Happy Thanksgiving week! And that means … you!
I usually distrust holidays—more on that further down—but this one tends to be a pleasant exception. So with that in mind, I want to extend my low-key version of celebration and appreciation to you, wherever you are and whatever you’re up to out there.
A few notes today while the world is shopping online…
1. A short message of gratitude.
Whenever I write or say things like this, I worry that they sound trite or dumb, like a brand sending you promotional messages on your birthday because they love you so much. But I’m just going to get over it because I am a person, not a brand. And I’m also a very lucky person.
I get to write! And travel! And work on fun things. And I pretty much do what I want most of the time.
Granted, it’s fortunate that I like to work, and I like to make projects that are ultimately helpful to other people—but still, this is a charmed life.
So in case I haven’t said it recently: thank you for being part of my world, and for letting me into yours.
2. “Your sensitivity is a gift,” video edition:
I posted a new Reel this morning that’s a video version of one of the most popular posts of the year from this newsletter. Click through to watch it:
If you missed the original post from February (where does the time go??), you can read it here.
2. “What does relief look like?”
It’s a question I’ve been thinking about lately. You could also ask its opposite, “What does anxiety look like?” and work back from there—but would you arrive at the same answer? I think it’s kind of like the antifragile concept, where there is no obvious word in the English language for something that is the opposite of fragile.
Or maybe it’s something like this:
Relief is when you think something very bad is going to happen, and then it doesn’t. You imagine the worst-case scenario, and something much better actually happens.
Relief is when you’re worried and then you realize you don’t have to be. (Well, you can still be worried about some things, but the worry is mitigated somehow, and then you realize how much better you feel compared to how you used to.)
Another thought: sometimes when I’m anxious, I imagine the sense of relief. I think about what it would feel like, physically, to be less concerned, pressured, or stressed. It’s not really a hack or trick—it’s more like a thought exercise that can sometimes be helpful.
3. A reminder about the holidays: this is a hard time for lots of people.
As I shared a few weeks ago, this time of year is tough for a lot of people.
And of course, other people are perfectly happy. That’s great. It’s not about raining on anyone’s parade—just understanding that we all process emotions at different speeds, and everyone’s situation is different.
Just keep it in mind in case something gets hard. And also keep it in mind when interacting with people. ❤️ 💚
4. Even when I get a little depressed (seasonally or otherwise), I’m also excited about some things. One of them is my new book!
In the announcement post the other day, I didn’t say much about the book itself. Honestly, this book was so much fun to write. It’s book #9 for me, but I feel like I both made a lot of progress as an author this time and I felt personally challenged in writing it. I really can’t wait to share it with you next year.
So … that’s great. Which leads to:
5. It’s been a fun year and I’ve taken some risks and I like that.
Writing these posts for you each week in 2024 has been a great way to focus much of my year. I’ll have more of a recap on the project next month, and I’ll let you know what the plan will be moving into the next year.
In a couple of weeks I’ll also be doing my Annual Review, and if you’re new to my world, I’ll explain what that looks like and how you can do your own version of it. (Does that sound like a sales pitch? It’s not meant to. The Annual Review is completely free and open to all.) 🙂
Getting back to risks: Some of them have turned out well; others, not so well. But along with the general theme of the post and the week, I’m (mostly) happy about it all.
I’ll be back with you again on Friday as usual, in between deleting emails from every retailer I’ve ever shopped at.
Until then, I’m wishing you pie and merriness, or no merriness at all if you prefer (I still recommend pie. Here is a picture of an apple crumble one that looked good to me.)
P.P.S. No comments on today’s post, but we’ll resume those on Friday.
P.S. As mentioned at the top, we just opened Early Bird ticket sales for NeuroDiversion, an all-new event that will be held in Austin, Texas next spring. I’ll say more about it next week, but for now: I’ll be hosting a creator call on Tuesday, December 3rd for anyone who has questions or would like to learn more.