Celebrating 5 Years of "Running YOUR World" Wisdom Card Draws

Five years ago today, I shared the first Running YOUR World wisdom card with my community.

It was about two months before my book came out, and the deck had a similar origin story: both book and card deck called to be created while I was trying to create something else. Something not as aligned with my true soul and purpose.

Both book and card deck benefited from the question, "What do you already have?"

The idea for my book, Running the World: Marathon Memoirs from the Seven Continents, landed in a flash of inspiration in 2019 as I was trying to write a book about leadership. Everyone and their dog had written a book about leadership, and I was struggling to find a unique angle.

I'd been reflecting on soul-evoking questions from other artists and coaches, and in a moment of frustration with my lack of clarity and progress on the book, I asked the universe, "What do I already have?" and something to the effect of, "What am I really here to create?"

Within 20 minutes, “coffee table book” literally jumped out at me in one of those angels-singing, voice-from-the-sky moments.

Of course! This was unique, and this was me.

It was so obvious in retrospect. I had the photos. I had the stories. Everything fell into place. And through the process of writing, I discovered deeper and deeper layers of wisdom, synchronicity, and purpose in my own life experience.

Was it the leadership book I had imagined? No. Yet it is about leadership, because all leadership starts with grounding in the true self.

Two years later as the book was about to come out, its companion wisdom card deck called to be created while I was trying to create a different deck.

I’d used wisdom cards over the years to guide reflection, spark personal discovery, and inspire aligned action. I decided to create my own "Dance With the Universe" deck, pairing inspirational wisdom with drawings of space scenes like nebulae, star clusters, etc. While the overarching theme was certainly aligned with who I am, the creative process I envisioned wasn't.

I wanted the artwork to be mine, so I set the goal of choosing astronomy photos and drawing interpretations of them in colored pencils. While I enjoyed the novelty of my first nebula drawing, I didn't feel the resonance of a "hell yes" as I contemplated creating a whole deck that way. Neither did I feel a deep connection between the inspirational themes I wanted to write about and a particular space theme that would evoke each one.

Thankfully, the "What do you already have?" question resurfaced.

What I already had was a book coming out full of inspirational stories and my own photos from around the world.

Wait, a portfolio of my own photos, with themes and messages that had already begun to emerge from the stories I told in the book...

Of course! Build on what you have. Create a companion deck.

Again it was unique. Again it was me.

I started by choosing 56 photos, 8 from each continent. I named each one for a theme the photo evoked for me. For the first share, I tuned in to the energy of my community, asked what card wanted to be written first, shuffled the "deck" of PowerPoint printouts, and Resilience came out on top. Which was perfect, because my business at the time was called Resilience Actually (it's evolved to Epic Life Actually now).

I created a sacred writing ritual, asked what the message wanted to say, and allowed it to flow. That was my share five years ago today, and without hesitation I went from sending about four emails a year to my community to committing to at least one per week.

Each week for the next 13 months, I asked the universe which card wanted to be written. I asked for the inspiration to share the message that most wanted to be shared. The message that would be of highest service to humanity. The message that we ALL needed to hear. Each week a new wisdom card created itself through me.

With the deck completed, I started sharing video card draws. After about a year of using my PowerPoints in the videos, I did a full review of all the cards, edited some, completely changed a select few, and then published the deck in its current form.

Was it the "Dance With the Universe" deck I had imagined? No. Yet it is about dancing with the universe, because each message speaks in some way to the truth that life itself is a daily dance of faith, curiosity, courage, and creation – and the universe is your dance partner.

Want guidance and inspiration for your cosmic dance? Order your deck here!

In the meantime, enjoy the evolution of this journey through the videos below!

First video card draw, June 9, 2022 ⬇️

Introduction to the final printed deck with an exploration of the creative process behind it, August 15, 2023 ⬇️

First card draw with the final deck, August 16, 2023 ⬇️

5-year anniversary card draw, April 29, 2026 (today!) ⬇️

It's my honor to be on this journey with you. May these cards guide you to reflect, align your life with powerful purpose, and take inspired action toward your dreams. 🌟