Week 16 of 2026: On two years of blood, sweat and tears, twelve characters, and just doing the damn thing
Whoop Whoop! It’s here! š„š„š„ (check the photo)
Two years. Blood, sweat and tears. A gazillion messages between illustrator Natalie Elfers and me. Seven versions of the booklet. Version 10 of the training. And three test prints of the card deck itself because the paper was too thick, too thin, didn’t shuffle right.
But now? It’s ready. And I’m putting the finishing touches on the training as we speak. Which means it’s now available for pre-order! The waitlist has been notified and the first trainings have already sold.
You can pre-order The State Shift MethodĀ® including the card deck right now. š
What is The State Shift Methodā¢?
52 cards. 7 lessons. One daily practice. For almost every state you find yourself stuck in, there’s a card. Pull it, do the exercise, take the step.
The training is there so you’ll actually use it properly. So it doesn’t become just a nice thing collecting dust on your nightstand, but something you actually do. Every day. Until it’s in your system. And I guarantee you: if you commit to this, it will be life changing. Just like it was for me. And still is.
On May 8th, my birthday, the training officially launches. With a live event at Wonders of Work in Utrecht. We’re kicking off with a free Be The Change day where we’ll explore how to close the gap between who you are and who you want to be.
The State Shift Method including the card deck is for anyone who wants to become a better, happier, more authentic version of themselves. I’m genuinely thrilled this is finally coming out! I wish I’d had this ten years ago when I first started working with Phil Stutz and Barry Michels’ material.
5-4-3-2-1 ā ACTION! š¬
5 ā I SWEAR
A film about John Davidson, a Scotsman who developed Tourette’s at fifteen. In 1983, when almost nobody knew what it was.
It was funny and incredibly painful at the same time. Sometimes I laughed. Sometimes I genuinely cried.
What got to me was how he tried to suppress and hide his condition. He wanted so badly to be “normal.” And it just didn’t work.
At some point, he had to become okay with who he was. Not who he wanted to be. Not who the world expected him to be.
Only then could he truly live.
An inspiring film about someone who wanted it so badly, but didn’t have all the options because of his condition. What’s our excuse? Most of us can. We just don’t.
4 ā SHADOW SUMMIT
I’ve been invited to participate in the very first Shadow Summit hosted by Barry Michels on May 2nd. Woohoo! What an honor!
And of course, I’ll be explaining shadow work through illustrations.
You’ll learn how to connect with your shadow. Visually. Without words at first. Because a drawing often says more than a thousand analyses.
This is a big part of what my card deck is about too. The parts of yourself you hide. That you’re ashamed of. That you’d rather not show.
And that, when you embrace them, become your greatest strength.
Free event. Everyone welcome. š„ Sign up here.
3 ā THEATER TRAINING
I mentioned before that I’m doing a theater training here in good old Meppel. And it’s so much fun! The monologue I’m working on? Twelve different characters, from ordinary to completely over the top. I get to fully unleash my inner freak. Love it!
But you do have to memorize lines. And at first I thought: I’ll never learn this. My perimenopause brain just won’t retain it. But lo and behold, it’s actually starting to stick.
This is where I get to free myself even more from “how things should be done” and just go all out. Also a form of training. For the stage and for life. š
2 ā STATE SHIFT STEP: ACTION IN THE TAXI
This card is in the deck too. Are you still procrastinating? Stuck in perfectionism? Letting your inner Saboteur talk you out of doing the thing?
Enough talking. Time to move!
Let’s go NOW! Imperfect action beats perfect inaction. Always. š ACTION IN THE TAXI (let me know if this was exactly what you needed to hear today)
1 ā BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO
Then let this quote from Brian Armstrong motivate you:
“Action produces information. If you’re unsure of what to do, just do anything, even if it’s the wrong thing. This will give you information about what you should actually be doing.”
We keep hesitating about the “right” thing, but meanwhile time keeps ticking and one day you’ll be old, pulling your teeth out of a glass of water, wondering why you never did anything meaningful with your life.
It doesn’t have to be grand. As long as it’s meaningful to you. š
The State Shift Method can help.
Thanks for reading. The link to the Be the Change live day at Wonders of Work is coming soon.
May the Life Force be with you ā”ļø
Love, Syl
Agenda
Shadow Summit with Barry Michels ā May 2nd, 7:00-9:30 PM CET ā FREE for everyone
