Reorienting to your North Star ✨

Hi Reader,

If you've been reading my newsletters, you know I am going through a business revamp. My business is evolving. Eventually, it will not look or feel the same.

But I'm not quite there just yet. I'm in the middle, in the in-between of sorting things out.

The in-between can be really messy, but it can also be creative and fun. Creativity is messy, right? And that is the joy of it. We can't always see what we are creating until after we’ve created it.

Many of you shared that you are going through something similar.

So in the spirit of evolution, I wanted to share a tip that has helped me orient myself to my new North Star. It is the idea of owning your no.

I believe the best yeses start with nos. And when you’re considering what you want, it’s often easier to start with what you don’t.

Our nos evolve over time. Things that we used to enjoy, we might not anymore. Things that we were willing to do, we might no longer be willing to. A yes can turn into a no at any time.

✨ Here's the exercise: If you haven’t done so lately, make a list of your “nos,” your “not right nows,” and your “never agains." You might even add another column, which is “I can do it but…”

Personally, a lot of things fall into my I can do it but... list. Meaning, it's something I can do, but it's not necessarily something I want to do.

Truth be told, we can’t always do ALL the things we want ALL the time. But if we’re spending all our time on the nos and I can do it buts... life is not very fulfilling.

Just making the list is a very powerful exercise.

And if your brain is clamoring to figure out what to do about it, remind it that there are many ways to deal with the nos.

We can put a pause on something and agree to revisit it at a later date, we can take it off the table, we can even throw it out the window never to be seen again.

If it’s a necessity, we have other options. We might consider outsourcing it, or automating it. or asking for someone's help with it.

But you don't have to figure that all out yet. First, just own your no. And see how good that feels.

More to come,