“Joy is finding the holy in the small and the sacred in the everyday.” 😌~Mary Davis

By Jessica L. Williams • Issue #264 • View online

Thank you so much to those of you who’ve completed the #jesspicks reader survey. Reading your plans for the year and the value you get from this newsletter has made me smile and helped me to realize that I need to keep going with this work. If you haven’t had a chance to complete the survey yet, you can find it here.

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This past weekend, I got an email that in-person BeMoved dance classes were back in session. If you have been in my world for a while, you know how much dance means to me. But, if you are new here, I realized in recent years that dancing is my favorite form of exercise, other than walking.

I can’t tell you the joy I felt when reading that email. Let me tell you why:

We had not had class since mid-December. And it was the one thing I made sure to do every week for myself.
I was so excited to move and groove with some familiar peeps again and someone I lovingly refer to as my dance mom.
DANCING IS SO GOOD FOR MY SOUL (and my mental health).

This week, we did “Backup Singer Moves,” which was LIT if you can imagine being a backup singer for the Temptations and doing some cool moves and footwork. Dancing to some great Motown tunes did its job. I walked away from class feeling a lot more relaxed and happy inside.

So, why am I talking about dancing?

Well, I think it’s essential for each of us to find that thing that brings us joy in our souls. Something we can have fun with. Am I a perfect dancer? Heck no. Sometimes I make up my own moves because #Ihavenorhythm and I cannot get the choreography right, but it’s not about being perfect. It’s about moving my body and healing.

What’s that for you? What do you like doing even if you’re not great at it? You can be bad at it and still enjoy it.

Take some time this week to think about what that is for you. Of course, our work, businesses, and commitments will always be there. But we need to prioritize our care too. For me, it’s busting an awkward move. What’s yours?

On to the picks!

Note: This email may contain affiliate links. If you click through my link and make a purchase, that means I may receive “thank you money” at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I use and love.

#loves 😍

🎧. Listening: Side Hustla! playlist. Have you listened lately? Any songs I should add?

📚. Reading: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. My coworker told me about this book (thanks, Lauren!), and I am only a couple of chapters in, but my mind is already 🤯. Oliver talks about how it’s impossible to get everything done. And the sooner we accept that, the better because then we can’t fail. And that FOMO is actually OK, and it’s supposed to happen because we can’t possibly do everything we want to do with our limited time. Because assuming we live to be 80 years old, we’ll live about 4,000 weeks. I can’t wait to read the rest!

🧩. Game: Wordle. This game has taken over Twitter statuses, and I jumped on the bandwagon this week. If you like word games, this might become a quick favorite for you. (As it did for me) Keep in mind, there is not an app for this yet, so if you find something in your app store, it’s probably a copycat. 😉

#reads

McKinley Valentine

@mckinleaf

"Your goals are meant to honour you, not fix you"

(Sorry I've lost the source for this quote. But it means: don't start from a place of 'how can I be less broken and bad', or a feeling that you're in productivity-debt. Think in terms of enhancing your already-great qualities)

3:47 PM - 30 Dec 2021

I Borrowed James Clear’s Instagram Strategy to Grow My Email Newsletter

“James Clear has set 2 primary goals for his Instagram presence. First, he wants to increase his newsletter subscribers, and second sell his best-selling book Atomic Habits.”

This post popped back up on my radar, and I’m thinking about it some more as I think about a way to better promote and distribute my newsletter in other channels like social media. Love these tips:

Add your newsletter subscription link as your primary link.
Add a CTA/ Link description
Use a quote/tip from your newsletter as one of your post types

medium.com • Share

Start a Side Hustle, Build Yourself an Empire | by Tim Denning

“One of the greatest missed opportunities in life is starting a tiny little business.”

You start by finding one thing to pursue that you are interested in. Then see if there is a way to use that interest to escape stress. Start noticing and refining your process. Provide value repeatedly. You start to see what’s possible. And then you can build your version of an empire.

entrepreneurshandbook.co • Share

#icymi

😍. Last issue’s top pick was: 7 Ways To Be More With Less

☎️ Need help starting your side hustle or newsletter? Let’s dream and scheme.

🤝. Get introduced to others within the #jesspicks community!

#classifieds 🗞

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#lifevibes

Love these simple tips.

#supporters ☕️

Thank you Angela G., Lauren B., Chelsea, Amy, Ricky, Kirsten, Vin, Julie, Nicole, Humza, Greg, Kristin, Kirstyn, Jess, Cheryl, Krysta, Adrena, Vidya, Kristyn, Danielle, Keryn, Terry, Vanessa, Meredith, Lauren, Meg, Maria J., Chivon, Kim, Luciano, Colie, Chasity, Laurie, Latienda, Collette, Anne, Kristen, Liz, Katherine, Monale, Betsy, Melissa, Lindsay, Jennifer, Kayla, Madison, Rae, Stephanie, Christine R., Christine M., Frances, Hannah, Chris, Brandy, Mea, Kristian, Maria K. Avery, Adam, Barbara, Shenee, Desiree, Lisa, Kandice, L’Oreal, and LaVerne for being #jesspicks supporters!! ❤️

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Did you enjoy this issue?

By Jessica L. Williams

#jesspicks is a hand-picked roundup of the best resources, inspiration, and tools for side hustlers. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday. ☕️| | Curated by @techbizgurl.

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“Joy is finding the holy in the small and the sacred in the everyday.” 😌~Mary Davis

Older messages

“For when you honor yesterday, tomorrow ye will find.” 🙏🏾~Amanda Gorman

“Oh how beautifully you are learning to live a little less afraid.” 🤗~Morgan Harper Nichols

“Get up offa that thing and dance til you feel better.” 💃🏽 ~James Brown

“Seemingly small moments of gratitude can change everything.” 🤗 ~Greg McKeown

“I am worthy of the time it takes to do the things that heal my heart.” ❤️‍🩹~Morgan Harper Nichols

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