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.
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 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 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 wants 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 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.