Some thoughts as this year comes to a close and we take time to be with our loved ones over the holiday season.
Anyone following me over the years probably noticed that this year I began sharing a lot more about my business and life.
Sharing your life publicly requires you to refine what is the purpose of the very thing you have created. Why are you sharing it? What do you want people to learn or do as result of sharing this information? Of course, in business and life much of what is created is done as a means of advertising your services. But I learned this year that something as seemingly simple as creating videos, writing Substacks, making pithy comments on Twitter, and sharing my life publicly forced me to look much deeper at my own inner life—my purpose in creating and sharing.
Earlier this year, I felt pulled in all different directions. Trying to get all the content done, run my business, be a good wife, community member, church parishioner, dog and cat Mom, chicken owner, aspiring homesteader, and do it all with the right hair, makeup, and outfit (because I’m recording it and will share it later). It’s no accident that many of the books I read this year focused on topics like “solitude” and “doing less” and “you are enough.”
Half-way through 2023 I found myself failing to enjoy much of anything because I was too busy getting onto the next thing. I can remember the moment I realized I was doing it all wrong; that sharing my life with others was not supposed to be a check-the-box exercise. It was when I was sitting in a meeting with a client who was telling me something deeply personal and all I could think about was how I needed to end this meeting so I could finish creating a video. This is not what life is about. Life is not about getting all the things done and looking fabulous while doing it—it is about creating human connections and sharing pieces of ourselves with those around us.
We are not just productive creatures trying to churn out tasks so we can take on more tasks; the human heart is motivated by much more than monetary needs. No, the human condition is a desire to help ourselves and others become the best version of ourselves and we do this by sharing.
So I leave you with this, for all of you in my life who shared any story, thought, fact, or part of themselves this year—thank you, you made me better. And if I was able to create or share something that helped you become a better version of yourself, then I just might be on the right track.
I wish you a wonderful holiday season surrounded by loved ones and feeling hopeful for the New Year.