Hi there Reader,
Welcome to this edition of Meaningful eMail with the most recent takeaway and updates linked here at the top, and list of resources below.
Grab what's helpful today, then save others for future reference. You never know when you or someone in your network could use a boost!
Recent Takeaways
|
|
Top Takeaways: Slalom
Quick, fascinating read by an Olympic Gold Medalist turned high-performance coach.
Read or watch my top takeaways and why the author is one of my favorite online voices.
|
Let's Explore
Remodeling instead of reinventing
Could you do me a favor? Would you take a minute and send me some positive vibes? We’re about to start a bathroom remodel.
Complete with a dumpster in the driveway and dust in every conceivable crack and crevice.
This is the last room to get remodeled in our 1940’s farmhouse, so we’re fully aware of what we’re getting into… and that’s why I come to you with hat in hand, hoping you can spare a few zaps of good energy.
Yet for all the messy moments we’re facing, I’m so stoked to get this underway! I know we’re going to come out on the other side with a space that more fully fits who we are.
We’ll be chipping away at outdated tile, tearing out wallpaper that’s faded and forlorn, then bringing in fresh fixtures and beautiful finishes better suited for what we need at this stage in our lives.
And quick as a wink, I am no longer thinking about a bathroom remodel, but what happens in mid-life and mid-career.
Many of us are going through our own remodels at this stage. We’re taking our careers — our lives — down to the studs, removing outdated fixtures which no longer fit who we are.
The structure is still solid — our strengths, values, experience, and wisdom give us a strong foundation — it’s just that our daily lives might need some fine-tuning to more fully become who we are.
And as Nietzsche suggests, we become who we are as we shed our old selves, move past society’s expectations, and embrace continuous growth.
It’s not a reinvention as so many mid-life pundits pontificate, it’s a remodel.
Remodels Aren’t Punishment, They’re Proof of Life
They mean we’ve lived long enough, learned enough, and loved enough to see what no longer fits — and have the courage to do something about it.
Sure, it’s messy. There’s dust and debris. There are moments where you question everything, wondering if you’ve gone too far to turn back. But that chaos? It’s evidence of growth.
As Nietzsche wrote,
One must still have chaos in oneself to give birth to a dancing star.
We can’t polish our way to meaning. We have to make a mess first.
Because remodels aren’t just cosmetic. They ask us to dig into the walls — the wiring, the plumbing, the things that quietly run the show. It’s the same with our lives. The way we think. The patterns we’ve built. The beliefs that used to protect us but now hold us back.
And just like a good contractor, we have to decide what stays and what goes.
The foundation? That’s your character.
The structure? Your experience.
The layout? That’s your choices — which rooms you open up, which ones you close off.
When we remodel, we reclaim agency. We choose what serves us now. And in that choosing, we rediscover that midlife isn’t a crisis. It’s a design project.
The Finish Line
So here’s to the remodels, literal and figurative. To the rooms we’re brave enough to tear down and the ones we finally make our own. To dust, dumpsters, and the beauty of “in progress.”
May we stop trying to reinvent ourselves and start revealing what’s been strong, steady, and beautiful all along.
Because the structure is sound. We’re just picking new tile.
113 Cherry St #92768 Seattle, WA, 98104-2205, Seattle, Washington 98104-2205
Unsubscribe · Preferences
