It’s been a week and a half since I quit my full-time, 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. job to make a go of it on my own as a small business owner, and I have felt panicked at least once every day. I don’t say that to scare anyone. It’s just a new experience, and that’s where I want to start with the first ever What I Know Wednesday.
What I Know Wednesday is a weekly round-up of thoughts, ideas and recommendations from the desk of Leah Jarvis. As any writer worth their salt has heard, the best advice for writing is to write what you know. This is what I know. . .
Grace in New Experiences
Whenever I try something new that I don’t immediately get right, I want to scratch the whole thing and start over. A new workout regimen that requires 10,000 steps every single day? Out the window it goes if I miss a day. A coffee date with a new friend that I’m five minutes late to, I’d rather cancel. Alarmingly, it doesn’t only touch new things. I have torn up beautifully written and meaningful notes to people I love because I misspelled something and couldn’t live with it being scratched out.
That says a lot about me. I would rather throw something away than risk someone knowing that I’m not perfect. Maybe you feel that way, too?
Kevin and I were talking about how exciting my new business venture is and how much more life I have in the hours of my days. I couldn’t help admitting that I feel like I’m a fraud or that I don’t know how to do something or how I think I’m not doing enough. He stopped me and said, “Leah, it’s been a week. You’re not going to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company in six days.”
I couldn’t argue with him, and I realized I wouldn’t want that scenario even if it was possible. I’m at my best when I’m learning new things even if I feel like I can’t control it. Here’s to giving myself grace in new experiences and learning to walk before I run.
Why They Call It the Blues
I revived my post-grad go-to Tuesday night plans last night with AMC’s Discount Tuesdays. Seven bucks to see a movie in a comfy recliner with heated seats? Yes, please.
I didn’t have any expectations going in to see Rocketman because for as many Elton John songs I know by heart, I knew relatively nothing about him as a person (and there were a ton of songs in the movie I had never heard).
I left the theater feeling sad that he had to go through those things in life — though some of his woes were self-inflicted. I guess that’s what I get for loving another generation’s music.
It’s worth seeing, but I don’t think I’ll watch it again. Taren Egerton definitely stole Rami Malik’s rockstar reenactment lunch money, and if costume designer Julian Day doesn’t win all the awards next awards season, that would be a shame.
Quotable
“It’s the stuff we’re not aware of in ourselves that has the power to control us.”
— Bishop Michael Curry, as quoted in the most recent issue of the Harvard Business Review
A Playlist for June
Last year, I rounded up all the songs that caught my attention in a given month in its own playlist then made a giant year-end playlist to listen to after Christmas. I liked that I could hear the mood I was each month when I relistened.
I fell out of the habit of doing that this year, but I started a playlist for June last week.
Give it a listen if you’re looking for a poppy mix of summer tunes and 90s nostalgia. That feels like a good lane to be in these days.
What I’m. . .
- Reading: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
- Listening To (book): Tomorrow There Will Be Sun by Dana Reinhardt
- Listening To (podcast): 10 Things to Tell You with Laura Tremaine (Skincare)
- Cooking: Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup (Why Kevin wanted soup in June I will never know)
- Baking: The Greta Cookie (Sugar Cookie Squares) by Christina Tosi
- Knitting: Finishing up a gift knit (!!) and the Hue Love shawl using a beautiful Sugarplum Circus fade kit