Join 12,000+ online creators getting weekly actionable advice for growing a CALM business—one that is profitable, sustainable and fun! Is it possible to build a business that ALSO supports your well-being? Yes—and we'll show you how.
i stopped overthinking it ⚡️
Regardless of whether you're in the U.S. celebrating Thanksgiving or if you're one of our many readers around the globe, we hope you take a little time this week to focus on gratitude. Even when times feel tough, there's always a little light to be found when you go looking. 💗 - Caroline and Jason calm creator chronicles ✍️Stop overthinking, start doing👩🏻🦰👋: You know that piece of advice you’ve heard a thousand times but somehow keep forgetting? For me, it’s this: everything good in my work started simple and messy. I created my first online course using my computer’s webcam. My first batch of art prints? They were printed off at Kinko’s before I even knew what a giclée print was. I started posting my hand-lettered quotes on Instagram with a felt-tip pen and kid’s construction paper, which evolved into acrylic painting, which evolved into iPad painting, and eventually a book deal.
None of it was polished or optimized in the beginning—it was just done.
The problem is we live in a time now where the content and businesses most visible are the ones with the highest production value. The bar has been raised, and it’s easy to feel like you’re already falling behind before you even start. YouTubers with 10 million subscribers do the podcast circuit giving advice on hooks and thumbnails and lighting and brand deals—and trust me, I eat up their advice just like everyone else. But the truth? Most of that advice is about optimizing the last 5% of their craft. It’s the expert talking to the advanced. Meanwhile, beginners are left focusing on those 5% tweaks and forgetting the one thing that truly matters: Getting started. I love Ali Abdaal’s framework on this. He breaks it into three levels:
If you’re just starting something, the only thing you need to worry about is step one: get going.
This is especially top of mind for me right now as I want to get back to posting on Instagram again, both on my art account (@ckelso) and our WAIM account (@wanderingaimfully). I'm staring with my art account and this week I decided to stop overthinking it and just GET GOING. That means trying to post one piece of art at least every other day for a while. That’s it. Whether or not I decide to make fancy process Reels… All of that can be figured out later. Right now, it’s just about relearning the muscle memory of creating and sharing. Everything else is much easier to figure out once the wheels are moving. ⚡️ taking action: what are you overthinking?My question for you this week:
What are you currently overthinking in your business? Where are you worried about getting “good” or “smart” when all you need to be worried about right now is getting GOING. I encourage you to think about how you can close out the year by diving into that thing and getting something made. Publishing your first Substack newsletter. Finishing your simple landing page and sending it to a friend. Posting the TikTok. Filming the YouTube video. Putting up the buy link for your first digital product. I’m telling you, there is so much power and momentum to be found in finally taking ACTION on the thing you’ve spent so long overthinking about. Then, use that momentum to keep going until that muscle of creating is strong enough that you’re ready to “get good. We got this! We can start before we’re ready! If I can do it, I know you can too. - Caroline 👩🏻🦰 Thanks for reading! We pour a lot of love into these weekly newsletters, and we hope you can feel it! Did a friend share this with you? Subscribe here.
| |
Growing Steady 🐢 📊
Join 12,000+ online creators getting weekly actionable advice for growing a CALM business—one that is profitable, sustainable and fun! Is it possible to build a business that ALSO supports your well-being? Yes—and we'll show you how.
GS #37: 3 AI Prompts for Sustainable Content Creation What's ahead: Brainstorm audience-building ideas that don’t require being in content creation mode 24/7, design a content creation schedule that actually works with your natural energy and rhythms, and get tips for building a small-but-mighty email list engine. 👋 After a powerful Portuguese storm knocked out our Wi-Fi for five days, it's finally back and we can get back to business as usual without worrying if our little hotspot can keep...
GS #36: AI Prompts for Repackaging, Recharging, and Resilient Revenue Streams What's ahead: Switching things up for a 4-week experiment to bring you AI prompts that "calmify" your business. 👋 First off, a huge THANK YOU for all the love on last week’s baby announcement! We’ve been slowly making our way through your messages, and just know—every kind word has meant the world to us. We feel so supported and loved by this community! This week, we’re also trying something a little different for...
GS #35: The only constant is change What's ahead: This week, we’re talking about change—why embracing evolution isn’t just necessary, but the key to long-term stability in both life and business. You’ll get ideas on how to adjust your offers to align with shifting market trends, and how to embrace the season you’re in instead of resisting it, and a reminder to systematize what IS stable in your business when everything else is pivoting. 👋 We are BACK to our regularly scheduled programming,...