I do love this saying.

 

My dad was the first person to introduce me to it... pretty sure it was around the time I was a newly 'sleep deprived' mum.

I had a 2 month old bub, and was helping hubby run a 6 truck plumbing business.
In my mind, baby was going to be sleeping most of the day, in a baby bouncer, next to my desk whilst I was busy running through invoices.

Yep... not likely... mother nature had other plans. That's not to say I didn't put up an admirable battle... spreadsheets, routines, the best baby rocker you could buy lol.

I fought tooth and nail for calm, balance and my plan.

This is what high achievers and perfectionists do... I mean you totally think you can control it all... even the most unpredictable things, like babies and nature. (And as I'm writing this... let's throw a new puppy in there!!!)

But you cannot stop a wave crashing into the shore... not even by building a sand wall, it will still come and it will win every time.

All you can do is learn to swim and lean in to the ebbs and flows.

My Dad ❤️... liked his life simple.

Which was something I wasn't lol. But as annoying and challenging I was, he never tried to change me... he already knew not to fight nature, maybe it's a surfer thing?

He'd just throw in little sayings like Best Laid Plans, and Whatever Works... and I'd be left to figure it out.

Well, it may have taken me decades to figure it out, but I finally did.

Hence the new name for my Newsletter will be "Best Laid Plans".

We are told by gurus, other entrepreneurs, well meaning colleagues, online specialists, course creators and literally anyone in the marketing sphere, that we need to market in a specific way for results.

What none of them tell you is this:

We all place importance on different things, and in the marketing world, if that importance isn't the most amount of $$, or the highest Ave $ Sale, or the most amount of customers... and so on, then you've failed. You are not 'doing it' correctly, you are not following the 'method'... therefore you are plain wrong.

But what if your 'important' is how balanced your life is, or the fact that you can sleep in or stay up late, or that squishy warm feeling you get when you've helped another human being, or the joy you feel when your music is blaring and you're in a creative trance designing a new product..... Where do these fit in?

I've tried to follow the 'rules'... although I'm learning I'm not a good rule follower (unless they're ones I've set for myself lol).

I've tried to stick to a routine and have a years worth of blogs written, or 6 months worth of email campaigns, or 9 months of newsletters... but it's just not me.

Don't get me wrong, I fully bow to those that can pull this off... especially if there's joy in it. They are the consistency kings and queens.

But...

I just don't like writing in big batches. And this is something that I'm learning about myself... I'm a sprinter haha.

I love a good writing session, but I'm a one and done.

Write an email.

Write a blog.

Let me off the computer.

I can totally pour my heart and soul into a piece, they often come to me when I'm in the shower (which apparently is quite common).... but then I'm exhausted and my brain wants to do the next thing.

So when it came to writing my newsletter, all I could hear (in my head from marketing gurus) was consistency, consistency, consistency.

I thought I had it.

hmmm... I lasted 3 months.

It's just not me. It's not the writing of them, it's the consistency and keeping to dates.

If I feel like I have to force something, it's not going to last.

Another reason why I've never undertaken a Membership Program (that's a story for another day).

Hence my epiphany... why am I trying to force this, why can't I just go with my gut, like I have with all other aspects of my biz??? Where is the Ebb and Flow?

Do I really need to write these so you have one in your inbox every month?

I mean you'd eventually know that I'm just blurting stuff out for the sake of meeting that deadline of the end of the month.  Or that I've employed someone else to write them, or worse, use AI.

Nope. Not doing it.

Which is why Best Laid Plans newsletter is about to be born.

I have no idea when you'll be getting one, and neither will you.🤣

How cool. It will be a surprise in your inbox when you least expect it!!! 🎁

You may even get 2 one month and none for a couple.

I can feel the weight lifting from my shoulders as I write this.

When I have info I think is worth sharing... I'm going to land in your inbox.

But not before then.

That way, if plans go awry... like they tend to do (pretty sure it's called life), I won't beat myself up because I didn't email you, and you'll not be expecting one... because... well there's no expected date. I love it.

It reminds me of my 40th Birthday party....

It was a Reverse Surprise party. A what... yep, surprise in reverse!!!!

Because... shock horror... the control freak doesn't like surprise parties... but it seems everyone else does.

I organised my party, booked caterers, booked an airport transfer bus, booked a house for a weekend... and sent out invites.
But the invites were all totally different.

Each person was told to bring something different, wear something different, and not told where it was. There was only a date and a note that an airport transfer bus would be picking them up.

It was hysterical. Some dressed like they were going camping, others in Gucci heels because they thought we were flying to a fancy restaurant in Noosa, some were told to bring bacon and eggs, others music... and so on. By the time they were on the bus... they'd worked out I'd tricked them all and they were laughing their heads off.

25 mins on the bus... and then they were pulling up to a swanky house over looking the water with a drink in their hand before crossing the threshold.

Total success... and memorable. There were no set plans and no stress... just real authentic life, good food, dancing, friends, family and laughter.

So why can't we do a surprise newsletter?

You'll want to be on the list, but you just won't know when it's coming.

There'll be tips, lessons, fun Kajabi stuff... and you'll know first when knew items get released.

Yay.... I wonder when the next one will be sent out???

Happy Kajabi'ing!