November in Review
"A is for agitated," a busy month of work . . . adaptability + diversification, Substack vs. blogging, + more.
I went for a facial on Monday, and my facialist (I see Anna, btw . . . she is amazing!) described my skin as “a little bit agitated.” I laughed because the same could be said for my state of mind.
To fix my skin, I’m laying off actives for a week or so and sticking to a very gentle creamy cleanser + a rich but gentle moisturizer (FYI, I love The Outset when my skin is upset). Fixing my attitude is going to take a little bit more work . . .
My attitude is not so great at the moment. November felt like it was six months long. It is wild to me that the election took place less than a month ago. That just can’t be?
This month was a mixed bag. To use Anna’s words, I was “agitated” for a lot of it. I was stressed leading up to, and then upset/shocked/mad (insert a range of emotions) about the election result. I was stressed about work. I was tense, I was mad, I was tired . . . I threw myself into work and feel like I didn’t really look up from my computer until Monday (two days ago). As a result, it was (financially) my best month of work in fifteen years, which is something I didn’t see coming. But I burnt myself out a bit too. I’ve been having headaches, and I feel very distracted, and I think it’s because I’ve been spending entirely too much time on my phone.
Read on for:
Adaptability. On being an “old dog,” + finding longevity in this business.
The economics of my best month of work (in 15 years!) and what that looked like. Percentages, not dollar amounts.
Substack vs. Blog.
Personal updates. (Spoiler alert: this part is not very interesting!)
This Old Dog is Still Here!
Sometimes, I feel like I am waiting for something bad to happen. People are going to lose interest, the “bubble” will burst, and I’ll be exposed for the fraud I am: a big dummy who just got lucky.
My imposter syndrome is showing, and I constantly feel like a washed-up old blogger, someone who is ultimately talentless but lucked out; shape-shifting and adapting along the way. I know this isn’t true but I also don’t know that it isn’t true?