liberating.
Listen to the episode and find out what is next for Marcus…and how he is choosing to take a path uncertain for a life well-lived.
About our storyteller
Marcus Harrison Green, founder and publisher of the South Seattle Emerald, author, publisher, and columnist.
Be sure to go to Marcus’s website marcusharrisongreen.com and follow him on Instagram, Facebook, or twitter.
And please, buy his book Readying to Rise, support important journalism and storytelling from a side of the media that should be empowered and uplifted and celebrated.
Marcus, thank you for sharing your story, for the amazing work you’ve done all these years, and for giving back time and time again. I am thrilled to see what this new adventure has in store for you. It sounds like you’re just on the brink of that action…of readying to rise to a new challenge…of being in that beautiful place where you take in your past efforts and travels….with enough perspective to see how far you’ve come and how truly wonderful your impact has been these several years in the making.
Marcus Harrison Green
