The quick Friday restock
Oh, hi friends!
Who else takes stock of their entire week today?
This week was actually an exciting one: I finished up the second journal and it’s off to the printer! I sent off a proposal for my next project! We moved forward on a few Life projects! Good stuff is happening.
Of course, there were also disappointing moments. I heard back from a playwriting conference that I did not pass go, I will not collect $200, and I was not invited to attend this year.
And this bummed me out!
We often hold space for the potential. What might happen. And now I have to let that potential go.
One piece of advice I’m sharing in the new journal deals with coping with failure. I tell everyone (and myself) to write and send a thank you note to the opportunity that turned you down.
It’s strangely cathartic and helps you reposition a failure into a moment of gratitude — for instance, I’ll realize I’m glad I wrote that personal statement, had a play to submit, and got my work in front of new eyeballs.
So after I press send on this newsletter, I’ll write and send a thank you — and then move on with my life.
I get to reclaim that space I was holding.
If you’re taking stock of your week and need to let something go, give it a try.
Let me know how it goes.
"According to Seneca, the Greek word euthymia is one we should think of often: it is the sense of our own path and how to stay on it without getting distracted by all the others that intersect it. In other words, it’s not about beating the other guy. It’s not about having more than the others. It’s about being what you are and being as good as possible at it without succumbing to all the things that draw you away from it. It’s about going where you set out to go. About accomplishing the most you’re capable of in what you choose. That’s it. No more and no less.
By the way, euthymia means tranquility in English."
— From Ego Is the Enemy, by Ryan Holiday
I’ve thought a lot this year about this book written by my friend Heath Brockwell. It’s called 10 Ways to Improve Your World, and it’s a beautiful, inspiring, speedy read that reminds me to put on my chunky headphones, water my plants (eek!), eat more fruit, and take a walk. Download it for free here!
Btw, if you want to see something amazing, here is a jaguar getting a root canal. (h/t you-know-who...OK, it's Colin. The animals always come from Colin.)
Do you like these daily emails? Please share with a friend!
You can also support my work by checking out my motivational journal, Do It For Yourself, designed to guide you through your creative and work projects, and my upcoming journal Do It Today, which encourages you to find time for the things that matter most to you.
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara