“I first learned of my Natural Number from Susan Fisher before Body of 9 existed. I was working for Susan and Martin at their web-design company, Solvatech. Susan identified me as a Natural Number 3 and briefly described what that meant. I wasn’t quite sure about anyone else’s energy at the time, because Susan had not yet started Body of 9, we rarely discussed it, which left me to ponder my own superpower in a sort of… controlled environment, without me wondering or being overwhelmed with the 8 other Natural Numbers.
I was 16 when I found out, that was four years ago, but I can still remember Susan telling me, excitedly, that if I stand up tall with my collar bone out and a smile on my face, everything will fall into place. Almost everyone has heard about those ‘miracle’ cures… those strict regiments that follow the basic formula of regular sleep schedules, diets and exercise. I was a busy 16 year old girl and never took any of those seriously. I went home without giving it too much thought.
When I got home and was getting ready for bed, I looked into the bathroom mirror and practiced the posture Susan recommended for me. It was such a comfortable posture. It defies logic that way. It looks like it should be rather uncomfortable. But I looked taller, happier, more confident. I thought to myself that if having this good posture will make everything fall into place, I might as well try it out. I mean, I needed to work on my posture anyhow, and life going amazingly would be a bonus.
I continued to play with this. Shifting my normal, slightly hunched posture, to this tall and confident pose – lifting up at the top of the sternum. I really did like it. I made connections better, I could focus better and even got energized by fast paced conversations – something that had never happened before!
One of the main turning points in my knowledge was when I got hired on the spot for my next job. I had zero related work experience, but I did exactly what Susan told me to do, focus, smile and lift. I noticed that everything in my life was falling into place.
All of this took about one and a half years to sink in. I decided I wanted to know more. I wanted to be involved. Over those one and a half years of just experimenting, I managed to get comfortable in my body… which is HUGE. Think about it! Not to get into specifics, but passing comments, media, and even doctors seem to have an ideal of what people should look like and how they should move. And it’s so completely wrong! To figure this out at 16 was tremendous! I had serious body-issues like 30 MILLION other people in the USA (NEDA: feeding hope), and I was JUST hitting a transitional time. My goal was to stop hating and criticizing myself, and start loving and caring for myself. All those nasty comments and thoughts that I had to train myself into postures that were uncomfortable slowly crumbled. My back is swayed? No, no, no. It’s just lifting my chest and clavicle in order to activate my superpower. I smile too much? No, my dear, I am simply seeing your beautiful soul at it’s most pure and I can’t help but smile.
I could go on. Just knowing that all those weird quirks, the things that your family doesn’t understand about you may just be part of how you operate. They might be your strong suit and part of your superpower. Just knowing that makes life so much better. Knowing your quirks and oddities is wonderful, powerful and beautiful. It is psychologically revolutionary.
Then learning how to see it in others, and see how amazingly different they are… it’s all just beyond words. I couldn’t describe the gargantuan epiphany of it all if I tried. It’s completely life changing, inspirational, and wonderful!”
Katie Cameron is the chief designer at Body of 9 now. She is responsible for most of the inspiring graphic art on the site. Email Katie if you have questions about Natural Number 3!
