💌 What’s happening this week:

• I wish I knew this about pivoting

• Journaling prompt: 

• Does high ambition = workaholic?

• Prioritizing ‘me-first’ goals

• A digital spring clean 🧹️🪣

My friend Molly and I had a conversation earlier this week about our ‘pivots’ in business and life. We talked about why we decided to pivot, what the process looked like, and also what we wish we knew about pivoting.

Molly asked me a question that’s been stuck in my mind ever since…

“What is a mantra or phrase you return to when you’re feeling stuck and like you want to give up?”

Oh gosh, that question really made me pause for a moment and mull over the answer because I honestly don’t know IF I actually have a mantra or phrase.

The question brought me back to my adult gap year and the very strong feelings of uncertainty I felt throughout. I was SO stressed and felt so much self-impossed pressure to ‘figure things out quickly’ or ‘make things work’ that I was stuck in-between what worked in the past and trying to figure out what would work in the future.

I wish I knew this back then, but that in-between feeling of not knowing and continuing to show up for myself during my pivot is where the magic happens ✨

I wish I had known that uncertainty is not a ‘negative thing’ (well, within moral reasoning and you know, not life/death situations). Uncertainty was actually like a gift in disguise because if I had slowed down even more and really took in my adult gap year for what it was, instead of trying to shape it into something productive, I would have seen that…

The uncertainty of that year gave me:

🌱 Room to play and create without the pressures of monetization

🌱 Time to explore new ideas and projects

🌱 Space to think (and maybe overthink)

🌱 Courage to let go of things no longer working for me

🌱 A spark of creative freedom to experiment and learn

All of those things wouldn’t have been possible if I didn’t have UNCERTAINTY. If I ‘knew what would work or what would happen’, I probably wouldn’t have dedicated time, energy, and resources to testing out new ideas and instead tried to optimize every part of that journey.

Anyway, back to the question that my friend Molly asked me…

The phrase I return to often when I feel stuck and like I want to give up in my pivot - whether it be business or life - is that sometimes the in-between moments are boring, hard, not glamorous, and definitely not aesthetically pleasing like social media makes them out to be. THAT’S OK. If I can find small joys throughout the in-between phase, that’s all I need.

I hope you can find small moments of joy or acts of joy in your in-between phase, too.

And of course, if you want to be part of a community of others working towards a more intentional life and learning to balance ambition with joy - doors to the Plans to Progress Lounge are open for you. I hope to see you inside. 💖

✍️ THIS WEEK’S JOURNALING PROMPT

“My 10 favorite activities as a child.”

I LOVE this journaling prompt, even though the first time I did it, it was actually really hard for me to make that list. I’m not sure when I became so obsessed with my ‘output’ in society and how my ‘worth’ was tied to how much money I make or what I’m doing. When I get in my head about that, I return to this journaling prompt to remind myself of all the favorite activities I enjoyed as a child and then choose one to do - not related to work, not related to ‘output’... just doing because it is fun and something I loved.

💻 THINGS THAT STUCK OUT TO ME ON THE INTERNET

• HIGH AMBITION + BIG GOALS: Does having high ambitions and big goals for yourself mean you’ll always be a workaholic? I get real vulnerable in this reel, sharing how most of the time I need to be careful so it doesn’t = workaholic.

• Q2 INTENTION SETTING SESSIONS: My client and friend, Sara, of Stargazed Studio, is hosting a Q2 intention setting this weekend! She’ll be guiding us to create intentions for different purposes using Oracle cards, our intuition, and journaling! All members of the Online Presence Library are invited to join.

• YOUR MOST UNHINGED ADVICE: There’s a trend on TikTok where folks are asking others for their most unhinged advice on all different topics. I’m LOVING this unconventional way of doing things that are petty, hilarious, and life-changing at the same time. Here’s one of my favorite videos from the trend - read the comments for the good stuff!

🗓 PREPARING FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

🌻 GOODIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED

How I organize my digital files (phone and desktop) | Spring digital cleaning & decluttering 🌷🌞🧹️🪣

Digitally declutter with me on my phone and desktop! In this video, I share my digital decluttering routine and how I organize digital files on my phone, desktop, Google Drive, and hard drive. I found that being a Creator and business owner, I have a lot of digital files floating around, and it was looking like a hot mess - so I found a checklist and system that works for me to keep everything organized.

🤝 HOW TO WORK TOGETHER

Want to work together to create time and space for intentional connections? Here are a few ways to do that through marketing support, journaling, and education.

• 📓PLANS TO PROGRESS MEMBERSHIP: A quarterly membership for big dreamers to intentionally plan each month with the accountability to transform your ideas into actionable steps and projects. Join us inside the Lounge here!

• ⭐ SIGNATURE BRAND & WEBSITE DESIGN + COPYWRITING PACKAGE: Get 2 brand strategists on your team to elevate your brand visuals, website, and messaging. We have 2 spots open in March to start. Learn more and apply here.

• 👀 WEBSITE AUDIT: DIYed your website copy and want to get an expert’s feedback and edits? Book a Website Audit and get feedback on what’s working and where to improve in just 2 weeks.

Just a reminder that slow and steady progress in any pivot is still progress!

I’d love to know if you’re in a pivot of your own or working on something new - if you’d like to share, HIT REPLY and I would love to hear about it.

Anyway, logging off now because I’m spending the day as a couch potato and planning for a pilgrimage this summer with my partner, uncle, and 3 cousins who are flying over to do this trek together.

Until next week…

💖 #stayfierce,
Cassandra