We make ambition easy.

Hey Reader,
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At 2:05am last week, I awoke with a startling thought: "What would I grab if there was a fire?"
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At 5:50p last night, it became a reality.
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TL;DR: We're safe. The apartment is fine, and Phoebe Cat is a trooper.

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But I've discovered that I'm not as responsible as I would've liked.
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My immediate instinct was to take my childhood stuffed animals, whereas my wife Ashley went for the passports, birth certificates, and other important family documents.
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She's been roasting me all day and while I'm slightly mortified, I also still *slightly* stand by my choice. After all, childhood stuffies are irreplaceable while passports are merely annoying to replace.

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The issue I'm grappling with is: what does this choice say about me? That I'm more self-centered than family-oriented?
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There's a part of me that wishes I'd been more pragmatic, just like the part of me that wishes I were more disciplined. More "adult. More resposible.
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Which brings me to this Sunday's Session, the second of four events I'm hosting in January to help you prep for a better year.
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I'll address what to do with these parts of ourselves we don't love.

Things like perfectionism, procrastination, self-doubt, and self-centeredness. The "bad habits" and disempowering thought patterns that disrupt life as we desire to experience it.
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I will share a five-step plan you can easily integrate into your every day that will change how you see and interact with these parts.

This plan will help you develop the self-compassion and self-resilience to face whatever fires may come...or are already here.
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It's free to attend and includes a recording so click 👇

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Register

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Now go get paid.

x Claire
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PS I love to hear from you so reply if this resonated! Also, pay it forward by sending this email to someone who needs to see it.

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In this week's newsletter:

🛠️ Tools for a Better Work-Life: Get unstuck and unstressed.
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✍️ Ask Claire: I address a subscriber who harbors a secret desire to be a writer and an artist, but keeps letting fear get in the way.
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🎧 Podcast: A live recording of How to Reach Your Goals, a framework I shared during the launch of Prep for a Better Year.

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🔦 Job Seeker Spotlight: Meet Angela Reeder, a self-described superpowered tech geek (aka Web Developer) turned developing cybersecurity specialist.

🛠️ Tools for a Better Work-Life 🛠️

Hands down, the best way to tackle your to-do list without overwhelm/stress. Learn more

Weekly 10-minute action plans to build a critical skill for a better work-life. Learn more

Personalized support to get you moving faster to reach your goals more easily. Learn more

Eavesdrop on real coaching sessions as clients navigate tricky work situations. Subscribe

"I have a secret desire to be an artist and writer, but I’m afraid to make my creative self my main self." -Anxious Artist   Ask Claire

Dear Anxious Artist,
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It's interesting you say you want to make your creative self your "main self." I believe your creative self IS your main self, it's at the core of who you are and what lights you up.

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Which is precisely why you're scared - and rightfully so! When you take the thing you hold most precious about yourself and expose it to the world for judgment... it's a raw, vulnerable, scary place to be.

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Because failing isn't just about what happens to your bank account.

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It's about what happens to your self-esteem. Your burden is what a potential failure says about you, your identity, and your worth.

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You've added to your burden by keeping your desire secret. And the problem with secrets is that they fester - and you along with it.

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Let's face the fear head-on: imagine you give yourself one year to make your creative pursuits your main source of income. List out all potential "what ifs":

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• What if I can't sell anything?
• What if I get stuck?
• What if I suck?
• What if I'm a one-hit wonder?
• What if I make a decent living but never "hit the big time"?
• What if the pressure to monetize my passion makes it...no longer my passion?

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👉 Will it still have been worth it to try?

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I think what you actually desire is to center your creativity more in your life. Assigning income to it is a way of centering it; it's also a huge task and too big of a leap.

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A roadmap to change requires an action step small enough to take. So instead of asking how to make your creative self your main self, ask yourself this:

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• What is currently in my way of spending more time and energy being creative?
• Based on those obstacles, what is in my control and/or ability to impact?
• What are sustainable habits I can develop that will make it easier to continue to center my creativity?

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After you map all this out, estimate reasonable timelines on everything and put them on your calendar. As you strengthen your creativity muscle, you'll gain energy and who knows, maybe some money.

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In which case, the leap to full-time artist won't be so much of a leap after all.

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In a situation? Get guidance.

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A live recording of the event I led on how to select better goals that set you up for follow-through success. Make sure you listen to minute 27.02 where I coach an attendee who feels overwhelmed by what to tackle first.

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Listen to the episode

🔦 Job Seeker Spotlight 🔦

Angela Reeder

Connect

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​MY WHY: I want to analyze and mitigate cyber threats and contribute to a team where I can grow and make a meaningful impact.
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​DREAM OPPS INCLUDE: Junior Cyber Security Analyst, Junior Email Phishing Analyst, and Junior Malware Analyst.

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A CAREER HIGHLIGHT: A career highlight includes helping clients understand and take ownership of their websites, giving them the tools and knowledge to protect and expand their online presence while building strong, lasting relationships.

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SOMETHING HARD I'VE DONE: Something hard I did this year was to help a client untangle themselves from a website host who refused to let go of their site. The developer had included hosting in the build package and when they decided to move to a different host they realized they didn't have access to their site. It took a lot of back and forth and we ended up rebuilding part of the site from scratch but it was so good to know that my client finally had control of their own site. They were happy and I was happy for them.

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HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT ME: You can help me by connecting with me on LinkedIn, helping me network, and/or anything to help get my resume in front of an actual person. Those AI systems are ruthless!

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Connect with Angela

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