You’re Either Growing or You’re Dying
This blog was originally shared as an email to my beloved newsletter subscribers on January 30, 2024.
How boring is your routine?
A few years ago when I lived in Miami, my routine was pretty air-tight.
Sleep, eat, and work during the week, and go out with friends on the weekends.
The typical schedule of any extroverted professional in their mid-20s living in a major city.
It was a fine cycle to be in, one that was fun yet predictable.
Until that cycle repeated itself one too many times and I felt my routine was as stale as 3-day old Italian bread.
I looked on one of those apps like Eventbrite for something exciting to do, but different from my typical shenanigans.
What was something that I’d never done before and was unique to this city?
Salsa! 💃
When in Rome right?
I remember being SO nervous on my way to the studio…
What if I’m the only one in there who really doesn’t know how to dance?
What if I look stupid?
What if I step on my partner’s toes?
I stepped out of the car, walked inside and the nightmare began.
I was literally the only one who didn’t speak Spanish;
The instructor had to spend extra time teaching me in front of 25 other people;
& my dance partner had way too much experience for her to be stuck with a beginner.
By all accounts, this experience should have been one of the most embarrassing moments of my life…
Except that on the way back home, I felt AMAZING.
Pero why?
Because even though I sucked at it, I was able to work up enough courage to try something new for the first time.
And getting out of my comfort zone was the reward in and of itself.
Do you remember the last time you did something for the first time?
Like eating food from a cuisine you’ve never tried before;
Visiting a place, either close by or far away, that you’ve never been;
Or speaking with someone you’ve never talked to before.
If nothing came to mind, no worries because you’re in a pretty big boat with lots of people!
So many are caught up in their daily and weekend routines, that they don’t try anything new.
I don’t think it’s for a lack of trying, but more because there’s no extra time in their schedule.
But if there is a little wiggle room in your schedule, what’s stopping you from shaking things up a little bit?
You can go to that restaurant with the exotic cuisine, not like the food, and then you don’t have to ever go back.
At least you pushed yourself out of your cozy little box and embraced the possibility that it may not be your cup of tea.
The real question then becomes, will you stop at this one meal, or will you keep trying new cuisines?
Spring is a season of growth and abundance.
Its a time to start fresh like the first flowers popping through the snow.
The fourth and final piece of artwork in this Seasons collection conveys exactly that, and is titled ‘Spring.’
Far too often, I see people try something that they’re really excited about for the first time, but it doesn’t work out in their favor.
They just accept the fact that this thing just isn’t for them and give up trying.
Imagine yourself in a situation like that salsa dancing excursion I was on.
When you do things like that by yourself, you become more comfortable being uncomfortable.
Your social anxieties wither and your self-confidence GROWS.
Trying things for the first time, going somewhere unknown, or putting yourself out there is what your seasons of Spring are all about.
When you’re nervous about planting seeds of change, just take one look at these bountiful tulips to remind you of how incredible that new version of you will be.
Would you enjoy personally addressed messages like these delivered straight to your inbox [once] every week?
Emails are my preferred form of communicating with you, where I can really let my personality shine and how I can connect with you authentically.
I also know my words are reaching you every time I type them (vs. the off-chance that the social media algorithms get me in front of you instead.)