How to set up your week for success
Oh, hi friends!
New week, fresh start! I’m trying to remain focused on my big goals this week and thought stating them here will create some good accountability.
These are the “brass rings” I’m reaching for — in case you didn’t know where the name of this newsletter comes from, on old-fashioned carousels there used to be brass rings that riders would try to grab when the carousel horses bobbed up and down. Hence the phrase (that’s not repeated very often anymore) “grabbing the brass ring,” which was used synonymously with “reaching for your big goal.”
So here are my brass rings for this week:
— Edit and get up a bunch of great stories at MONEY (Monday through Wednesday)
— Attend and cover the 10th annual Women in the World Summit at Lincoln Center. You guys, I'm gonna see Oprah!!! (Wednesday through Friday)
— Finish manuscript for new secret project — more info soon! (Due next Monday)
— Work on last assignment for the BMI Workshop, we’re writing a musical scene for the end of “Death of a Salesman”. It is not a comedy song. LOL.
— Continue working on my final BMI project, a 10-minute musical, to be presented in June.
These are all good things! I need to remember that on say, Thursday, when my brain has turned to mushy peas.
I also need to remember to move the ball ever so slightly forward on longer-term projects (like the BMI stuff) during a week full of time-sensitive deadlines.
Most urgently, I need to keep up the deep work practices outlined in Friday’s newsletter, otherwise this is gonna be a sinking ship, my friends.
Now that you know the intricacies of my week (thank you for listening), what are the brass rings you're reaching for this week? Take a second to think about 'em — and feel free to reply and share with me!
Nothin’ but blue skies.
Photo by João Jesus from Pexels
“You have to practice your art even when no one is listening. And most of the time they're not.”
Are you focused on your audience? Or your practice? How can you practice your art today?
This quote is from actor Billy Porter, and it’s advice from his mentor George C. Wolfe. I scribbled down this quote while listening to the “Kinky Boots” episode of the podcast Broadway Backstory — my new obsession. I whooshed through all 16 episodes in the last few weeks; each hourlong podcast tells the story of how famous musicals got to the stage. SO GOOD. And informative. You know I love creative process…
Your Dreams, Realized
I wrote about flying to Las Vegas a little while ago to attend my friend Selina’s wedding. No Elvis impersonators, but there were thousands upon thousands of flowers, a Drake video booth, and her beloved dog Cola walking down the aisle. Selina has always inspired me to dream big in every part of my life — and she leads by example in making her visions come to life in both work and play. You’ve gotta watch this sneak peek into her wedding!
Do you like these daily emails? Please share with a friend!
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara