Hello and Welcome to the Creative Playground, Reader! Pull up a chair, grab a coffee, and let’s see what becomes possible when we revisit, remix, and reimagine what’s already right in front of us. Because sometimes the next opportunity isn’t something new. It’s seeing what you already have differently. Looking for a previous issue? They are all available to read on my website. ~ 🎨 ~ We were supposed to come home Monday. That was the plan. Sunday morning, Hubby, my son, my sister and I left bright and early for a little getaway in Jackman, Maine. And even getting the four of us there was a bit of an accident. My sister and I had talked about doing something together since spring, but somehow there was never a pocket of summer that worked for everyone. Then a couple of weeks ago, my son spent the weekend at her place and came home disappointed about one very important thing they’d forgotten to do: Have a fire in the backyard. 🔥 So when my sister said she could free up some time to make up for it, Hubby jumped in with another idea. Why not come to Jackman with us? That way, my son wouldn’t have to choose between Auntie + marshmallows and ATVing with Dad. Problem solved! We hit the trails Sunday morning, stopped for a picnic by a lake, and made it back to the motel early afternoon. Hubby headed out for another ride while the three of us went to the lake. My son and I went swimming anyway. 😂 And that evening? We FINALLY had the fire. Technically, mission accomplished. We were supposed to sleep, wake up Monday morning and head home. Except… None of us really wanted to. So we looked at each other and did something wildly rebellious: No big debate. The experience was telling us we wanted another day. Monday became a scenic drive to Greenville, wandering through little local shops while Hubby continued farther on his own to hunt down a Stephen King filming location, meeting back up for beautiful mountain scenery around Kokadjo, and then heading back to Jackman to enjoy a beautiful sunset by the lake… But you know what I’ve come to realize since we got home? Sunday night, I could have looked at the original plan and said: Jackman. ✔️ Instead, we got to the end of the plan and realized… Who said this still has to be the plan? And I wonder how often we forget we’re allowed to do that elsewhere too. Especially in business. We decide what a successful week should look like. Then life changes. We change. The experience gives us new information. And somehow we’re still standing there trying to match everything to the answers we decided were correct three months ago. Then this silly idea popped into my mind: Except this one is for creative business owners 😆
That’s where I am right now. Earlier this summer, I had ideas about how much I was going to move forward in my business before September. Some of it happened. And this week is our last full week together before Hubby goes back to school for prep week, followed by my son heading back the week after that. So I’ve changed my answer. For these last little pieces of summer, family mode is my default. That doesn’t mean I’m banning myself from my business. Please. You know me better than that. 😂 If something sounds fun, interesting or worth exploring, you’ll probably find me poking at it. But I’m not interested in forcing myself to finish August according to a definition of winning I created earlier this summer. The experience has given me new information. I want another day. Or, in this case… So I’m curious: Is there anything you’re still trying to match to an old definition of “winning” simply because that’s the answer you originally wrote down? P.S. No, there’s no answer key for the matching game 😆 Draw one line. Draw five. Add your own answer. Change one tomorrow. Send a line completely off the page if that’s where your version of winning happens to be right now. We’re making our own rules around here! Feel free to share with me if you feel like doing so. . === . NOTE: I’m moving things around in the backend to make room for a new project. Can you help me spot “bad experiences” regarding my site, your members’ area, communications, or whatever? I would really appreciate your help with this! It will make it so much easier for me to fix and improve everything that needs attention. Thank you! === . Disclosure: From time to time, I will include links in the emails that would include promotions for my own products or affiliate products, meaning I get paid when you buy the product. However, I only ever mention products I love and would recommend whether I was being compensated or not. Always use due diligence when buying anything and remember, what works for me may not always work for you! Thank you so much for your support of Stephie The Happy Mom! To make sure you keep getting these emails, please add [email protected] to your address book or whitelist us. |
August 19
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