Welcome new ‘doh readers! Catch up on some of readers’ favorite posts by going for a serendipity signage walk, making your own business owner to-do list 😭 and crafting an emoji balance sheet. Beyond catching up on the archives, the best way to describe 2023 is as follows:
Jenny, I swear, sometimes I feel like you live in my head and put words to my deepest thoughts, feelings and fears. You are so beyond talented in so many ways-- truly grateful for the all gifts of wisdom, perspective and food for thought that you have shared over the years. Honestly, you are the only on-going blog/writer that I've read consistently for the past three years. You get people. And you get us right where we're at -- every time. That's an extremely priceless gift you have. Love you so much. Wishing you a 2024 that hears you exactly where you're at and gives you exactly what you need. xoxo Happy Sabbatical!
Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart, for this beautiful message Kajal! And even more, for your beautiful presence in my life these last few years! I have a feeling we are part of the same soul group, as Penney would say :)
I feel the same about you: you have such a generous, kind, wise, delightful way of being in the world. I am BEYOND lucky to call you a friend, and to have you here reading and resonating! You have been such a beacon for me to keep going down this path of sharing, and I can't tell you how much it means.
I hope we get to meet in person someday soon, and in the meantime I will keep trying to put these collective words to digital paper as best I can! It's such a relief for me too, to know I'm not the only one when I read your thoughtful replies ❤️🙏😊
I love that -- we are definitely part of the same soul group :). I too hope we get to meet one day soon! That would be a lovely gift from the universe. Ditto to everything you said. I am so grateful for you. ❤️
Love this so much, particularly “If I could be so bold as to ask for anything at all, 2024: could you bring just a little more career and business clarity?” This, all of this. Are you writing my journal? 🤣
Oh my goodness, I'm glad I'm not the only one! Chuckled at the thought of our parallel journals . . . as they have been for a few years now! "Not to be selfish, Universe, but A LITTLE HELP WOULD GO A LONG WAY PLS!" 😭
One of my favorite truths from quantum manifestation (and something I say to myself all the time): this moment bears no relation to the last. I take this to mean that we always choose what we carry forward, and just like in a dream, things can truly change in an instant if and when we're ready for that to happen. So maybe every moment is a New Year :)
I love this wisdom so much!! Thank you for passing this along :) "We always choose what we carry forward, and just like in a dream, things can truly change in an instant if and when we're ready for that to happen. So maybe every moment is a New Year :)"
Maybe every moment is a new year . . . I love it!! Your words always resonate so deeply, and I just finally watched the brilliant Doh chart breakdown you sent via video over the break . . . what a gift you are to me, Doh, and the world, Patrick Geary ✨ 🙏 ✨
Happy new year, and happy new-moment-new-you! And another new you! And now another :D
Does this one ever resonate with me! Especially the love of having a plan haha.
I'm similar in that I thrive when I have clarity because the next steps are obvious. So when I'm struggling, it's a damn good sign that I'm missing the bigger picture.
For me, I get too focused on the itsy bitsy details.
And because I'm so consumed with the finer details (the trees), I've neglected zooming out to the vision (the forest). The why behind what it is I want to accomplish with this one wild and precious life.
Many of us wait until the new year to revisit goals and what we want to accomplish. And last year reinforced that a once-a-year check-in is worthless. It's about as valuable as a pilot choosing a destination and then waiting until he's coasting on fumes before verifying if he's heading in the correct direction.
The lack of clarity creates the fuzziness and yet another demoralizing cycle: "This year will be different!" This explains why I used to end up with five New Year resolutions lol. Attempting to salvage whatever I can from the flaming wreckage of goals that crashed and burned.
My version of a crash and burn for 2023 is my "online" business. I spend way too much time taking courses, creating elaborate systems, and hoping all this effort will lead to an additional source of income to supplement my offline business (that actually pays the bills).
Here's the problem: I don't enjoy spending time online. I use my computer as a tool to work, but social media is the last place in the world I want to "connect" with people. I'm an IRL kinda guy.
When I zoom out, I'm reminded that I don't want an online business. At least not how I'm approaching it. I'm all about simplicity and focusing on the essential projects where I show up best.
Does that mean this plan to create an online business failed?
Not at all.
I've started thinking of plans as pathways.
Just because you got the directions wrong, will you abandon the trip?
That's foolish.
But 2023 was a time to step back, reevaluate, and determine if I was heading in the correct direction.
Getting where you want to go isn't about stubbornly sticking to the plan. It's about being adaptable, thinking on the fly, doubling down on what's working, and dropping the pathetic ego of a captain who must go down with his sinking ship.
Plans tend to make us feel locked in, whereas a pathway is a chance to explore.
I'm not so worried about 2024 and feeling lost because I have a compass (my vision for my life).
That being said, I'm still determining where this path will lead lol.
I love these insights and reflections, Chris!! I sooo hear you on craving more and more time away from pings, inboxes, and devices. I love this point in particular: “Does that mean this plan to create an online business failed? Not at all. I've started thinking of plans as pathways.” So good! A phrase my husband and I say when we try a restaurant we hate: 2.5 stars (out of five), because now at least we know what we’re *not* missing!
Nah. I think we're all tired after the last few years. Can't we set up some rotating 1 month sabbatical for everyone so we all get a substantive break, and then do some kind of reset or something?!?
Seriously!! I love the idea of a one-month rotating sabbatical, and a collective pool of money to fund it all. If people who were laid off from regular jobs got stipends in 2020, maybe us small business owners can have our turn now?!
Jenny, I swear, sometimes I feel like you live in my head and put words to my deepest thoughts, feelings and fears. You are so beyond talented in so many ways-- truly grateful for the all gifts of wisdom, perspective and food for thought that you have shared over the years. Honestly, you are the only on-going blog/writer that I've read consistently for the past three years. You get people. And you get us right where we're at -- every time. That's an extremely priceless gift you have. Love you so much. Wishing you a 2024 that hears you exactly where you're at and gives you exactly what you need. xoxo Happy Sabbatical!
Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart, for this beautiful message Kajal! And even more, for your beautiful presence in my life these last few years! I have a feeling we are part of the same soul group, as Penney would say :)
I feel the same about you: you have such a generous, kind, wise, delightful way of being in the world. I am BEYOND lucky to call you a friend, and to have you here reading and resonating! You have been such a beacon for me to keep going down this path of sharing, and I can't tell you how much it means.
I hope we get to meet in person someday soon, and in the meantime I will keep trying to put these collective words to digital paper as best I can! It's such a relief for me too, to know I'm not the only one when I read your thoughtful replies ❤️🙏😊
I love that -- we are definitely part of the same soul group :). I too hope we get to meet one day soon! That would be a lovely gift from the universe. Ditto to everything you said. I am so grateful for you. ❤️
Love this so much, particularly “If I could be so bold as to ask for anything at all, 2024: could you bring just a little more career and business clarity?” This, all of this. Are you writing my journal? 🤣
Oh my goodness, I'm glad I'm not the only one! Chuckled at the thought of our parallel journals . . . as they have been for a few years now! "Not to be selfish, Universe, but A LITTLE HELP WOULD GO A LONG WAY PLS!" 😭
One of my favorite truths from quantum manifestation (and something I say to myself all the time): this moment bears no relation to the last. I take this to mean that we always choose what we carry forward, and just like in a dream, things can truly change in an instant if and when we're ready for that to happen. So maybe every moment is a New Year :)
I love this wisdom so much!! Thank you for passing this along :) "We always choose what we carry forward, and just like in a dream, things can truly change in an instant if and when we're ready for that to happen. So maybe every moment is a New Year :)"
Maybe every moment is a new year . . . I love it!! Your words always resonate so deeply, and I just finally watched the brilliant Doh chart breakdown you sent via video over the break . . . what a gift you are to me, Doh, and the world, Patrick Geary ✨ 🙏 ✨
Happy new year, and happy new-moment-new-you! And another new you! And now another :D
Does this one ever resonate with me! Especially the love of having a plan haha.
I'm similar in that I thrive when I have clarity because the next steps are obvious. So when I'm struggling, it's a damn good sign that I'm missing the bigger picture.
For me, I get too focused on the itsy bitsy details.
And because I'm so consumed with the finer details (the trees), I've neglected zooming out to the vision (the forest). The why behind what it is I want to accomplish with this one wild and precious life.
Many of us wait until the new year to revisit goals and what we want to accomplish. And last year reinforced that a once-a-year check-in is worthless. It's about as valuable as a pilot choosing a destination and then waiting until he's coasting on fumes before verifying if he's heading in the correct direction.
The lack of clarity creates the fuzziness and yet another demoralizing cycle: "This year will be different!" This explains why I used to end up with five New Year resolutions lol. Attempting to salvage whatever I can from the flaming wreckage of goals that crashed and burned.
My version of a crash and burn for 2023 is my "online" business. I spend way too much time taking courses, creating elaborate systems, and hoping all this effort will lead to an additional source of income to supplement my offline business (that actually pays the bills).
Here's the problem: I don't enjoy spending time online. I use my computer as a tool to work, but social media is the last place in the world I want to "connect" with people. I'm an IRL kinda guy.
When I zoom out, I'm reminded that I don't want an online business. At least not how I'm approaching it. I'm all about simplicity and focusing on the essential projects where I show up best.
Does that mean this plan to create an online business failed?
Not at all.
I've started thinking of plans as pathways.
Just because you got the directions wrong, will you abandon the trip?
That's foolish.
But 2023 was a time to step back, reevaluate, and determine if I was heading in the correct direction.
Getting where you want to go isn't about stubbornly sticking to the plan. It's about being adaptable, thinking on the fly, doubling down on what's working, and dropping the pathetic ego of a captain who must go down with his sinking ship.
Plans tend to make us feel locked in, whereas a pathway is a chance to explore.
I'm not so worried about 2024 and feeling lost because I have a compass (my vision for my life).
That being said, I'm still determining where this path will lead lol.
I love these insights and reflections, Chris!! I sooo hear you on craving more and more time away from pings, inboxes, and devices. I love this point in particular: “Does that mean this plan to create an online business failed? Not at all. I've started thinking of plans as pathways.” So good! A phrase my husband and I say when we try a restaurant we hate: 2.5 stars (out of five), because now at least we know what we’re *not* missing!
🫂
Is that an emoji hug?! I love it if so! Sending big huge hugs right back :D ✨ 🤗 ✨
It is, and thank you! 🥰
Yeah, all this.
Right?! Glad it resonated . . . I was worried I would just sound like the grinch that I am 😭😅
Nah. I think we're all tired after the last few years. Can't we set up some rotating 1 month sabbatical for everyone so we all get a substantive break, and then do some kind of reset or something?!?
Seriously!! I love the idea of a one-month rotating sabbatical, and a collective pool of money to fund it all. If people who were laid off from regular jobs got stipends in 2020, maybe us small business owners can have our turn now?!
Love this! A one-month rotating sabbatical (during which we all look out for one another) is perfect.