don’t need certainty

I used to think you needed clarity to make a leap. That you had to know what you were leaping toward.

But now I believe there are times when the only clarity needed is knowing "I can't do this anymore" or "I can't stay here anymore." What happens after that, we can figure out.

don’t twist yourself into a pretzel

The kind of acceptance we earn by twisting ourselves into pretzels just leaves us sore and misshapen.

Better off staying a croissant.

cory allen quote

“You don’t improve your life by doing more. You improve it by doing less of what doesn’t matter.” — Cory Allen

The trick, of course, is spotting what doesn’t matter while you’re still waist-deep in it.

not brave

I’ve made a lot of leaps - some big, some small. And the big reveal is that I almost always didn’t feel “brave” doing them. Most of the time, I made them with shaking knees, crossed fingers, and loads of coffee (which probably didn’t help with the nerves). ☕️

digital hoarder

Saw an announcement that Pocket is closing shop. Oh no! 😨 I’m going to have one less app that’s overflowing with things I intend to read… one day. (When did I become a hoarder of digital things?)

appreciate limbo

“You are exactly where you’re meant to be,” they say.

And sometimes, that means being in limbo, when you’ve already checked out of one thing, but the next thing isn’t clear yet.

I’ve learned to resist the urge to rush through it. The in-between has its own utility. It may be foggy and uncomfortable, but it is often exactly what we need.

sleep quote

“Be as religious and disciplined about your sleep as you are about your work.

We tend to wear our ability to get by on little sleep as some sort of badge of honor that validates our work ethic. But what it really is is a profound failure of self-respect and of priorities. What could possibly be more important than your health and your sanity, from which all else springs?”

— Maria Popova of The Marginalian

hard-won lesson #6

Hard-Won Lesson #6

You have to forgive yourself for the messes you made when you were young. You were young. You didn’t know better and probably not sleeping enough. And carrying guilt just gives you terrible frown lines.

one person

If even just one person reads your newsletter and connects with it deeply, that’s lovely.

And if it turns out that the one person is you? Well, that counts too. ☕️

introverting

Ok. I admit. Sometimes, I’m like: “Listen. I still want to be invited, but I’m not coming.” 😉

being good at something

It’s funny how being good at something can quietly trap you. You stay, because you’re competent. You stay, because it works. But sometimes, it keeps you from what you’re really meant to grow into.

what’s important

And every day, the world will drag you by the hand, yelling, "This is important! And this is important! And this is important! You need to worry about this! And this! And this!"

And each day, it's up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart and say, "No, THIS is what's important." — Iain Thomas

Hard-won lesson #8

Hard-Won Lesson #8

Sometimes your biggest fans aren’t your family. Sometimes they’re strangers on the internet who see you more clearly than the people at your dinner table ever did.

Leap even if no net appears

"Leap and the net will appear," they say. But the truth is, sometimes, no net appears. Just a very long fall and a lot of improvising on the way down. And we've got to make peace with that before we jump.

Ferris Bueller quote

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” — Ferris Bueller (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off)

➤ Your weekly reminder to log off and eat a soft pretzel in the park.

Beyonce

They say we have the same 24 hours as Beyoncé.

Technically true. Except Beyoncé has a team. I have half a dozen tabs open and a pile of laundry. 😬

stay in your lane?

What exactly is the value of “staying in your lane”?
Some of the best things in my life happened when I swerved.

note to self

Choose the challenge.

Everything you have ever achieved (or remember achieving) has been on the other side of something you considered difficult.

one day away

“Every person needs to take one day away.  A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future.  Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence.  Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for.  Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.”
— Dr. Maya Angelou

sleep priorities

Since I’ve decided to prioritize sleep, I find myself being very selective about evening events I commit to. My sister says that if I keep saying ‘No’, pretty soon, no one will invite me anymore to these evening soirees. “That’s okay,” I tell her. “I’m not optimizing for invitations. I’m optimizing for sleep.” 😇