Hey, !

About a month ago, ActiveCampaign started deleting my inactive subscribers. At the same time on Insta, I began removing bogus followers. My stats on both plunged.

When I looked at my budget last week, I discovered my annual income had regressed. I felt ashamed that I still had a full availability sheet for July when my fellow copywriters were taking bookings for August.

I started getting frustrated. Why wasn't I growing? For so long, I've been lost in a warren of ideas on how to grow. I've put my head down to build build built. Collect more followers. Win more clients. Book more months. Earn more money.

2000 followers would mean I was a leader. Being booked out for months would mean I was cream of the crop. Earning more than the $3K-months I've been averaging for years would mean success.

But I'll tell you what, ?

I discovered that using growth as a success metric only highlighted a "lack" mentality and a future-thinking mindset.

Focusing on growth inevitably leaves me with the "not enough, never enough" syndrome. I hit one goal and immediately raise the bar. It shunts me out of the present and into a future-focused frame of mind.

In my search for more clients, I forgot to appreciate those I'm serving right now. As I scrambled to boost my Insta rep, I overlooked the people who showed up consistently in my engagement notifications.

As I searched for a new golden ticket offering that would rocket my wealth, I forgot about the value I was already offering and the people I was already serving in the beautiful copywriting and mentoring packages I already have.

Growth is a metric I no longer want to live by.

Instead, I want to start acknowledging my abundance - and sharing it! So I'm reframing from...

How can I grow?

to...

How can I provide more value?

From...

Am I growing?

to...

Am I thriving?

Coz so often, we sacrifice the latter for the former.

What we need to think about instead is, what do I exclusively need to thrive?

The answers might surprise you. Coz for me, thriving looks like:

• A smaller, engaged community for whom I can respond to every message and comment without overwhelm.
• Fewer clients, to whom I can dedicate more time and all my creativity.
• Flexibility so I can book flights or go bush at a moment's notice.
• Enough money to live simply, give generously, and support the charities I love.

Little bits of inspo

Currently watching: Wakefield on ABC iview. It's early days but the storytelling I've seen so far has been magnificent.

Currently reading: I'm beta-reading a memoir for one of my clients. If I could get paid to mentor book writing, I'd be a happy girl #oneday

Best thing I digested this week: Hit a Copywriting Home Run with Perceptual Contrast. A solid contribution on Copyblogger about how to use comparisons in copywriting (and the importance of customer research!)

PS. When I look back over my client list this year alone, I feel absolutely blessed with those who have entrusted me with their words. Just look at some of those on the list - Holy Sanity, Dr Olivia Lee Ong, Bespoke Family Lawyers, Heuristika Education, Relearn Digital.

Not all these brands have published the work we've done together yet (rebrands and website builds take time!) but they have such precious visions and purposes that I've loved every minute of working with them!