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5 Signs You Are Ready To Share Your Personal Story With An Audience by Macy Phung

Hi, my name is Macy Phung. Today I will be telling you the 5 signs you are ready to share your personal story with an audience.

My life is a dance. I experienced mania which is happiness and sunshine. And on the other end I experienced depression which is sadness and my melodic song becomes mellow.

In between we have the intricate symbols from the universe and everything is intertwined.

You can see my illness quote unquote schizoaffective disorder is not a curse but rather a blessing in disguise. Without further ado I will be telling you my personal story. 

My mother and father grew up during the Vietnam War in China and Vietnam where they experienced poverty and unrest.

Camera Werke by Reelality Films (Charles Bolton)

Then they immigrated to America for the American Dream where my sister, brother and I had better opportunities.

In high school I was very shy. I was not confident, however, I worked very hard to get good grades because I know how much my parents sacrificed for us.

By the time I was 18 years old I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder which in my case is a  combination of schizophrenia and manic depression.

I experienced my first blow of mania and I was elated and happy. I could share my opinions without caring about other people’s perceptions of me. During this time I really bonded with my family  for the first time, especially my sister. She was there for me every step of the way. She took me out on outings and she treated me as a good sister would. 

I wanted to capture my experience so I decided to make my very first short film called A RIPPLE IN TIME which is about two sisters and the uncertainty which lies with schizoaffective disorder and the future.

Our film was praised and commended by the Scary Cow Film Festival in San Francisco and I knew that I wanted to hold on to this moment.

At that point I knew that I wanted to be a filmmaker, that is my dream.

The universe gave me symbols and it told me that my mission in life is to end poverty with awareness though dance by 2030. I carried this mission with me everywhere but for several years I was so lonely. I had no team members. I was just on my own and then I got into a huge episode of depression. I could not get out of bed for weeks on end. I could not bring myself to do anything. However I stayed true to myself and as they say “When the people is ready, the master arrives.” 

I was opened and welcomed into communities who accepted me as I am. They are caring and they are kind. Of course it’s through me being courageous, stepping out of my comfort zone and putting in a great deal of effort that my communities continue to encourage me to grow and feed off of each other’s positive energy.

Okay so now that I’ve told you my personal story I would like to share with you 5 signs you are ready to share your personal story with an audience.

Number 1 – You have immersed in your story. You have lived it. When was the last time you really, truly felt alive? For me it was when I experienced mania. To be alive means you experience happiness, longing, want, creativity and you meet a lot of people along the way who shape your life path. 

Of course at this stage you also have to have reflected on your experiences and feelings as well as your emotions.

Number 2 – You are able to tell your personal story in front of a lot of different people at networking events and social gathering. As a filmmaker I naturally have to share my personal story and pitch it. A lot of times what I do at these networking events, I tell my story and at this time it is a quite a bit of uncertainty. I am not sure if people are interested in my story, if they resonate with me or if they are even interested in talking to me. And most of the time I felt that the answer was no. 

However, further along my life journey I realized that conversation is a two-way street. You have to listen to the other person’s story and you have to find an alignment.

Number 3 – You are comfortable with your story. At this stage I didn’t care about what people felt about my personal story at all. At this point in my life I am able to just say it truly and genuinely and when I radiate this confidence I fell in love with the world and it loved me right back. It is a wonderful, magical feeling.

Number 4 – At this stage you are able to tell your personal story in front of a big audience full of people or online through viewers and readers. I’m able to be vulnerable and be true to myself and put my whole self out there.

A lot of people have expressed gratitude to me for sharing my story.

Number 5 – Last but not least, you feel your biggest dreams and ambitions within your reach. As a filmmaker my dream is to make my drama feature film DANCE FOR WORLD PEACE based on my personal story. I’m able to keep going on my dream every single day despite constant challenges and heartbreaking stings and rejection.

You just keep going and going and going and you have faith that one day your dreams will come true.

At this time you also have to have a place of peace and for me that is Alameda Beach where I have grown up.

Your life story is always evolving all the way up until your last breath. Thank you!

Macy at Alameda Beach

 

Mei Sze (Macy) Phung was born and raised in the Bay Area of California. Her parents immigrated to the United States from Asia 27 years ago. She is 3/4 Chinese, and ¼ Vietnamese. Macy started acting, writing, and producing during her teen years. Macy’s short film A Ripple in Time (2013) is based on a true story about two sisters who deal with schizoaffective disorder and the uncertainty that lies in the future. It screened at the Scary Cow Film Festival in San Francisco and garnered critical acclaim, where audience members called the film a “huge leap forward in filming and so refreshingly personal” as well as “a courageous piece of soul, truth, and beauty”. A Ripple in Time has led to the creation of Dance for World Peace film.

 

CONNECT WITH MACY PHUNG:
Danceforwp.com
A Ripple in Time
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube channel


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