Before we dive into today's article, I want to thank everyone who took time to respond to last week's newsletter. While I hate that body image and weight issues plague so many in my community, I'm grateful for all of you who spoke up in community with such kind words. I love hearing from you - whether in email or in Circle.
As I mentioned two weeks ago, I'm working on a reboot of the Facts of Life Book course. Last night, I worked on some planning and behind the scenes things. Because I was working on this just last evening, I was thinking a lot about the rest of the Facts of Life Book Manifesto.
When it comes to the second item on the manifesto - The Only Wrong Way Is To Never Start - I'm probably the wrong person to talk about this because starting has never been my problem. I LOVE ❤️ starting new things. I love the research and the organizing and the planning and the curiosity. For my learner brain that just loves to soak up new information, the starting is the easy part. Let's be honest, it's why I need to reboot the Facts of Life Book Course. I started it and then just kind of abandoned it. It needs love, nurturing, and care.
While I didn't think too much about this when I wrote the course originally, it's why I wrote the last three pieces of the Manifesto. All of them are there to temper my desire to start and then walk away. They are all permission, of a sort, to let go of perfectionism - and honestly - the need to start over to "do it right this time".
But, we often give others the advice we should be giving ourselves. If you've been around here for quite a while, you know I’m a big fan of the idea of a Keep, Stop, Start list. I've used them for years, although even I realize I'm not good at stopping things. I write things to stop on the list and then don't commit to actually stopping. I want to do more, more, more and yet, I can't. There aren't enough hours in the days, weeks, months, and years to do all the things I want to do.
I'm actually making a plan for stopping something. It feels like stopping should be final. Hit the brakes on the car and the car stops. But in the reality of daily life, it's not that hard. I have three subscription services for tools I use. There are free or less expensive options for those that would serve my needs just as well - and free up money in my budget. To STOP paying for those things there is a TRANSITION that has to happen. And that is what I think keeps so many of us from stopping. We don't take time to plan the transitions. So, I'm committing to planning the transitions and to actually executing those so I can stop using these three tools that are no longer serving me.
I wonder, is there something you need to plan the transition for and actually commit to stopping? Let's chat on Circle or if you're reading this in email, hit reply to the email. I love hearing from you.
