I started something this week that I have been talking about doing for, oh...maybe like 7 years now. I’ve talked about it so much that I’ve seen many of my friends do it successfully & really enjoy it...yet I still never made time (or overcame my fears, I suppose) to do it myself. Which is kind of embarrassing. I can fly helicopters & jump out of planes...but sometimes get terrified of such random things. It’s bonkers to me!
So what did I start?! What’s been on my mind for the better part of a decade that I have yet to act upon?!
Sending a weekly email message. GASP!
Why is this so terrifying?! Well, I guess because nowadays it feels like so many people send so many emails that I worried I’d just be creating more noise. That I’d end up spamming people I really like. Slowing down my already busy friends, family, clients, & souls I’ve never even met in person yet. And who wants to be “THAT person?!”
But here’s the thing. Every time I worry about being seen by someone else as “THAT person” (whatever their version of “THAT person” means), I reinforce my own fears. Which then cause me to edit myself, hold myself back, tamp myself down, hide myself, play small, and all the other things I have spent many years and many dollars learning not to do. And for what. To POSSIBLY avoid some criticism?!
HA!
Guess who’s been criticizing my every move all along?! Keeping me from sharing 7 years worth of happy thoughts, inspiring messages, bold ideas, fresh perspectives, delicious recipes that kept me eating healthy, & motivational videos that got my tired butt to the gym?
ME! I’m the wet blanket, the party pooper, & the mean girl I’ve been afraid of. What in the literal hell?!
I would never discourage anyone else from speaking up & sharing their uniquely beautiful perspectives on this crazy-amazing journey called life. So again...why have I waited 7 years to do this? Because I’m afraid someone won’t like me if they think one of my messages was somehow too much for their inboxes to handle that day?! For goodness sake...they have the same beautiful tools I use when my inbox feels overloaded by well meaning good-idea-sharers...the gloriously effective DELETE & UNSUBSCRIBE buttons!
And so I have decided not to let my inner critic (& her trusty side-kick my inner scaredy-cat) hold me back any longer. I am spreading my wings (just kidding...ya’ll know I have a cape, not wings) and taking the leap.
In fact, I already lept. The first ever weekly wrap up is written & scheduled to go out at 7am PST from a MailChimp account I’ve had for 6+ years but never used...and I am not exactly sure to undo the sending of that scheduled message (probably a good thing lest my inner critic change her mind about piping down for a second). And ya know what...I feel pretty damn great about it!
So what did I start?! What’s been on my mind for the better part of a decade that I have yet to act upon?!
Sending a weekly email message. GASP!
Why is this so terrifying?! Well, I guess because nowadays it feels like so many people send so many emails that I worried I’d just be creating more noise. That I’d end up spamming people I really like. Slowing down my already busy friends, family, clients, & souls I’ve never even met in person yet. And who wants to be “THAT person?!”
But here’s the thing. Every time I worry about being seen by someone else as “THAT person” (whatever their version of “THAT person” means), I reinforce my own fears. Which then cause me to edit myself, hold myself back, tamp myself down, hide myself, play small, and all the other things I have spent many years and many dollars learning not to do. And for what. To POSSIBLY avoid some criticism?!
HA!
Guess who’s been criticizing my every move all along?! Keeping me from sharing 7 years worth of happy thoughts, inspiring messages, bold ideas, fresh perspectives, delicious recipes that kept me eating healthy, & motivational videos that got my tired butt to the gym?
ME! I’m the wet blanket, the party pooper, & the mean girl I’ve been afraid of. What in the literal hell?!
I would never discourage anyone else from speaking up & sharing their uniquely beautiful perspectives on this crazy-amazing journey called life. So again...why have I waited 7 years to do this? Because I’m afraid someone won’t like me if they think one of my messages was somehow too much for their inboxes to handle that day?! For goodness sake...they have the same beautiful tools I use when my inbox feels overloaded by well meaning good-idea-sharers...the gloriously effective DELETE & UNSUBSCRIBE buttons!
And so I have decided not to let my inner critic (& her trusty side-kick my inner scaredy-cat) hold me back any longer. I am spreading my wings (just kidding...ya’ll know I have a cape, not wings) and taking the leap.
In fact, I already lept. The first ever weekly wrap up is written & scheduled to go out at 7am PST from a MailChimp account I’ve had for 6+ years but never used...and I am not exactly sure to undo the sending of that scheduled message (probably a good thing lest my inner critic change her mind about piping down for a second). And ya know what...I feel pretty damn great about it!
Is it perfect? Not by a long shot. Are there some likely typos or mistakes I’ll cringe at later when someone points them out? Sure. Can it be improved upon? OF COURSE...but that’s what weeks 2-?? are for, right?!
But you know what the Week 1 Wrap-up isn’t? It is no longer a secret dream I’ve had for 7 years DYING to be set free. And that feels so good I am actually crying as I type this.
For me, intention is everything. And even though people can misread, misunderstand, or downright ignore your intentions all together...if YOU know what they are, the criticisms that may come your way are a lot easier to face.
IF criticisms come your way at all. Maybe we are trying to avoid something that will never actually happen?! Definitely wouldn’t be the first time I did that!
Since my intention with this weekly wrap-up is to share the joy I have for things I discover during the course of my week that make me giddy or improve my life in some way, from inspiring quotes, videos, & ideas to products, books & services I cannot live without, I feel pretty good about placing it ever so kindly in people’s inboxes once a week (especially since sharing via social media with it’s crazy algorithms may be keeping people from seeing said joyful tidbits that actually want to) . Even if not every person who receives my emails loves them as much as I do, I am okay with that.
Maybe this is my preparation for being a parent?! Because I hear not every person in the world will care about Baby Riley’s every move as much as I will?! Inconceivable!
So as of today, I am fully accepting the role of “THAT person.”
Who knows, maybe “THAT person” shares things that change people’s lives...or at the very least make their Friday mornings a little better! Maybe “THAT person” gets back inspiring messages in return with even MORE stuff to make her giddy. And maybe “THAT person” frees up a whole bunch of energy no longer worrying about being “THAT person.”
Guess I’m about to find out.
If you’re ready to explore the idea of letting yourself be “THAT person” (or at the very least want to see what kind of things inspired me this week), I’ve created a hidden page on my website where you can check out the weekly wrap-up email without even having to sign up to receive any emails. BOOM! Link will be in the first comment. If you like what you see & are willing to receive the emails for a little while to watch how they evolve, just jump over to the homepage & sign-up for the mailing list. Your delete & unsubscribe buttons have your back if you should ever change your mind & need to make an escape! And I promise, we can still be friends!!
But who knows...you may actually find something useful (or at least a little fun!) that keeps you excited about hearing from me on Friday mornings.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go obsessively refresh pages that indicate how many people are clicking links & opening emails. WHAT?! It’s a thing when you launch a new online thing-a-magig. I’ll chill out before next week...a little.
But you know what the Week 1 Wrap-up isn’t? It is no longer a secret dream I’ve had for 7 years DYING to be set free. And that feels so good I am actually crying as I type this.
For me, intention is everything. And even though people can misread, misunderstand, or downright ignore your intentions all together...if YOU know what they are, the criticisms that may come your way are a lot easier to face.
IF criticisms come your way at all. Maybe we are trying to avoid something that will never actually happen?! Definitely wouldn’t be the first time I did that!
Since my intention with this weekly wrap-up is to share the joy I have for things I discover during the course of my week that make me giddy or improve my life in some way, from inspiring quotes, videos, & ideas to products, books & services I cannot live without, I feel pretty good about placing it ever so kindly in people’s inboxes once a week (especially since sharing via social media with it’s crazy algorithms may be keeping people from seeing said joyful tidbits that actually want to) . Even if not every person who receives my emails loves them as much as I do, I am okay with that.
Maybe this is my preparation for being a parent?! Because I hear not every person in the world will care about Baby Riley’s every move as much as I will?! Inconceivable!
So as of today, I am fully accepting the role of “THAT person.”
Who knows, maybe “THAT person” shares things that change people’s lives...or at the very least make their Friday mornings a little better! Maybe “THAT person” gets back inspiring messages in return with even MORE stuff to make her giddy. And maybe “THAT person” frees up a whole bunch of energy no longer worrying about being “THAT person.”
Guess I’m about to find out.
If you’re ready to explore the idea of letting yourself be “THAT person” (or at the very least want to see what kind of things inspired me this week), I’ve created a hidden page on my website where you can check out the weekly wrap-up email without even having to sign up to receive any emails. BOOM! Link will be in the first comment. If you like what you see & are willing to receive the emails for a little while to watch how they evolve, just jump over to the homepage & sign-up for the mailing list. Your delete & unsubscribe buttons have your back if you should ever change your mind & need to make an escape! And I promise, we can still be friends!!
But who knows...you may actually find something useful (or at least a little fun!) that keeps you excited about hearing from me on Friday mornings.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go obsessively refresh pages that indicate how many people are clicking links & opening emails. WHAT?! It’s a thing when you launch a new online thing-a-magig. I’ll chill out before next week...a little.
Thank you for reading!! If you enjoyed this post or think someone you know needs to hear that it's okay to be "THAT person"...PLEASE SHARE!! We all have our fears. Sometimes we need reminders from friends that believe in us to help us remember that we can indeed sing out & be heard...and in fact need to if we want to find the people the in the world who want to hear our song.
This post brought to you by Leslie Riley (formerly known as Leslie Stein) who is singing out today even though her voice isn't as good as she'd like it to be...but she knows it will get better with practice!!