So Long, For Now

It's time to prune back and create some margin.

First, some housekeeping.

I made a mistake and somehow failed to email last week’s newsletter, a letter to my 17-year-old son. I posted it to social media, so perhaps you saw it there. But if not, it’s the one I enjoyed writing most in 2023. Might be worth checking out!

I’ve said (and written) this dozens of times: 2023 was a year I’m glad to put behind me. After doing my annual reflection last weekend, I can say with certainty it was my most challenging year since 2011. (And that’s a story for another day…) I’ll admit, it almost broke me. I truly got to the end of my rope mentally, emotionally, and even physically.

I’ve thought deeply over the last 30+ days about what needs to change in 2024. And while some of 2023 was clouded by things out of my control (really, isn’t everything out of our control?), there were clearly some “self-inflicted wounds” that I tolerated.

And without boring you with the details, one of those “controllable” items was a lack of margin. I simply kept “picking things up” and never let anything go. By the end of the year, I looked like Jacob Marley’s ghost in A Christmas Carol.

So, to start 2024, I’m pruning in order to create a margin.

And one thing I’m pausing is this newsletter.

I want to thank you so much for reading it over the last 14 months. I truly appreciate you taking the time to listen to me ramble about business and family and such. Many of you have mentioned a past post, and it’s led to great conversation. To me, that’s been the biggest “win.” I love hearing your take on what I write. It brings me great joy.

So, while I’m sad to lose that (for now), I look forward to seeing what grows back when the pruning is complete. I hope the extra margin allows me to deepen relationships, heal up a bit, and create a new outlet for my writing/teaching/business passion in 2025 and beyond.

May your year ahead be filled with joy and blessings beyond compare!

I’d love a follow over on X (Twitter) and Linkedin, as I post things there that are either too brief for the newsletter or are just entertaining things I come up with over a responsibly-sized serving of Blanton’s.