37 Comments
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Tom Kuegler's avatar

Hey Megan! My friend Teri Leigh recommended your newsletter to me. I'm so glad she did. I feel your style is so distinct and brilliant from everybody else's and I just wanted to recognize you for the genius you are here in the comments. What you've done creating this distinct style is monu-fucking-mental. Keep fucking going!

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kaylen alexandra's avatar

Tom, you are incredible for giving Megan her flowers, and I could not agree with your sentiment MORE. She's in a league of her own and this letter only gets better. This right here is why I love Substack. Happy Weekend everyone!

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Megan Lee's avatar

Miss K!!! 🥹 Your comments are always in a league of their own!!! If there was an award of Substack for best comments, you would win, hands down, with the joy you’re sparkling everywhere you go!!! 💛💛💛

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kaylen alexandra's avatar

🥹✨🤌🏽 I actually had more to say but FORGOT bc of how enamored I am by you LOL so I’ll take this opportunity to share that Elizabeth Olson (younger sis of MK & Ashley Olsen) just shared a promotional bit with her cast mates about how much she LOVES rules!! It was the most beautiful interpretation of getting creative within the confines of rules and all the ENERGY that builds up within those boundaries… so KEEP LIVING BUY YOUR RULES- they only heighten your sparks!!

Xx

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Megan Lee's avatar

🥰🥰🥰 Ok I love this SO much!!! Working within the confines of your own rules is so so so damn beautiful and liberating!!! I knew there was a reason why I liked rules! 🥹 ALSO. Total side tangent, but I learned last week the older twin sisters had a clothing line The Row, and I’m fascinated by how they market it! Or, barely market it at all! Banned cameras and phones from fashion shows, don’t release clothes on social media, etc. These Olson ladies clearly know a thing or two about creatively playing by their own rules and I love it!!!

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kaylen alexandra's avatar

Omg color me INTRIGUED!!! Running to investigate 😂❤️

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Megan Lee's avatar

Tom!!! 🥹 Thank you SO much for taking the time to leave these kind words!!! Means so much, truly. I so enjoy reading your Notes and words, too!!! 🙏 *Now, how to deflate my head enough to walk out the door… 😂😂*

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Holly's avatar

I’ve read quite a few of those books. And you make me laugh.

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Megan Lee's avatar

Haha love it!! There are some ones on there that I truly do adore!! 🙏 And so glad I could make you laugh!! 😂 🙏💛

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JP Maulgue's avatar

Hey Megan, one of your notes came up the other day and then i watched your video. long story short, i have read almost half of your newsletters now and i just love the way you write. your style just stands out from everyone else😀

I look forward to reading your next post.

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Megan Lee's avatar

🥹 THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! This is just the bestest feedback to receive! 🙏🙌

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JP Maulgue's avatar

My pleasure, after reading your 5th post, I felt bad because I didn't even like or comment on anyone one of them. So today I had to make up for that.

Oh and I still can't believe that your paid subscribers will be able to read stuff from your journal. That blows my mind. I take my hat off to you for doing that.

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Megan Lee's avatar

🙏 Thank you, much appreciated!! 😁

And eeek, I’m so excited! And, nervous. 😅

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Teri Leigh 💜's avatar

I have a huge section of my bookshelves dedicated to those guru books. I usually only get 1/10 or 1/4 the way through them before I’m vomiting in my mouth a bit as their self-righteousness. You missed a good one on your list, or maybe I missed it. Existential Kink. 🤮

I’ve written a handful of them too. I’m proud I wrote books. But in hindsight, not so proud of all of the content in them.

Just know I love you. And you have inspired me to very much not follow the rules, but to make up my own.

I agree with Tom. Your style is monu-fucking-mental.

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Megan Lee's avatar

Love this comment!! See, I love reading books and learning from others perspectives... but my problem is getting sucked into thinking what works for THEM will work for ME 😅 Aaaand, I'm ashamed now lol but I did read Existential Kink 😂 And it opened up an interesting perspective for me but spoiler alert... me trying to follow someone else's rules once again DID NOT WORK. 😂

And I think that's so beautiful that you wrote books! And, I think it's beautiful that you've allowed yourself to grow to a different perspective, too.

And thank you so very much 🥹🥹🥹

HERE'S TO ONLY FOLLOWING THE RULES THAT ARE YOUR OWN. 💕💕💕

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Thea's avatar

My suggestion? Stop reading all those books.

You do know the answer, you said it.

Trust your intuition.

Self help books can be damaging because they bring us guilt.

As you stated, you get a sense that you need to follow their rules, their path.

All those self help books are just advertising “you are broken”

Just focus on what brings you joy!

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Megan Lee's avatar

💛💛 I love learning from others perspectives but you're SO right, it is very easy to fall into guilt and I need to be fixed mentality. In general, I think it's beautiful that people want to share their perspectives and what's worked for them. I know for me personally, I have been very inspired and made positive life changes after reading certain books.

BUT... trusting our own intuition above else is soooo important. And YES, focusing on the joy!!! 🙏🥰

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Thea's avatar

For sure, I’ve read some great books that changed my life, and probably like you- I decided which ones were in alignment with me and which ones weren’t

I recently just bought a book that cost me 25 bucks for a paperback cause the guy is an energy healer, and so am I.

I figured let me take a look at some of his practices.

Yeah- NO.

I’m not masturbating everyday and calling in aliens! Lol

Then I bought another from another guy, that’s absolutely nothing new- for me. So didn’t bother finishing.

Might help someone.

Then he was on one of my favorite podcasts and tuned it.

The guy is pushing horseshit.

All self help books should come with a disclaimer saying “this is what works for me, however you might think it’s poppycock and therefore are free to use it to line your birdcage”

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Julie Fontes's avatar

love it

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Megan Lee's avatar

Yay, thank you for reading and leaving this comment!! 🥰

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Alexander Lovell, PhD's avatar

Megan, your essay beautifully captures the struggle between external validation and inner knowing. It begs the question: How can we strike a balance between learning from wise teachers and honoring our own unique truths? I'd love to hear your thoughts on navigating this delicate dance between external guidance and internal compass. Perhaps this is the ultimate challenge of personal growth: integrating wisdom from the outside world while staying rooted in our own authentic selves.

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Megan Lee's avatar

Thank you!! 🙏 Ok, raw dogging my answer (I can say that because you read my last newsletter 😂😂) so idk what’s going to flow forth but here goes!

The struggle is real! And, yet… I *do* believe there is a knowing inside of us that knows when we need to do which. It’s like a song and dance, with partners in perfect unison knowing when to let the other take the lead.

Sometimes, we let the learning from others take front and center, observing and soaking up knowledge.

And other times, we feel the nudge to act on our own higher knowing, and step into the spotlight, solo.

But if we’re not truly listening to ourselves, we can QUICKLY fuck up the tango and get all sorts of fucked up, doing things for the wrong reason💃😂😂

TL;DR

-We always know whether we’re supposed to learn or act solo.

-If we’re not tuning in and instead caring what others think, things will get fucked out quickly.

Hopefully my thoughts make sense!

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Alexander Lovell, PhD's avatar

They make total sense!

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I will almost silence myself “because i’m the one that got myself here in the first place” and follow guru advice… almost as a punishment to myself. But, I always know whether I should be doing that or not…

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Megan Lee's avatar

OOOF, yes! I feel that. The punishment period is such a real thing!

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Sara's avatar

Haha I think we’re sharing a brain 🧠 🤣🤣. The “guru” section in my bookshelf is obscenely beefy, I too am a rule follower AND weirdly resistant to authority AND at the age of 42, I’m only just beginning the journey (sorry for that word 🤢) to trust myself! I NEVER trusted myself before. I always deferred to others for wisdom and decisions. The really hard part for ppl like us is that you have get really quiet and still (NO! NEVER! WHAT IF WE FEEL SOMETHING?!). You have to get out of your head (NOT THE SOURCE OF WISDOM) and into your body. Then you have to trust what you feel. Tight and clenchy? Bad. Open and curious? Gooooood. ❤️

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Megan Lee's avatar

Yes yes yes to all of this!!! I’m also totally a rule follower AND resistant to authority 🥲 Ugh I know right, feelings?!?! Christ! 😖Lol

Cheering you on so hard!!! Here’s to TRULY trusting ourselves 🙏🙌💛🔥 I believe in us ! 💕💕

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Sara's avatar

💪 💪❤️❤️

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DIANA ADMIRE's avatar

How is it you still surprise me?

I’m not Catholic but I might just cross myself for good measure, Christ.…..I have always had that thought in the back of my mind….when others say cross your fingers… I secretly wish to be catholic so I could cross my self…..you think God cares if I’m not?

Feels way stronger sentiment t then crossing fingers for good luck. Silly me…. I went down a whole other rabbit hole. lol, you do you Meg ….Hugs Di

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Megan Lee's avatar

😂😂 love this rabbit hole!!! See, I too find the crossing of Catholicism as such a nostalgic, comforting gesture 😂 says someone who’s never once had anything to do with being catholic or crossing, much to my grandmothers shame, I’m sure lol and that’s a fair paint, now that you mention it crossed fingers do seem less then catholic crossing hahaha

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Forrest Beway's avatar

Megan, I only know one guru, and it's you. Follow your own guru, the one inside you—there's nothing else in this world worthy of following. Trust yourself above anything or anybody else. Trust yourself, or I will be ashamed and unfollow you, and the world will panic, the stock exchange will crash, World War III will begin, and aliens with seven sexual organs will invade us to perpetrate all sorts of dirty and filthy things with our brains, annihilating any remnants of human intelligence—if that ever existed. So please, trust your inner guru.

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Megan Lee's avatar

Damn 😂 Point taken!!! Follow my true self I shall try to do every day! 🙏🙏🙏

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Gary's avatar

Hello Megan,

As a former guru (please note my 3-word bio to validate my credibility), I have just one piece of advice for you. This tip will likely save your life one day. I see you salivating on the edge of your seat, but please don't get ahead of me. No, it's not the Golden Rule which states, "Do unto others before they do it to you". It's a rule you can follow even in your darkest of moments. "Stay out of dark alleys!" You're welcome...

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Megan Lee's avatar

😂😂 solid advice!!

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Eric Jones's avatar

Plus, being a guru doesn't mean being a good person. Or does it? When I was a pain in the lives others would be so proud to give me the boot as soon as anyone else said anything about me. That's became my truths as they saw me. But I saw everything and then gave nothing to do with my voice being silenced years ago till the new season was the one that's no longer letting anyone know. Now I'm well aware and also don't care. thanks for the same reason as always being the best but not letting anyone else in while being more and less. Just take care and safety netting for all but the one who gave it till nothing left to give.

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Eric Jones's avatar

I stumbled upon this and had a good time reading. Thanks for being a rule breaking lady with co- dependency being the insulin Ive had to shoot into my stomach since 12. Also, makes me feel the need to be a planner for the life I'm living with the ability to keep going after the reactions. Wonderful to see how the rest of the people live.

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Megan Lee's avatar

Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts!! 🙏🙌

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Elaine Waxer's avatar

Your kickass confessionals stand out in a sea of correctness. You give me the confidence to write in my own style. Your posts are addictive. Keep on keeping on.

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