Let Go of What’s Weighing You Down
The Rundown—January 2022
Here we are at the end of January, and we’re off to a great start if you’re into global pandemics, economic uncertainty, and a general sense of exhaustion/overwhelm.
Earlier this month, we talked about uncertainty and how to turn it in your favor. I was reminded recently that uncertainty is sneaky and fundamentally shitty when my water bottle spilled in my backpack and fried my laptop.
Now, I plan for uncertainty—I have cloud back up; I have insurance that covers the laptop… but sometimes there are those curveballs that you don’t anticipate even when you think you have everything covered. Curveballs like the vast majority of my personal photos being stored in an obscure part of my computer that wasn’t connected to the cloud backup service…which are now gone.
At first, I felt pretty devastated. Those photos encompassed pretty much all of my high school and college years. Years from which I have fond memories. But as I thought about it more, I realized I hadn’t looked at those photos in years, and I didn’t really need them.
I was reminded of my mantra for December 2021:
What got you here won’t get you there.
Leaning into uncertainty sounds great on paper, and you can do everything possible to bet for curveballs, but creating an antifragile life means that you also understand when to let things go, whether it’s a failed business idea, a former version of yourself, or hundreds of photos you’ll probably never look at again.
There are so many reasons why we hold on to things that we no longer need—we can’t accept that they failed, we’ve built our identity around them, or we think we’ll need them later. The thing is, it’s hard to be nimble when you’re holding onto so much baggage. The more you can trim the load and let go of what you no longer need, the easier it will be to pivot quickly and embrace new ideas.
Think about where the dead weight is in your life and cut it loose as you move into February.
Your future self will thank you.
The Rundown—January 2022
What I’m Reading
I just finished Think Again by Adam Grant. I’ve read so many of Grant’s books and this one does not disappoint. It gives practical examples and tons of research on why and how to unlearn and rethink everything we do. If you’re reflecting on this month’s theme of becoming antifragile, then this book is perfect. Being antifragile means you’re constantly rethinking what you believe to be true and keeping your mind open to new possibilities. This sounds simple and I think many of us think we have open minds, but Grant demonstrates how hard it is to truly welcome being wrong and rethinking our most fundamental truths.
“We favor the comfort of conviction over the discomfort of doubt,”
― Adam M. Grant, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know
If you like this book I’d also recommend Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, which is a more in-depth look at our two systems of thinking, why we can’t trust our intuitions, and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking.
“Our comforting conviction that the world makes sense rests on a secure foundation: our almost unlimited ability to ignore our ignorance.”
― Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow
Resources
Free Workshop: Marketing and Negotiating for Introverts
Blog: Four Ways to Let Shit Go
Article: I Would Bet My Ass That These Freelancing Skills Can Make You Some Serious Money in 2022
Hustlers in the News
Let’s Bring Great Business Education To Every Freelancer: Here’s How
Freelancers Continue To Run Risk Of Being Out Of Sync With Labor Market
Future Workforce Report 2021: How Remote Work is Changing Businesses Forever
© Sarah Duran 2022
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The Obvious Disclaimers…
This information is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and shall not be understood or construed as, professional advice. What you decide to do with this information is up to you and all repercussions are on you.