Last year, after a whole lot of gigs, travel and hustle, I found myself flattened with mono and some very taxed lungs. I was down for the count. “Making time to heal” became my sole/Soul focus. I had to make some changes.
So, here’s the message I sent to my team. The end of my rope was a beautiful turning point.
. . . . .
Loves…
So… I’m not turning into a sunbeam of radiant health and hotness as quickly as I’d hoped. This mystery virus BS is testing me in every way. And… I know it will pass and I’ll be stronger than ever. I swear. I’m crazy strong and my creativity is f-cking boundless. And (!) my lungs are getting clearer and stronger.
The “pushing through it” approach isn’t working. Like, duh. When I really slowed down over the holidays, the fever subsided and my energy increased. I’m going to make a few tweaks/declarations to help me get through this. I’ve got to call in a few favours for soup delivery, and ask my mom to fold the laundry once in a while. Basic.
So this…
- Consider me on the clock from 12 noon to 5, Monday – Thursday. I just need that psychic space around expectations. I will definitely check email before and after those times, but the idea is that if I need to sleep ’til 10am, I can do it without guilt. OF COURSE, text, viber, email at all hours. And if you need an answer NOW, just say so.
- For email subject lines, let’s do this: instead of saying “2 minutes” for me to review, just write when you need an answer, i.e TODAY, TUESDAY, NO RUSH. That’ll help me focus. [Part of this virus stuff is brain fog. It’s real. And really annoying.]
- I’m going to focus on answering non-creative emails (business ops, media stuff) on Tuesdays. That’ll be my buffer day.
- I’m going to do more voice memos for my responses. Fun with voice memos! And forgive me in advance if email responses are briefer and have fewer “xo’s.” I’m aiming for super simple.
- Angie, Vic, Dee… let’s move [X project] to [X month] (please bear in mind Mercury retrograde dates).
- ON THAT NOTE—let’s REALLY bag the idea of a launch rhythm for [X project]. If y’all want to re-org the launch sched, let me know.
- Dee, for sure no interviews for a while—but I’m still a yes for [X interview] when they are ready to schedule.
I got this, because we got this.
Love love love,
D
PS: Creatives & Career lovers! I’ve got an e-list called Hey! FireStarterPeople! I mail 1x a month to fan your entrepreneurial flames. Simple. Hopefully useful. Try it out HERE.
Danielle LaPorte is an invited member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100, a group who, in Oprah Winfrey’s words, “is uniquely connecting the world together with a spiritual energy that matters.” She is author of White Hot Truth: Clarity for keeping it real on your spiritual path—from one seeker to another. The Fire Starter Sessions, and The Desire Map: A Guide To Creating Goals With Soul—the book that has been translated into 8 languages, evolved into a yearly day planner system, a top 10 iTunes app, and an international workshop program with licensed facilitators in 15 countries.
Named one of the “Top 100 Websites for Women” by Forbes, millions of visitors go to DanielleLaPorte.com every month for her daily #Truthbombs and what’s been called “the best place online for kickass spirituality.” A speaker, a poet, a painter, and a former business strategist and Washington-DC think tank exec, Entrepreneur Magazine calls Danielle, “equal parts poet and entrepreneurial badass…edgy, contrarian…loving and inspired.” Her charities of choice are Eve Ensler’s VDay: a global movement to end violence against women and girls, and charity: water, setting out to bring safe drinking water to everyone in the world. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her favourite philosopher, her son. You can find her @daniellelaporte and just about everywhere on social media.
