Breaking the zigs and zags

Hi Hi Evergreen friend,

Yesterday, I got a hint of spring while sitting out back, letting the sun warm my face.

I can almost smell the lilacs.

The zigs and zags of what we call life

I can draw a line from the moment I took my first job at the grocery store to today. It is not smooth. It zigs and zags.

Like that time in 2008 when I was put on a call with about a hundred other retail sales merchandisers and told our territories were changing. The economy was changing. I was offered to stay part-time, but I knew I needed a full-time income. And back to square one I went, back to the job at the grocery store.

Or like the time in 2017 when I applied for a job I thought was out of my league and got it. I saw miles of opportunity. But this uphill climb did not pan out. It was a complete crash and burn. And instead of going back to square one, I zagged to a whole new mountain and got a job in a newsroom.

Then, in 2021, I landed my dream job. I crushed it, I thrived in it, and I was canned. The fall to the bottom felt so far away.

Maybe this time I could do it different. Maybe this time I write a new story.

Breaking the cycle

When we start telling our story, we can begin to see the patterns that may need to be released.

I know people with a pattern of over-polishing, where the project or work is never done until it is perfect. And it is never perfect, so the world never sees it.

Then there are people who fall into a pattern of always thinking they need more and more education to feel like enough. And they never let their own ideas surface.

For me, I’ve failed to tell my own story and see my pattern of climb, burn, and recovery. But now that I do, I know I’m ready to break that cycle.

Baron Baptiste gives us actions to get the most out of our yoga poses in his book Perfectly Imperfect. But, as I read these words, I know he means more than building strength in our warrior two. Instead, we are building strength in how we approach our every day.

“If you want to reach someplace new, you have to do something different than you’ve always done. Same actions will only yield the same results. Authentic new actions occur only when the observer within shifts, bringing new possibilities into view.”

He says, “use new tools to empower your desired results.”

Our old tools of perfectionism, hiding behind learning and ignoring our stories keep our cycles the same.

Stay here if you want same old, same old results.

I don’t.

The new tools

The new tools are found within the new three R’s of reading, redefining, and reaching out.

These are the tools I have found useful as I’ve focused on personal growth over the last year, and ones I’m using today to build a business.

Read 📘

Reading (and listening) to books helped me discover more about who I am. And these are the ones that broke my shell…

• Quiet by Susan Cain

• Already Enough by Lisa Olivera

• Playing Big by Tara Mohr

• Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

These led me to journal to myself, to write to the public, and to take the leap to self-employment.

Now, I’m using reading to better my business growth skills. (Taking recommendations 😀!)

For you, it could be just starting. Picking up a book that is dusty on the shelf. Picking one that screams out to you (these are usually the ones you NEED).

Redefine ✍️

When we take control over the words we are using externally and internally, we begin to find that we can redefine our future. I did that by rewriting what success means to me. I followed Cal Newport’s advice and clarified what I wanted my future to look like instead of focusing on my job.

Look at what is causing your pain inside and how you can rewrite it to move with a positive step into the future.

Reach Out ☕

I've been sitting behind the computer for most of my career. Focusing on the doing, making action happen, and typing away my ideas. Now I know that it's time for me to connect on a new level. It's time to reach out.

I'm doing that by going to local events, talking to people person to person, and building strength with the people I already feel connected with.

How can we all reach out? It may be talking to one person, even a professional. It could be networking and finding new people that you can work with. Or it's telling our story through written or spoken word.

In Practice

I’m doing this all live in front of you.

I’m telling my story simply by putting the words down. No matter how drab, it’s time to get it out there. I know I’m not the only one that has and will deal with letdown, failure, and fear. Maybe, just maybe, I can help someone else.

And I know if I want to break my pattern, I need to start by reaching out. (Coffee date, anyone?)

Do you have a cycle you are trying to break?

3 Things I’m crazy about right now

🏫 Quinta Brunson on Oprah’s Super Soul

What Word Is That? 💬 New AI tool to help you come up with that one word you can never seem to get.

Heather Robertson fitness YouTube channel. 💪 I could do the 12-week program, but instead, I’m cherry-picking what my body needs.

+ I finished book #5, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo 👰💔😭💗

I know these zigs and zags are what brought me here today. Don't get me wrong. I love exactly where I am. And I have no idea what is in front of me.

Let's enjoy the ride.

Lyndee