It's April?
Let's have a quarterly check in!
Alrighty, we’re 3 months into the year and it’s time to revisit the 6 F’s and how we’re progressing…
1. FINANCE: No property bought yet, but once I get my taxes filed my next focus will be getting pre-approved for home loans!
2. FITNESS: No races complete yet, but I’m registered for one in May and on the lookout for another in the summer or fall!
3. FUN: No paintings done yet, but I have my art supplies ready to take action next month!
4. FAMILY: No new places visited yet, but I have trips scheduled to 3 new states this summer! All of these are related to work (but happening with friends), so I’m still looking for a new state, province or country to visit just for fun later in the year.
5. FUTURE: Not at 500 followers yet, but am approaching 100 between newsletter subscribers, Instagram and Twitter followers. I’ll have some more time and energy to expand that reach over the next 2 months.
6. FAITH: With $200 raised, that puts me at only 3% of my goal so far. I still plan on donating my own money, but am optimistic I can gain some traction with the crowd-sourced fundraising as well. I want to starting narrow my options of where the money will go, so please comment below or reply by email with your charity or non-profit suggestion!
Learnings from the first three months of the 2023:
JOY - I like doing this.
Writing makes me pause, it makes me think, it makes me communicate and it allows me to connect with people. Those are all the reasons I started, so I’m exciting to continue committing to that process!
GRACE - There are seasons for everything.
The past few months my focus has been on work. I haven’t spent the time I have wanted on working out, cooking, cleaning, getting out into nature, painting, financial growth, and getting involved in my new community. However, I’m really proud of the impact I’ve made at work. The time and energy has been needed there in this season, so I’m learning to give myself grace in not being able to do it all. Maintaining balance is hard. Setting boundaries is hard. As spring arrives, I’m going to work on shifting the balance, boundaries and focus to other areas for this new season.
AUTHENTICITY - Being yourself is what resonates most with people.
I’ve had multiple readers reach out saying they’ve felt the authenticity in my writing and that is what has inspired them. There are people who have known me my entire life that have said they’ve learned something new about me through the newsletter and they feel like they understand me more. This isn’t because I’ve been fake previously, but I haven’t always been comfortable expressing my feelings. Putting my thoughts out there is making me more comfortable showing my full genuine self. I’m learning more about myself AND learning how to better communicate things that are matter to me.
Intentions for the next three months:
I’m doubling down on my core values.
CONNECTION - It’s about people.
I wouldn’t be anywhere without the communities that have supported me. I want to make those communities stronger and build new ones by sharing my story, discussing important issues and hearing the thoughts of the people I care about, as well as connecting with new people that I can love on, learn from and serve.
LEARNING - It’s about growth.
I want this platform to educate. I want to share my experiences to create conversation. I want each newsletter to encourage people who have had similar feelings, empower people who needed a push to get out of their comfort zone or challenge people who haven’t heard a perspective like mine before.
IMPACT - It’s about service.
I don’t want this to be about me. It’s not about getting likes, going viral or being all talk. I want to my words to make an impact. I want to take action on the things I’m learning. I want to serve the communities I care about.
Live different. Lead different.
Sincerely,
Clare
Comment below or send me an email with your charity suggestions!
I will pick the fundraising recipient by July :)
Hi Clare, As always you have provided lots of food for thought. I like the way you have assessed where you want to go and where you’re at and realize that it’s challenging to balance all the components. There are so many worthwhile causes which would benefit from your fundraising efforts. As you know I favour the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign which works with grandmothers in sub-Saharan Africa to support their initiatives in area such as maternal health, gender issues, HIV education and grief counseling to name just a few.
Clare, Since climate change presents an immediate existential threat to our planet I suggest donating your funds to an organization that strives to educate us on the impending disaster and how best to prevent further damage to our planet and our future.
BM