“What’s in front of you is so much more important than what’s behind you.” 🔮 ~Jelly Roll
your future is waiting... (#349)
My first introduction to Jelly Roll was when he sang a duet with Oliver Steele during last season’s American Idol, and I was an instant fan.
He was blessed with a New Artist of the Year award at this year’s Country Music Awards, and his acceptance speech moved me:
“There’s something poetic about a 39-year-old man winning new artist of the year. I don’t know where you’re at in your life or what you’re going through, but I want to tell you to keep going, baby. I want to tell you, ‘Success is on the other side.’”
“I want to tell you, ‘It’s going to be OK!’ I want to tell you that the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror for a reason, because what’s in front of you is so much more important than what’s behind you!”
What a wonderful reminder that it’s never too late.
Along with this one:
Keep going. Your future self is waiting for you.💖
On to the picks!
Note: This email may contain affiliate links. If you click through my link and make a purchase, I may receive “thank you money” at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I use and love.
#poll
No poll this week, but the top answers from last week’s poll about biz challenges are really interesting:
Growing audience/revenue - 47%
Managing time/energy - 37%
Mindset / Motivation - 11%
This is helpful information as I start thinking and planning for the new year. In the meantime, I’m sharing some picks related to audience growth and productivity.
#loves 😍
📚. Reading: Dwindle. I’m pretty sure this series came up in my Facebook ads, but the premise for this first book was enough to get me hooked. It is a dystopian YA novel where women must marry a stranger who is their genetic match. The better the genetic match, the better the chance of preserving the population.
📈. Course: Grow Your Online Business Fan Club. This 90-ish minute course by Lizzy Goddard is all about how to get in front of people who don’t know you yet “without having to niche down, declare yourself an expert, or even be clear on your ‘message.’ Much of my growth has come from getting in front of other people’s audiences, like participating in bundles and mentions by other newsletter creators. (For growing newsletter subscribers, you may also like this training.)
#reads
24 Concepts That Will Grow Your Audience and Business
A great post full of gems from Josh Spector. A few that are resonating for me right now:
“Focus on output, not outcome.” (It’s best to focus on what we can control and we can’t control outcomes.)
“If you’re struggling to grow your audience, you need to do more or do less.” (I’m trying to figure out how to do less myself.)
“Your target audience is likely the person you were a couple of years ago.” (I love this way of thinking about my audience.)
“There’s no one ‘right’ path to success.” (I 100% agree with this one. You have to find what works for you.)
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10 Brilliant WFH Productivity Tips
An oldie but goodie interview with Adam Grant. While the focus is on working from home, there are some great productivity tips as well, like these:
Get creative outside of work. Make time for a hobby - something you can do purely for the joy and recharge properties. Mine are dancing, reading, and jigsaw puzzles.
Focus on attention management versus time management.
“You can't control the number of hours you have in the day,” says Grant. “All you can do is try to focus as much of your energy as possible on the people and the projects that really matter to you.”
Another good point that Adam mentioned that made me scratch my head a bit is that your most creative energy is probably at a different time of day from when you’re most productive. 🤯
#icymi
😍. Last issue’s top pick: 30 Places to Find New Clients
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#lifevibes
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