Welcome to Issue 68 of Writing and Other Stuff. I’m Kim Scaravelli, popping into your inbox every two weeks with advice on branding, content, and creativity. Not a subscriber yet? Let’s fix that: subscribe here.
😩 I'm learning new stuff... and it's EXHAUSTING!
Lately, I’ve been deep in the trenches creating my first free email course. Claim Your Voice will be jam-packed with advice, exercises, and templates to help folks DIY their professional brand voice, and I’m psyched to get it up and running.
But I’m also frustrated, over-whelmed, and stressed.
I’ve had to figure out a zillion things about my email platform (hello, Kit!). I've fallen behind on other stuff. And my work-life balance has become decidedly UNbalanced.
If this were a movie, I’d cue the montage...
🎸🎶🥁 An upbeat track with a heavy backbeat would take over, and I'd power through this whole process in under a minute!
But in real life, there are no montages.
Nothing worthwhile happens in minutes. There’s no inspirational soundtrack. And while you’re focused on juggling one plate, another might fall.
If you’re like me - trying to learn something new and dealing with the mess - It may help to reassure yourself that the situation is temporary. The plates might wobble, and a few might crash, but hey... That's what brooms are for!
Embrace the chaos. It’s a natural part of progress. (😂 Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.)
Cool quote
"The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.”
B.B. King
When to Outsource and When to Figure It Out Yourself
As much as I love learning new things, I’ve learned the hard way that just because you can do it yourself doesn’t mean you should.
Time, money, and energy are finite resources!
When something worthwhile requires new skills, I ask myself:
- Do I want to learn this?
- Will I use these skills again, or is this a one-and-done?
- Can I handle (and afford) the short-term chaos?
📣Being selective isn’t about taking shortcuts. It’s about working smarter, so you have more time for what matters - whether that’s your clients or your sanity.
| QUICK QUESTION: How often do you tackle learning something new in your work life? |
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Stuff Worth Sharing
In case you're thinking that this whole "learning new stuff" idea is over-rated here's a fascinating article on The Mental Health Benefits When You Learn Something New.
🏆Definitely made me feel good about all the hard work I'm doing right now!
For the Word Nerds
In Japanese, Shoshin (SHOW-sheen) means "beginner's mind." It’s a mindset rooted in approaching learning with openness, curiosity, and no preconceived notions. The goal is to foster JOY in the learning process.
Personal observation: Joy is cool and all, but if Shoshin could throw in some patience while I wrangle my email platform, that’d be EXCELLENT.
Thanks for reading. See you again December 11th.
In the meantime...
🎁 If you're looking for holiday gift ideas, check out Making Words Work. Books are easy to wrap - and even easier to download!
🎉And if all this talk of LEARNING has inspired you to work on your professional brand voice... YAY! Book a free 30-minute chat and let's get started.
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