I tried something new in the newsletter last month and asked if people would like me to make it a blog post so they can come join the fun, and a lot of people said they’d like that. But then I thought: what should we call it?
I finally settled on bonfire (with Marissa‘s help). It’s a time for us to kick back, tell tales, and share experiences in the warmth of a community of compassionate, creative folks. I hope you’ll grab a seat as I share what’s been going on for me in February, but before I start…
It’s Time For A Monthly Review
Take a few minutes to think about the following questions:
- What were the big accomplishments from last month, and what would you like to accomplish this month?
- What slipped last month that you’d like to either let go of or pick up this month?
- When’s the last time that you’ve truly rewarded yourself, and when’s the next time that you’re going to do it?
On (3), set a date. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth planning to do – especially if you don’t have a habit of doing it.
If you’d like some flexible support around your goals, you might want to check out the free planners.
Now, onto…
Celebrations!
The Really Big Thing for me this last month was the Lift Off Retreat with Pam. I’ll contain my excitement in this particular post because I’ll share a more in-depth recap, but here’s a brief rundown: Community + Creativity + Compassion + Commitments to Change the World = one kick-ass retreat. You missed out if you weren’t there.
I had high expectations for the event, but it exceeded those by a long shot. All modesty aside, I’ve done some pretty awesome things in my short thirty years on this planet, but it definitely sits up there in the Top 3. There will be another one in August – start saving and get in line.
I set a goal to guest post once per week in February, and wound up writing much more than that. Some are still pending, but, in case you missed them, here’s where you can find the published posts:
- The One Thing You Have To Know About Sales Pages
- Mid-Launch Lessons Learned: Q&A With Charlie Gilkey
- 8 Ways To Work Smarter and Be Happier
- 8 Reasons You’re Not Getting Many Comments
(In case you’re curious, I wasn’t trying to stick to 8 on those last two posts. Those were just what came to mind.)
I made a lot of new connections this month – I think a lot of it had to do with releasing the planners, but the guest posting has helped. It’s so cool to meet new people and share your gifts with them. If you’re new here, thanks for coming to join the party, and I look forward to sharing with and learning from you!
The blog didn’t grow as much in February as it did in January, but that’s okay. This community has always been about quality instead of quantity, and many, many quality connections blossomed in February. That’s a win, folks!
I know I say it all the time and I hope it doesn’t dilute it, but thank you for the support you’ve given me in and the blog. Success is a social phenomenon and I can’t do this alone. Thank you for helping me share my gifts with the world.
Lessons Learned
With every success, there are new challenges and lessons-learned. Most of these lessons are one’s I already learned at some point but needed life to reinforce the message. You’ll hear me say this every month precisely because I’ve learned that there are always holes for me to fall in.
In case you didn’t know or forgot, I seriously overcommitted in January and that was a long month of renegotiating commitments with my friends and partners. I thought I’d cleaned everything up, but the second- and third-order effects of deferring, delaying, and dropping stuff came up this month. It’s always those that you don’t see when you’re overwhelmed!
Lesson Learned: It’s better to under-commit up front and plan from there than to overcommit and deal with the second- and third-order effects of overcommitment.
I used to be much more effective at email management, but I lost some of my effective habits in February, or, to be more clear, as my online presence has grown, my ability to manage email correspondence diminished at about the same time as I’d been recovering from the overcommitment. As a result, I didn’t write as much as I’d like to and my writing wasn’t as good. Holistically, I managed to keep the ball rolling pretty well, but I’m definitely looking forward to writing more.
Lesson Learned: Email is a poor slave and a great master. Be careful how much of your primetime you give it – it has a cost.
What’s In The Oven For March
This is going to be a busy month for connecting and consuming, as I’m going to SxSW and Wealthy Thought Leader. We’ll also be putting our house on the market – we’re almost sure that we’re going to go the FSBO route. As a result, I’m not planning on creating a whole lot.
That said, Johnny and I will be tuning up the Jam Sessions this month so that it’s more clear what it’s all about. Here’s the short story: imagine Johnny and I talking about the ins and outs of starting your online business. Add in our friends like Naomi Dunford, Dave Navarro, Tim Brownson, and Elizabeth Potts Weinstein (and others who we’ve somehow swindled into talking to us in the future). The end result of all this is a fun, informative series of conversations that’ll help you get your business groove on.
Keep your eye out for a product that Jonathan Mead and I have been working on for the last couple of months. It’ll be focused on how to do more of the stuff that matters and less of the small stuff that you’d rather pass on.
And then there’s the book. Resistance and Creative Doubt tag-teamed and went guerrilla on me last month – see above – and won the month of February. It’s highly unlikely that it’ll get done this month, but letting you know what’s going on with it at least keeps me accountable. It also lets Resistance and Creative Doubt bask in glory, but that’s okay – the war is not won and I have not yet begun to fight.
Coaching Update: If you’ve been thinking about working with me and would like to do it during March, head on over to my coaching page and grab your sessions. I’ve got the capacity for two new clients who need regularly scheduled meetings and I tend to book up quickly after conferences. If you sit on the fence too long, you might be sitting there longer than you’d like.
Now It’s Your Turn!
That’s my time in front of the fire. Now it’s your turn!
What are you celebrating? What were your lessons learned? What Really Big Things are you working on? Come share with us so that we can learn and grow together. (No hard pitches, please.)
Just remember that you can change the world. I look forward to next month’s bonfire to see what all you’ve done!
Well, last months achievement kinda ran over into this month - I made 5 suits for Paloma Faith & her band to wear on her tour. They were delivered today & I'll be honest, I'm glad to see the back of them.
You see, I am terrible at being organised, and these suits unfortunately wouldn't make themselves. I didn't realise that unitl 4 days before they were due. I kept putting htme off & putting them off, until I got myself in a terrible state.
I wouldn't change anything at all though. It has been a great lesson. I knoww aht to expect for the next big order, I know what my strengths are, and what I need to work on, so this month, I intent to work on organising myself. I only recently discovered your wonderful planners & have found it a great help to plan my days down to the last detail, that way I do get things done, and every time something is checked off my to do list, I feel a great sense of achievement, even if it is a minor thing like 'write blog post' ;)
As a starter business, I still have an awful lot to learn, and although the project turned into something of a nightmare with me & my partner both losing sleep, me having massive panic attacks and not eating, I have definately learned something from the experience, and it feels wonderful knowing that I have completed such a big project that the customer is happy with!
I have been spending so much time sewing for this project, that it has become a chore, so my next project is a treat for myself - I'm going to make myself a dress to wear for my birthday. Ok, so maybe that's not like a treat for some people, but it is for me!!
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