Right up my alley, Ms. J! Too much left brain futurizing cuts off our bodily felt-sense of intuition and soul. Glad to hear you turning your brilliant insightful self toward these small things that creep up on us and distract us from the more subtle richness so close around us. And that's why I, too, so enjoy your NYC photos (like Debbie Weil) that point to truths. Keep on keepin' on!! Love you.
Thank you Penney!! I replied to Debbie that I just love imagining all of you experiencing the city vicariously with me -- it’s a joy to share these little moments, ahas, and intuitive guidance -- something you have taught me so much about! The Intuitive Way, Frequency, and your friendship have truly, truly changed my life for the infinite better!! Love you!
Great to see you here in the comments DC!! Yes, loved that book! And his follow-up on exits was great too — Finish Big: How Great Entrepreneurs Exit Their Companies on Top: https://a.co/d/0eyQsJa
LOL!!! Thank you Paul! I feel so seen...creating epic footnotes gives me a very particular kind of Easter eggy delight...like how many little surprises can I sneak in there... :) 😆🐿️🙏
As always, your messages hit just at the right moment. I loved the hop scotching across the laid-down ladder visual - a lot more joyful than “burn it all down” (which can feel like the alternative!).
Thank you so much Jess!! I’m so grateful to know you’re here reading…and that you appreciated the ladder hopscotch visual ☺️ Happy Valentine’s Day! 💕❤️💕✨🙏✨
Thank you for this post, Jenny. I just sent it to a therapy client who really struggles with self judgment about being a “good manager” at a big tech company but managing people is so soul-draining for her. I also though about how grateful I am that your voice has been in my head over the years because even though I have a team of ~15 now, I have a lot of groundedness in the fact that, just because some of my friends run practices of 20+ or even 50+ people doesn’t mean that’s my “correct” trajectory and what I need to be aiming for.
Valerie!!! Wow, how incredible that you've got a team of 15 people now, what an enormous accomplishment and thrilling expansion from where you started as a solo practitioner!!! I love that you're also still giving yourself permission to stay right where you are if that feels like a sweet spot, that there is no "correct" ladder from here :D Celebrating you!! 🎉🎉🎉
I LOVE love this. I so remember your app talk. It still tracks. I had a parallel moment at a job. More people to manage, more delegation, more checking up, more complexity, and zero fun. I climbed down until I climbed out. I remember loving Paul Graham's article on Maker's vs Manager's Schedules and say YES YES YES!!!! So many people get "pushed" or "encouraged" into people manager roles and feel like they are performing career suicide if they don't go along. And then they are crushed and zapped and burnt. I love a ladder that has no height. I've never seen a ladder on the floor I didn't want to run through:) "Serendipity Signage" is your sweet cherry jam, Jenny!
This! "More people to manage, more delegation, more checking up, more complexity, and zero fun." Ahhhh, I just love your next line, "I climbed down until I climbed out." That about sums it up! There's maker vs. manager schedule and there's also maker vs. manager *projects* which are even more important to me. For some reason, the project of managing people just doesn't do it for me the way that playing with ideas (and Notion 😆) does!
You're so sweet in saying that serendipity signage is my sweet cherry jam 🍒 — that's going to make me smile every time I see any now :D Thank you, for these insightful comments and additions, and for everything, always!
My favorite line: “Lose that client to economic contraction? Curl into a fetal position at square one.” 😂😭 So good!!
I’m convinced the higher we climb the ladder, the more disconnected we become from the real impact of our work. But of course the ones at the very top can console themselves with the fact that they hold the power, feel important. The whole system is flawed. Just trying to figure out how to fix it. But in the meantime, I think I’ll join you hopscotching across the ladder. Or maybe we just lay down on top of it and watch the clouds.
Count me in for counting clouds with you! ⛅️ We can be dreaming, chatting, inventing...doing all kinds of fun things :)) So true and fascinating about your insight about getting personally disconnected the higher we climb, and the more power games (and debilitating politics and power struggles) enter the picture. Climbing down takes courage because it hopefully means reconnecting to that core self, the one who doesn’t want to jump through all those hoops (metaphor change alert!) 🚨⭕️
I’m not sure that I even ever stepped onto a corporate ladder and the only ambition I have is to be liked, and perhaps whole.
I thought for the longest time I never did anything because I was afraid of failure. I’ve actually been wondering more recently, though if it’s because I was afraid of success.
The idea of being responsible for, or beholden to, anyone has usually stopped me from taking risks, engaging in action, and stepping into new things
I recognize that much of this is my personality, and I’ve definitely lost out because of it. I am also realizing it comes with a gift that perhaps other people need.
Whilst I am on my own journey toward taking more action, and at least doing something, maybe there are others whom I could help to slow down and do less.
Doing nothing, after all, is one of the things I’m most practiced at.
Yes, Candyland is so fun!! Don’t think I’ve played that since I was a kid, but I loved that one too -- maybe time for a nostalgia session to play again :)) Cheers to your iPhone 7, I love it! 📱
This is timely -- I’ve been finding myself in related conversations with many entrepreneurs lately. One who sold a massive civil engineering related company and is now happily back to doing the work (pouring concrete) and not managing a team. Another who has had tremendous success but is now grappling with the reality of a very large dollar amount of monthly payroll. Many of my favorite contractors for house projects over the years have been solopreneurs who used
to have large teams but missed the physical work and disliked the admin and management of running a team and therefore downsized, and are back to doing their craft with a subcontractor or two as needed. Reminds me of Paul Jarvis (company of one) and Molly Baz’s new cookbook, More is More -- perhaps she summarizes the heart of all of this well!
Thank you for sharing your insights and observations around this Sarah! It’s fascinating to hear people’s experiences running businesses in the engineering, building, and home contractor space alongside your observations as a client/customer. It’s happened to me many times where I hire a solo+preneur or tiny team, they do a great job, and after they expand too much the work quality suffers and the company falls apart. Maybe some companies can and do outgrow that awkward stage, but it seems risky and fraught for all involved if it completely saps the owner’s joy in the process!
Thank you Pegge!! I love the idea of thinking about ladder placements (ambition) in stages; sometimes vertical, sometimes perfectly, joyfully flat :)) And I love that you appreciated soulphoria, I changed that at the very last minute while on the subway before this post went live! Simplephoria was the earlier version...but a last minute download dropped in ☺️✨
Love this post, Jenny, and how it's written. It also speaks to my own interest in making decisions that might feel like "going against the grain" of our conditioning -- in order to better care for ourselves and just enjoy our lives.
Thank you so much Viki! I just re-read your wonderful note about pausing BFF yesterday too, I appreciate your kind and encouraging words more than you know, and always have! ✨🙏✨
Thank you Debbie!! It’s so fun to catch these things...if I’m paying this level of rent I better be paying attention 😂 My hope is to give everyone a slice 🍕 of the NYC I love so much, so you can all be here vicariously with me ☺️
Right up my alley, Ms. J! Too much left brain futurizing cuts off our bodily felt-sense of intuition and soul. Glad to hear you turning your brilliant insightful self toward these small things that creep up on us and distract us from the more subtle richness so close around us. And that's why I, too, so enjoy your NYC photos (like Debbie Weil) that point to truths. Keep on keepin' on!! Love you.
Thank you Penney!! I replied to Debbie that I just love imagining all of you experiencing the city vicariously with me -- it’s a joy to share these little moments, ahas, and intuitive guidance -- something you have taught me so much about! The Intuitive Way, Frequency, and your friendship have truly, truly changed my life for the infinite better!! Love you!
Have you read Small Giants by Bo Burlingham? I think it would be up your alley!
Great to see you here in the comments DC!! Yes, loved that book! And his follow-up on exits was great too — Finish Big: How Great Entrepreneurs Exit Their Companies on Top: https://a.co/d/0eyQsJa
You have the best use of footnotes on the platform haha
LOL!!! Thank you Paul! I feel so seen...creating epic footnotes gives me a very particular kind of Easter eggy delight...like how many little surprises can I sneak in there... :) 😆🐿️🙏
was thinking the same thing
As always, your messages hit just at the right moment. I loved the hop scotching across the laid-down ladder visual - a lot more joyful than “burn it all down” (which can feel like the alternative!).
Thank you so much Jess!! I’m so grateful to know you’re here reading…and that you appreciated the ladder hopscotch visual ☺️ Happy Valentine’s Day! 💕❤️💕✨🙏✨
Thank you for this post, Jenny. I just sent it to a therapy client who really struggles with self judgment about being a “good manager” at a big tech company but managing people is so soul-draining for her. I also though about how grateful I am that your voice has been in my head over the years because even though I have a team of ~15 now, I have a lot of groundedness in the fact that, just because some of my friends run practices of 20+ or even 50+ people doesn’t mean that’s my “correct” trajectory and what I need to be aiming for.
Valerie!!! Wow, how incredible that you've got a team of 15 people now, what an enormous accomplishment and thrilling expansion from where you started as a solo practitioner!!! I love that you're also still giving yourself permission to stay right where you are if that feels like a sweet spot, that there is no "correct" ladder from here :D Celebrating you!! 🎉🎉🎉
I LOVE love this. I so remember your app talk. It still tracks. I had a parallel moment at a job. More people to manage, more delegation, more checking up, more complexity, and zero fun. I climbed down until I climbed out. I remember loving Paul Graham's article on Maker's vs Manager's Schedules and say YES YES YES!!!! So many people get "pushed" or "encouraged" into people manager roles and feel like they are performing career suicide if they don't go along. And then they are crushed and zapped and burnt. I love a ladder that has no height. I've never seen a ladder on the floor I didn't want to run through:) "Serendipity Signage" is your sweet cherry jam, Jenny!
This! "More people to manage, more delegation, more checking up, more complexity, and zero fun." Ahhhh, I just love your next line, "I climbed down until I climbed out." That about sums it up! There's maker vs. manager schedule and there's also maker vs. manager *projects* which are even more important to me. For some reason, the project of managing people just doesn't do it for me the way that playing with ideas (and Notion 😆) does!
You're so sweet in saying that serendipity signage is my sweet cherry jam 🍒 — that's going to make me smile every time I see any now :D Thank you, for these insightful comments and additions, and for everything, always!
My favorite line: “Lose that client to economic contraction? Curl into a fetal position at square one.” 😂😭 So good!!
I’m convinced the higher we climb the ladder, the more disconnected we become from the real impact of our work. But of course the ones at the very top can console themselves with the fact that they hold the power, feel important. The whole system is flawed. Just trying to figure out how to fix it. But in the meantime, I think I’ll join you hopscotching across the ladder. Or maybe we just lay down on top of it and watch the clouds.
Count me in for counting clouds with you! ⛅️ We can be dreaming, chatting, inventing...doing all kinds of fun things :)) So true and fascinating about your insight about getting personally disconnected the higher we climb, and the more power games (and debilitating politics and power struggles) enter the picture. Climbing down takes courage because it hopefully means reconnecting to that core self, the one who doesn’t want to jump through all those hoops (metaphor change alert!) 🚨⭕️
I’m not sure that I even ever stepped onto a corporate ladder and the only ambition I have is to be liked, and perhaps whole.
I thought for the longest time I never did anything because I was afraid of failure. I’ve actually been wondering more recently, though if it’s because I was afraid of success.
The idea of being responsible for, or beholden to, anyone has usually stopped me from taking risks, engaging in action, and stepping into new things
I recognize that much of this is my personality, and I’ve definitely lost out because of it. I am also realizing it comes with a gift that perhaps other people need.
Whilst I am on my own journey toward taking more action, and at least doing something, maybe there are others whom I could help to slow down and do less.
Doing nothing, after all, is one of the things I’m most practiced at.
Jenny, I own an iPhone 7. I'm fond of my 7. It and I have an understanding of each other's limitations.
I enjoyed this post and the theme of ladders. I always preferred the more gentle Candyland to the rough world of Chutes and Ladders.
Yes, Candyland is so fun!! Don’t think I’ve played that since I was a kid, but I loved that one too -- maybe time for a nostalgia session to play again :)) Cheers to your iPhone 7, I love it! 📱
This is timely -- I’ve been finding myself in related conversations with many entrepreneurs lately. One who sold a massive civil engineering related company and is now happily back to doing the work (pouring concrete) and not managing a team. Another who has had tremendous success but is now grappling with the reality of a very large dollar amount of monthly payroll. Many of my favorite contractors for house projects over the years have been solopreneurs who used
to have large teams but missed the physical work and disliked the admin and management of running a team and therefore downsized, and are back to doing their craft with a subcontractor or two as needed. Reminds me of Paul Jarvis (company of one) and Molly Baz’s new cookbook, More is More -- perhaps she summarizes the heart of all of this well!
Thank you for sharing your insights and observations around this Sarah! It’s fascinating to hear people’s experiences running businesses in the engineering, building, and home contractor space alongside your observations as a client/customer. It’s happened to me many times where I hire a solo+preneur or tiny team, they do a great job, and after they expand too much the work quality suffers and the company falls apart. Maybe some companies can and do outgrow that awkward stage, but it seems risky and fraught for all involved if it completely saps the owner’s joy in the process!
Another gem full of glimmers! I’m in the lay the ladder down stage, and always appreciate how you speak truth, that affirms me. Sail onwards!
ps: I 🩷🩷🩷 Soulphoria!
Thank you Pegge!! I love the idea of thinking about ladder placements (ambition) in stages; sometimes vertical, sometimes perfectly, joyfully flat :)) And I love that you appreciated soulphoria, I changed that at the very last minute while on the subway before this post went live! Simplephoria was the earlier version...but a last minute download dropped in ☺️✨
Perfect download--feels like you are definitely living in sync ⚡️🩷
Love this post, Jenny, and how it's written. It also speaks to my own interest in making decisions that might feel like "going against the grain" of our conditioning -- in order to better care for ourselves and just enjoy our lives.
Thank you so much Viki! I just re-read your wonderful note about pausing BFF yesterday too, I appreciate your kind and encouraging words more than you know, and always have! ✨🙏✨
Thank you, Jenny!! 💕
Jenny, love your photo snaps as you walk around NYC. You make “noticing” a fine art. ❤️🔥
Thank you Debbie!! It’s so fun to catch these things...if I’m paying this level of rent I better be paying attention 😂 My hope is to give everyone a slice 🍕 of the NYC I love so much, so you can all be here vicariously with me ☺️