“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom” 🪞~Aristotle

be who you are... (#354)

Earlier this week, I was wondering what I wanted to write in this intro note space to welcome 2024. Then I saw a friend share this graphic on Facebook (thanks, Julie). 

It reminded me of something that happened towards the end of December.

It was a Tuesday, and I was already feeling stressed and overwhelmed. I was low-key fighting some weird allergy/sinus situation.

The juggling that we do is not easy by any means. And some days are harder than others.  This was one of those days. 

I just felt out of sorts - like everything was going wrong, I was disappointing everyone, and I was feeling impostor syndrome in a huge way.  I couldn’t even come up with anything positive to say as a lifeline.  

(Note: I have the best coworkers who helped remind me of all the ways I was awesome. So grateful to them.💖)

You know that feeling when you want to burn everything down and quit?

That was me.

I was aware enough to know that I was having an extreme emotional reaction, and I probably needed to shut out the world, curl up in a ball, and cry. 

I left work for the day and started running some errands for grandma. (Even on days like this, I still have #caregiverlife). I started scrolling through Facebook, as one does while waiting in long lines, and saw an ad selling a bracelet. The image said:

When the days get hard, don’t let them win. 

Breathe and remember who the fuck you are.

🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

Reading that statement at that moment stopped me in my tracks.

I started listing things in my head:

• I’m a high-functioning, strong person.

• I am pure energy and can work for hours.

• I’m resilient and will always bounce back.

• I love helping people and doing what I can to make their lives easier.

• I’m a side hustler, a manager, a caregiver, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, and a friend.

• I am a positive person who is super supportive and encouraging.

• I always do my best - and my best sometimes looks different.

• I have survived all my hard days before. Why should today be any different?

Later, I would learn that I had even more attributes like being smart, kind, thorough, thoughtful, fun, and motivating.

I felt calmer after sitting with all these thought bubbles and following it up with whiskey in my iced tea. (I also am a person who likes my cocktails! 🍹) The weight on my shoulders felt a little lighter. And I felt more capable of moving forward.

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In this new year, my wish for you is to:

• Be yourself.

• Breathe.

• Remember who you are.

And let those things guide you.

On to the picks!

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#ease 🫶🏾

👋🏾 New section alert! I’ve heard from a few readers (thanks, Vanessa and LaVerne) that they’d love to learn more about ways to simplify the side hustler/entrepreneurship life. And one of my intentions for the year is to create more ease. It’s a win-win. In this section, I plan to provide things/tips/resources that are helping me with caregiving, biz, self-care, and juggling in general. I’m really excited about experimenting with this.

Here is what’s making my life easier this week:

📱. Text Replacement.

I’ve set up text replacement on my iPhone (which also syncs up to my Mac) so I can type ‘jgm’ in any text input area, and it’ll fill in my email address: jessica.la.williams@gmail.com. I also set up one where I can enter `zadd`, which’ll fill in my address. Such a time-saver!

Follow along in the video below as I add a text replacement for #jesspicks.

💡. Think of things you find yourself typing a lot. It could be an email address, business name, phone number, or list of hashtags for social media. Anything goes. You just need to remember what the shortcut is. 😉

If you have found ways to make your life easier, please share, and I’d love to feature them here as well. Also, I’d love to hear any thoughts/questions/suggestions about this new section.

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#loves 😍

• 📺. Watching: The Way Home. This Hallmark show had been on my to-watch list for a while, and I binged it in one weekend. Ten episodes. Mom and daughter return home and try to re-establish a relationship with her mom/grandma. The overall message is about folks finding their way home and back to each other and involves some time traveling fun. All the good feels. Season 2 starts in a few weeks. Can’t wait!
  

• 📝. Doing: Goodbye 2023, Hello 2024 Journal. I also did this journal last year and found it incredibly valuable in reflecting on the previous year, figuring out what went well and what lessons I learned. As well as setting intentions for the new year and making quarterly plans. I prefer the digital one, but she also sells a paperback version.

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#reads

Why creators are in less of a rush to quit their day jobs

For them, the day job is a feature, not a bug, and they don’t have dreams of working in coffee shops and trapezing around the globe. They’re perfectly fulfilled creating their content on nights and weekends, and any revenue they generate from that content is just an added bonus.

Simon highlights the benefits of a side hustle: diversifying income, daily structure, and collaborating with others. Some of us love our day jobs but also want something of our own. The #sidehustlelife lets us have the best of both worlds.

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Slow-anuary anyone?

I’ve been doing this for the past couple of years - using January to ease into the year, so I’m a huge fan of this approach. Who’s with me?

selinathecoach

A post shared by @selinathecoach

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#icymi

• 😍. Last issue’s top pick: The 1-minute Daily Question
  

• 🎤. Need an awesome speaker/facilitator? Hire me.

• 🔍. Curious about my process for doing this newsletter every week? Go behind the scenes in this 1-hour training.

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#classifieds 🗞

• Make money promoting your favorite newsletters. Join the SparkLoop Partner Network.
  

• Feeling overwhelmed and struggling to make progress in your business? Cut through the chaos and stay focused with the 1-minute question, delivered daily.

• Want to be a better manager? Learn tactics to navigate the trickiest work situations.

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#lifevibes

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supporters ☕️

Thank you, Tawanna, Gia, Lori, Ayana, Krista, Jessica, Annetta, Constance, Tunde, Jen, Michelle, Emile, Bex, Kim, Angela G., Lauren B., Chelsea, Amy, Ricky, Kirsten, Vin, Julie, Nicole, Hmza, Greg, Kristin, Kirstyn, Jess, Cheryl, Krysta, Adrena, Vidya, Kristyn, Danielle, Keryn, Terry, Vanessa, Meredith, Lauren, Meg, Maria J., Chivon, Kim, Luciano, Colie, Chasity, Laurie, Latienda, Collette, Anne, Kristen, Liz, Katherine, Monale, Betsy, Melissa, Lindsay, Jennifer, Kayla, Madison, Rae, Stephanie, Christine R., Christine M., Frances, Hannah, Chris, Brandy, Mea, Kristian, Maria K., Avery, Adam, Barbara, Shenee, Desiree, Lisa, Kandice, L’Oreal, and LaVerne for being #jesspicks supporters!! ❤️

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