Star-seeded speed bumps

As you might have gathered by now, I adore astrology. I think it a large part of it stems from never having a “normal” job. One with set hours and deadlines and goals that someone will actually acknowledge if you hit. I’ve always looked for a sense of “Monday’s” or “Saturday’s” outside of connecting them to those actual days.1 Astrology gives you unlimited opportunities for to start, restart, pause, push the gas. It’s always a full moon! new moon! somethings retrograding! something finally went direct! That’s my favorite use, personally. To give some flow to my days, weeks, months. I also just adore the long history of it all, the connection to mythology, our need to make understanding of what exactly is going on up there and how does it affect us.2

This is a very rudimentary explanation of what we have going on currently that I hope no knowledgeable astrologer reads but here goes- we are in a very turbulent part in the astrological journey of the year. When I listened to my year ahead cosmos forecast by my favorite astrologer and aspirational business owner, Chani, in January, the giant flashing red stop sign month of the year was April. We are in a month long “Monday.” We have our eclipses layered on top of a Mercury retrograde in the sign of Aries which is a very fire-y fire sign. Basically, expect things to break technologically, tempers to flare emotionally, and general chaos to ensue globally. But, as a glass half full kinda gal, I know during these times where you simply cannot go on as business as usual is when the very best changes can happen. You have to reach out to your customers in a new way because platform XYZ is glitching. You have to come up with backup plans that end up being better than the original plans. You have to take a step back from a relationship person because their true colors popped outside of their mask of a persona. The gift lies in being forced to view things from a new lens.

It’s fascinating to view changes rolling out in real time via the instant online world where we see people’s lives playing out every single day. A key theme I have noticed is people tolerance for BS seems to have taken a nosedive. There is a sense of hey, I’m exhausted and I can’t make my life look glossy anymore so can you do me a favor in joining me there? A trend I saw pop up very timely in socials this week was “social media is fake” followed by a vulnerable round up of current fears and struggles. Normally these are pretty cringe, and I’m sure there were a lot that were, but the few I saw were pretty spot on. Maybe it’s a part of my delulu nature I have been cultivating or lack of the ability to even make my life look aesthetic because my gift is in words, not in making said words visually appealing, or simply that I am getting older, but I am thrilled for this hopefully lasting trend. I believe when we are pushed to the brink, which the cosmos seems to be doing for some, is when we have to really shed what is no longer serving us. What we would jettison if the ship’s going down? For me personally the extra baggage going overboard first is: self doubt, comparison, forcing things that aren’t ready, holding things that are ready back because they aren’t perfect, holding back that kind word because I might sound like a creepy super fan, to name the ones that come top of mind.

Whether you believe that the cosmic changes have any affect on us or not, I invite you to take permission to get rid of what you don’t want with you on a desserted island. Look through a new lens. Change a habit. Make a new one. Reach out to someone you admire. Stop hate following someone you don’t admire. Lay on the ground and contemplate the meaning of life when your website crashes (pulling from a real scenario this week). Whether or not the planetary movements have any hand in adding these or not, I can’t see the harm in pretending there are greater forces that want you to lean into a more authentic version of yourself.

Here are a few breaths of fresh air I have admired this week.

1. This interview with the owner of a large urban garden company on The Cut. I didn’t pull out any key takeaways, or words of wisdom, or a quote worth grabbing to repost. And yet that was the beauty. It was so refreshingly normal. And relatable. More of this please.

2. This is one of those social media posts I was talking about. I resonated with so much when you live in the day trading world that is the attention economy. But especially poignant was “I have a hard time balancing gratitude for what I've accomplished and my drive for more. This leaves me feeling discontent

   because no matter how much I make, I want to make more to prove to myself that

   I can be the best and I often lose sight of all the amazing things I've accomplished” Starting a second act after having early success can very quickly make you feel like you are a one trick pony. It’s hard to look back at what I have accomplished in the past without a little voice saying “yeah but that was then, the world is different, you are different, you have kids now, you have never worked in B2B or tech, blah blah.” Reminders that others feel the same is so validating.

3. I am still fully in my Fred Rogers era and I adored this perspective on slowing down and appreciating a small community via the Mister Rogers viewpoint. One of my favorite insights:

   “One of the most powerful gifts you can give someone is your attention — to truly see and hear them. This is something Fred Rogers was known for. People would say that when talking with him, you felt as though he was completely present in the conversation, as if no one else in the world existed.

   So often, we are encouraged to focus on gaining more followers, more subscribers, and vie for more likes online from strangers. The goal is is presented as numbers alone, not meaningful experiences and engagement. I have spoken to writers and artists who have tens of thousands of followers and tell me they have no idea who these people are or what engages them. They feel woefully distant from knowing what to share to engage these people.

   Yet I find that when you focus on the people right in front of you, magic can happen. Having 100 followers can be incredible if you truly engage with them.”

And that’s a wrap for this week, pals. Hang in there, and if the chaos gets you down just remember you are one of my most very favorite people. Let me know what you are throwing into the proverbial dumpster fire this month!

I LOVE THE EMAILS THAT SAY YOU HAVE A NEW SUBSCRIBER ON SUBSTACK SO MUCH.