But first, a little backstory…
As you may have gathered – either from the Substack stories I’ve shared so far, following along on Instagram, or maybe you’re from my OG newsletter and caught my deep-dive three-part update the week after Thanksgiving – I’m in the midst of throwing myself into A LOT of new things at the moment:
looking for full-time work after five years of freelancing;
starting this Substack publication and podcast;
going skydiving (a week from today, actually!!!);
signing up for my first full triathlon (taking place next June);
and changing how I view and approach dating after 11 years of being single and being absolutely exhausted by it…
Basically, if anyone knows the challenges of flipping their life upside down, starting over and being a beginner again, it’s me.
And let me tell ya, friends, it ain’t easy, especially as you get older and become more stuck in your ways or afraid to make a change…
So I wrote us a poem – a reminder really – on the importance of trying new things and digging through the messy muck of our fears and self-doubt, saying to hell with our worries over what people might think, embracing the suck of sucking and trusting that it’ll all be worth it in the end.
Hopefully…
I think…
TBD.
Okay, without further ado, onto the poem…
Trying New Things
Invite some play, invite some fun, invite some challenges where there might otherwise be none.
Be daring and bold, trusting and nimble, willing to fail and happily humble.
For trying new things means being a beginner, a novice, an amateur, and making mistakes is inevitable – the only thing we can expect for sure.
But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try – in fact we must – as it’s through those mishaps that we find who we are, what we like (or don’t) and how to trust.
In the process, in ourselves and in our curiosity that beckoned us to try that thing in the first place. To start, not knowing where it would lead, welcoming its challenges with perhaps a hesitant, but warm embrace.
The little spark that caught our eye, the whispered voice that piqued our ears, the deep down desire to try something new…it’s there for a reason. Guiding us toward discovery, creativity, growth and opportunity – these are just a few.
But you have to be willing to set aside your “what if I’m no good” woes. You have to be willing to start, before you can see it through. Then slowly, patiently, watch as improvement – and hopefully joy – begins to show.
Oh what a marvelous, beautiful, challenging thing indeed to begin anew.
Shortly after writing this poem, I came across the following quote from Atomic Habit author James Clear’s 3-2-1 Thursday Newsletter and I loved how it frames what it means to be an amateur:
"You say 'amateur' as if it was a dirty word. 'Amateur' comes from the Latin word 'amare', which means to love. To do things for the love of it."
Source: TV series “Mozart in the Jungle,” via James Clear’s 3-2-1 Thursday Newsletter
Speaking of being an amateur, here are a few more “new-to-me” things I’ve been trying lately:
Shuffle dancing 💃🏻 …seriously!
Truthfully, I first intended to learn choreographed jump rope – and even bought a few – after being amazed and inspired by Lauren Flyman’s story (she’s @lauren.jumps on Instagram), but kept feeling like I didn’t have time to fully lean into and learn all the techniques with a jump rope, so instead I started shuffle dancing. And I’m not talking crazy choreo either – not yet, at least. I literally just put my earbuds in, pick a song from my Shuffle Dancing playlist on Spotify (see below) and move my body intuitively, somewhat mimicking what I’ve seen shuffle dancers do, but mostly looking like I’m trying to get a bee away from me. And you know what, it’s a blast! Am I going to be the next shuffle dancing internet sensation? No, definitely not. I’m simply doing it for the love of dancing.
Sharing my writing and launching my podcast on Substack 🎙️
You guys, I really am an amateur at this and truly figuring out this platform as I go, which is so unlike me and is the opposite of how I’ve approached similar endeavors in the past. But that’s the point. I didn’t want to “wait until I was ready” or had become an “expert” on how to use Substack, because I knew if I did, I might never launch it. So instead, I’m completely winging it and building as I go. My About page isn’t finished; the font, layout and color scheme are all the standard offerings that are built in when you start a Substack, which is totally customizable BTW and perhaps someday I’ll jazz it up, but for now, it works; I have no logos or branded header images; I have no idea what the “welcome email” says when you subscribe; and I’m recording my podcast episodes on my phone without any fancy equipment or software. Trust me when I say that as a professional marketer and branding expert with more than 15 years in the field, it is NOT EASY for me to show up “unpolished,” but what I truly care more about with this space is sharing my stories and connecting with all of you over real, meaningful shit. That’s what really matters to me and is why I started How’d I End Up Here in the first place – the beautiful branding and flashy bells and whistles can wait…
Coloring my own hair with Madison Reed 💁🏻♀️
After nearly four years of embracing the gray, I’d had it. Changing my hair had always been a way for me to shake things up, especially when feeling stuck in other areas of my life, so not having that creative outlet (and let’s be honest, control) was challenging. After experimenting with temporary colors for 10 months and donning just about every color of the rainbow – pink, magenta, red, orange, rose gold, blue, burgundy – I decided to take the DIY plunge into permanent dye this past August and I’m FREAKING LOVING IT! Truthfully, I was feeling old with my gray hair, so it’s no coincidence that the month I turned 40, I covered them up. And honestly, I have ZERO regrets. I’m so glad I went on the “going gray journey” (which you can read about on my blog) and equally happy to be coloring my hair again…but on my terms. Madison Reed has made it so easy to do at-home hair and I cannot recommend their products enough! (P.S. this isn’t in anyway sponsored, but if you do want to try it and you like saving money – who doesn’t?! – here’s a referral code for $15 off your first purchase: https://refer.madison-reed.com/Sadye).
Playing with makeup 🎨 (i.e. trying new techniques that work for my “wiser” eyes, wink wink)
of WHOORL is one of those women and has amazing makeup tutorials and a few gems (like this one) that are geared toward gals like me with naturally hooded eyes that are becoming even more so with age. All this to say, I’m having fun playing with makeup and exploring new ways to make my eyes pop, while also learning to embrace all the wisdom (fine lines) that comes with getting older…
You guys, I’m 40 (ICYMI, haha!) and my eyes aren’t as bright and bushy tailed as they once were…sigh. After feeling frustrated that my typical go-to techniques for applying make-up were no longer working, I started looking to other women of a certain age (i.e. 40 and over) who have seemingly mastered the art of makeup for mature eyes and playing around with the tips and tricks they’ve offered.
Share this post