👋🏻 so glad that twit's gone (no offense, old me)

I'm not proud of this, but I used to be an envious little twit. 😖

I found it hard to be genuinely happy for my friends when good things happened in their careers.

I mean, I wasn't a total ass-hat about it.

I was happy for them. And I'd congratulate them and celebrate the news.

But inside I was also really, really jealous.

It didn't matter if they were in a totally different line of work--which they usually were.

They were advancing while I felt stuck.

I didn't like feeling like this. In fact, it made me feel even worse about myself. 😞

What kind of friend was I that I couldn't just be over-the-moon elated for them?

🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝

I recently realized that all changed, though.

A friend would share good news and I noticed I felt bursts of pride and joy...with no shadow of envy.

I started to think about why that might be.

I realized it changed around the time I started my business.

First, I'd gotten "laid off" and was forced to face how much of my identity was tied to my career success.

I didn't like that, so I started working on unraveling that belief.

Second, I examined my goals and priorities to make sure my business would align with them.

I hadn't really done that as an employee. My only real goal was to do well and get promoted. But the higher you go, the fewer promotions there are. Which can lead to a scarcity mindset.

And it's hard to be generous with your joy when your brain is in scarcity mode.

🧠🧠🧠🧠🧠

Of course, not everyone needs to start a business to figure this out. But that's how it happened for me.

Now I know my career path is my own, my priorities and goals are my own, and there's plenty of room in this world for everyone to find their own version of success.

I didn't set out to conquer my professional jealousy as an entrepreneur, but it's an amazing side effect!

So old me would've felt professional jealousy about some recent book publications. Even though I have no desire to get involved in writing--and definitely not in illustrating--a book.

But now I squealed with delight when these two beauties arrived today.

That's a picture of me grinning and holding up Permission to Kick Ass by Angie Colee and Book 2 of the School for Extraterrestrial Girls series, illustrated by Jamie Noguchi.

My heart is bursting with pride for my friend Angie Colee who coaches, lives, and kicks ass by a code of kindness. She's written the amazing Permission to Kick Ass. It's perfect if you're curious about, considering, or have recently started a business. Get it here!

And I'm so eager to immerse myself into SFEG Book 2: Girls in Flight, it's going to be a struggle not to bail on the work I have planned for the afternoon. My friend Jamie Noguchi is the illustrator and I've witnessed the love and attention and (sometimes) pain that went into every pen stroke.

Plus, he chooses projects that have non-tropey, realistic characters and engrossing story lines. Get a taste of Books 1 and 2 here, and then order them for the graphic novel lovers in your life here!

You know, books make great holiday gifts...

:) Kristen

PS: I'm not an affiliate of either book so I don't make anything if you use one of these links. But, full disclosure: I DO benefit from sharing about them...because I get so much joy talking up and sharing the accomplishments of my awesome friends. I've been grinning ear to ear writing this email.