I so agree with all of this - it's so easy to get disheartened and just give up, but I always remind people that on the other side of that feeling there's inspiration and excitement again. We just have to go through the motions sometimes...
Yes, maybe it feels easier to just totally slam the door and walking away rather than keeping it a bit open to see if the light returns… but that’s not always the right thing to do x
I think that the online business world is actually relatively new and it definitely operates differently to physical shops/products. So I suspect many of us who’ve worked in this way have deleted platforms and launched new ones a few times. It’s good to have an open discussion about it though so that we can see why this might work and why it might sometimes be better to keep the platform and just let it lie dormant awhile. X
Thank you for your candor and encouragement, Annie. Reading this resonated with me on many levels, as I share in the experience of having been a copywriter and then losing my work after becoming pregnant with my son. No, I don't want to be a mummy blogger either! This was the little nudge I needed today. Wishing you continued success and fulfillment with your writing! So glad to have found you here.
I'm so glad you're here. How shit that we both lost our jobs when pregnant? But sounds like we both fancy sticking a finger up and showing how we'll continue to rise, without those jobs... Ax
I've always been impressed by your boldness in deleting past selves. I am the opposite, always trying to keep my foot in the door whilst opening new ones.
Conflicted. I definitely think that sometimes in hanging on to things I don't allow the space to open for new and better. But I did manage to close one business fully around 2018 and I took over the Instagram account for a new thing in 2020. It was really, really tough to close the business, but eventually that feeling faded as it absolutely wasn't worth pushing up the hill.
I'm also excited to throw more energy into my long-running business again so I'm glad I still have it to return to!
This is it… When it becomes too hard to make it work, we have to make a call. It’s easy to look back and see everything as having been rosey, forgetting why it felt hard back then. Sometimes to end something fully and possibly have a little regret down the line is better than to desperately stay in it, pushing it uphill, as you say, and just struggling more and more. X
It's interesting how we're so keen to delete our former selves. Then, years later once we have perspective we think, damn I want that brave, creative person back!
YES!!!! And maybe it’s also once we move past worrying about what other people will think of us, our status and identity, and look at what really feels good in terms of how we work x
I so agree with all of this - it's so easy to get disheartened and just give up, but I always remind people that on the other side of that feeling there's inspiration and excitement again. We just have to go through the motions sometimes...
Yes, maybe it feels easier to just totally slam the door and walking away rather than keeping it a bit open to see if the light returns… but that’s not always the right thing to do x
Thank you - I'm new on here and needed your newsletter this morning - I really enjoy the writing and I'm excited to see where it goes.
Thank you
Needed to see this today, Annie as you have basically described me. Thankyou!
I think that the online business world is actually relatively new and it definitely operates differently to physical shops/products. So I suspect many of us who’ve worked in this way have deleted platforms and launched new ones a few times. It’s good to have an open discussion about it though so that we can see why this might work and why it might sometimes be better to keep the platform and just let it lie dormant awhile. X
Thank you for your candor and encouragement, Annie. Reading this resonated with me on many levels, as I share in the experience of having been a copywriter and then losing my work after becoming pregnant with my son. No, I don't want to be a mummy blogger either! This was the little nudge I needed today. Wishing you continued success and fulfillment with your writing! So glad to have found you here.
I'm so glad you're here. How shit that we both lost our jobs when pregnant? But sounds like we both fancy sticking a finger up and showing how we'll continue to rise, without those jobs... Ax
Hear, hear!
I did the same with my blog. It was a sustainability lifestyle blog and when I burned out, I deleted. It was a mistake :(
It’s so hard to have a clear head when you’re in that burnout stage… but hopefully we learn and do things differently another time x
I've always been impressed by your boldness in deleting past selves. I am the opposite, always trying to keep my foot in the door whilst opening new ones.
… and how do you feel about that now? Are you pleased that you kept your foot in the door? X
Ha. You are well-trained in coaching. :-D
Conflicted. I definitely think that sometimes in hanging on to things I don't allow the space to open for new and better. But I did manage to close one business fully around 2018 and I took over the Instagram account for a new thing in 2020. It was really, really tough to close the business, but eventually that feeling faded as it absolutely wasn't worth pushing up the hill.
I'm also excited to throw more energy into my long-running business again so I'm glad I still have it to return to!
So... conflicted. :-D
This is it… When it becomes too hard to make it work, we have to make a call. It’s easy to look back and see everything as having been rosey, forgetting why it felt hard back then. Sometimes to end something fully and possibly have a little regret down the line is better than to desperately stay in it, pushing it uphill, as you say, and just struggling more and more. X
Beautifully put. It is so easy to remember things as better/easier than they were! X
It's interesting how we're so keen to delete our former selves. Then, years later once we have perspective we think, damn I want that brave, creative person back!
YES!!!! And maybe it’s also once we move past worrying about what other people will think of us, our status and identity, and look at what really feels good in terms of how we work x
Exactly
Great advice on several things I would not have considered and surely made the same mistakes! Thank you for sharing.