Because it’s Friday AGAIN. And because traditions are important. In which I cover the good stuff and the hard stuff in my week, trying for the non-preachy, non-annoying side of self-reflection.
And you get to join in if you feel like it.
Snow snow snow snow snow snow snow!
Tramp tramp tramp tramp tramp tramp tramp!
Slurp slurp slurp slurp slurp slurp slurp!
Okay, that’s it for the sound effects. Let’s do this thing.
The hard stuff
Going to … “the next level”
So yeah, I’ve always completely despised the expression “take it to the next level“.
It sounds so icky and marketing-ey. And boring.
It’s that thing they tell you you’re supposed to do when you’re sitting at some awful SBA seminar with a bunch of suits.
But several months ago I looked around at my business and realized that whoah, everything was completely different now. It was a new level.
And now I’m shifting into yet another one. And it’s weird.
Not growing pains, exactly. More like a headache. It’s like realizing that your kid is actually a teenager and has a driver’s license and really, you should stop making him go to bed at eight.
Stuff I’m not good at.
Working on the Next Big Thing has forced me to do two things that are challenging for me.
1. Farm out way more stuff than I’m used to.
I already have two assistants and a designer. On this project I’ve brought in a consultant and a project manager.
It’s weird, is all I’m saying.
2. Do things I don’t excel at.
I’m a big believer in letting other people do the work that you’re not good at. But in this case, it’s my vision and no one else even knows what it’s supposed to look like.
Which means I spent a lot of time this week doing a lot of strategic planning stuff and explaining stuff and taking on all sorts of other things that I find incredibly frustrating.
My gentleman friend came to the rescue more than once with acupressure, pep talks, emergency yoga sessions and piping hot comfort food, but man, this was a really hard week for me.
The good stuff
Not being sick anymore.
Turns out winter is way more fun when you’re not all headache-ey and sniffling.
You can bake bread! And make squash soup! And do yoga by the fireplace!
I even ventured into the wild, for which I’m sure you will be very proud of me.
My gentleman friend and I put on our boots and went crunching through the snow and admiring icicles and such.
We walked all the way to the cozy living room of Dana the Spicy Princess (not for anything spicy, just to hang out because we love her), and we walked to the co-op, and we jumped up and down on frozen puddles.
Good times.
Also we walked thirty blocks to see a film on Christmas. Awesome.
Teaching.
The course I’m leading based on our Blogging Therapy series is So. Much. Fun.
Honestly. I can’t believe what a great group we’ve got and what terrific stuff is coming out of it.
I’ll update you later on some of the exciting things people are doing, but for now just rejoice with me. Amazing people. Good learning. Big progress. Pleased as punch.
Hot sauce!
They had homemade hot sauce at our co-op. Like, very homemade. Possibly in a basement.
It’s called Bad Monkey by Picklopolis. And it actually says on the label: “Does not contain monkey”.
So of course we had to get a ginormous bottle and put it on everything this week.
I could not be happier.
A note from my teacher!
As some of you know, my teacher spends half the year meditating in a monastery in the Himalayas, a couple months in the Ukraine and then the rest of the time traveling around the world teaching.
So I don’t get to see him (or ask him questions) anywhere near as often as I’d like to.
Getting a New Year’s blessing from him by email was really unexpected and so so so made my week.
It is impossible for me to imagine my life without him in it, but let me just say that if we had never found each other, I would not be doing what I am now.
Nor would I have most of the information that I have to share. Nor many of the qualities that make this space what it is.
Selmakkah.
Really, who doesn’t like a festival of lights?
Because my duck is totally into it. Picture at the end of the post.
That’s it for me ….
And yes yes yes, of course you can join in my Friday ritual right here in the comments bit if you feel like it.
Yeah? Anything hard and/or good happen in your week?
And, as always, have a glorrrrrrrrrrrrious weekend. And a happy week to come.
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havi!
i love how you are always up and posted by the time i get to my book…and me on the east coast you on the west…hmmm, must have something to do with the miracle of living in digitopolis.
and i made squash soup this week too! all part of my grounding project for finishing up the last lunar cycle of the year. got a luscious 90 minutes massage, took several slippery snowy walks in lots of the loveliest parks of boston. had some great afternoons with rowan.and continued to manage the trials and tribulations of homeless housesitting.
and i do want to thanks you for a couple of things, seeing as it is years end and a good time for that sort of thing. thank you for being find-able, and then once found for being so right out there—transparent and vulnerable and all of that…and so willing to share what you have learned along the way, and to offer credit for how and from whom you learned it.
you are my web 2.0 guru and i am so happy for the time i get to sit at your feet sipping tea and wondering who does your toenails and where they got those cute metallic selmas, each one sized perfectly for the toe it graces. oops! and i revealing the inner secrets of sanctum sanctorum?
peace out, havi.
see you next year!
chas
chass last blog post..the myth of these tough economic times
Havi, I love that you share your challenges and triumphs as you stretch and grow into the Next Level (yes, I know the phrase is hackneyed and blgghhh . . . but can’t think of another right now). Seeing you shape your Next Big Thing is inspiring precisely because you’re so open and real about what it entails for you.
When I hear you talk about the steps you’re taking to get from where you are to where you’re going, I clap like crazy and cheer you on and get very excited for you. Hooray, hooray, Havi!! And, as a big bonus, I also begin to see a path forward for my own business.
So you, my dear, are not only biggifying your own business, but also bushwhacking for the rest of us, making it easier for us to hike that next trail. Thank you so much for that, for your loving, compassionate presence here on your blog and in the world, and for all the sharing, wisdom and support you offer in so many different ways.
Happy Friday, and lots of love,
Hiro
Hiro Bogas last blog post..Happy Thanksgiving, Baby
Thanks for the support, guys. Happy Friday, indeed.
I totally see my own biggification as a process that I’m trying to model as I do it. So that’s awesome that you guys can see that.
@Chas – Squash soup! Is the best.
@Hiro – yay, biggifying it up! Thanks so much for your sweet, sweet words.
Selma is excited too, I can tell.
If I walked 30 blocks, the only thing I would be able to look at would be a freeway on-ramp.
Well, okay–maybe not in *every* direction.
Glad you’re up and at ’em again. Selma totally needs to step up the merch next year and have a SELMANORRAHâ„¢. I am half-(non-practicing)Jewish and I would totally get one. At, you know, a price.
Enjoy the rest of your wintry break. Keep leading the way in ’09, intrepid Havi: I’m right behind you, I swear!
communicatrixs last blog post..417 reasons to wake up NOW
Hard stuff: a cold hit right at the beginning of the week. So with everyone visiting and stuff going on, I spent a lot of time lying on the sofa moaning.
Other hard stuff: parents visiting and other obligations, the anticipation of which makes me kind of crazy with “what if” scenarios, having arguments in my head, etc.
Good stuff: I spent 2 (count ’em) evenings with my parents and did not once feel like strangling anyone. None of those weird arguments that I imagined happened. All was good. Who knew that talking politics was the answer. Well, maybe it wasn’t but it worked.
Other good stuff: spending Christmas day with friends and just enjoying all the love and support. And inviting a woman from church who was going to be alone and that working out fine (and she clearly enjoyed herself and was so glad she could spend the day with us). Despite my cold and my friend’s migraine (a whole week of), we had a good day.
And then yesterday we went snowshoeing on our new snowshoes. Very nice. We now have Portland weather (grey, drizzling) on top of snow and I’d like you to take it back. I should be cold and sunny here. 🙂
JoVEs last blog post..Happy whatever you are celebrating
@JoVE – sorry to hear about your cold! I’m also up for the weather exchange. I miss the drizzly.
And am thrilled/astounded that you found your way out of awful family arguments … by talking politics. Whatever works, I guess.
@Communicatrix – awesome. You do realize now that I’m obsessing over the concept of the SELMANORRAHâ„¢. That is pretty depressing. I mean, fantastic.
It’s not easy having a famous duck. Everyone wants a piece of her.
And there are so many ways to branch out … SELMANOPOLYâ„¢ SELMANICDEPRESSIONâ„¢ SELMANUAL LABORâ„¢
Someone make me stop!
Hey there darling girl ( and…. oh how could this be possible…. even more darling duck),
Yes, yes right there behind you as you move to the next level? The bigger pond? the farther reaches? the higher ground? to infinity and beyond?
Whatever you want to call it it sounds great and hoppy and exciting and like it ‘s going to be a whole lot of fun and a whole lot of helpful to a whole lot of people. Can’t wait to witness the grand unveiling!!
And why should you ever, ever stop with your branching out with new and improved SELMAGNIFICENCEâ„¢ products to help us on our business as a spiritual practice journey? I’m sure that we could all use a SELMUDRAâ„¢ or a SELMANTRAâ„¢ that would spur us on to not only greater and greater biggification but the pinnacle of achievement SELMAGNIFCATIONâ„¢!!!!!
( I see what you mean. This is positively addictive. I’m going to stop now.)
Love you tons,
Chris
chris zydels last blog post..PAIN FREE CREATIVITY: YOU DON’T REALLY NEED TO SUFFER FOR YOUR ART
Eeeeeeee.
Picture of Selma.
My heart beat faster.
*eyes with hearts in*
.-= Andrew Lightheart @alightheart´s last post … How to be less grumpy =-.