Changes to Changing Lives
The biggest one is that the paywall is gone!
Big news! As of now, there are no paywalled issues of “Changing Lives.” That applies to both archived and future posts. Here are some popular posts anyone can now read in full, comment on, and share:
How Our Toxic Culture Affects Mental Health
The “elephant in the room” is an English idiom used to describe a significant issue everyone is aware of but no one wants to talk about. How our culture endangers our mental health is an elephant in the room many of us now want to discuss. The popularity of books like Dr. Gabor Maté’s
Culture and Mental Health, Part 2
Last week, I wrote about some ways cultural values and systems are harmful to our mental health: Today’s post discusses ways to counteract our culture’s negative effects on mental health. The dominant culture in the United States (and some other nations) values profits more than people, conformity more than creativity, and competition more than collaboration. It teaches that anyone with the right mindset and work ethic can earn enough to support their family, enjoy life now, and save for retirement.
Sunlight For Dark Times
If you’ve felt overwhelmed by bad news lately, you’re not alone. So I thought I’d share some ways I find light in these dark times and invite you to do the same. A Day At The Beach, With The Added Bonus of Beautiful Art Our day trip to Galveston was a much-needed escape. My husband and I needed to forget about some painful realities in our life and the world for a while, and we did. In the photo above, we’re standing next to one of many sea turtle statues painted by local artists. “Turtles About Town” is “an island-wide project “bringing together art, awareness, and advocacy.” Learn more and see photos of the other turtles
So why would anyone pay for the same content others now get for free? Paid subscribers will continue to get exclusive discounts on my digital products and 1:1 mental health guide services. Starting in January 2024, paid subscribers will also be the only readers who can comment on my posts.
Paid subscribers will help determine the future of this newsletter, because without financial support I can’t afford to spend this much time on it.
“Changing Lives” may be published less often or new posts may be shorter. I hope not, because I enjoy writing more substantive posts and readers seem to like them, too. I’m grateful to everyone who has expressed appreciation for my words through likes, comments, and shares. It’s wonderful to read your comments about how my posts have helped you.
In an ideal world, I’d be wealthy. I’d devote more time to writing and other work I love that helps people. I’d be able to do all of that work for free and still have plenty of money. In the real world, I have to generate more income than I have been lately.
Here are some ideas I’m considering. Please let me know which one (if any) you would be most likely to purchase via the poll (subscribers only) or in the comments.
Best wishes to everyone as we approach the end of a year that has been especially challenging for many of us. May next year bring more peace and joy to the world, and may we each experience and help spread that peace and joy!
Absolutely hear you and feeling the same thing about wanting to be here and write well and also that there's a tension between that and the reality of finances. I think one of the biggest challenges for me which is that almost all of my readers are coming from within Substack, which is awesome for community but it means that everyone here is mostly already paying for multiple subscriptions and everyone's budget is limited. I think that's a key reason that the people who offer paid features related to writing and specifically to making money on Substack seem to do well financially. So, I'm trying to figure out how to better reach people who aren't already on Substack and might want to support me. We'll see how it goes. Best to you in your journey; it's always wonderful to see your writing.
I appreciate that you’re thinking about these issues out loud! This is something I’ve been reflecting on a lot, too, and will be adjusting my approach in the near future.
It’s been helpful to remember that this is all a big experiment, and making changes when needed is part of the process!