I'm pressing pause

If only for a moment.

I was planning for today’s newsletter to be my best one yet; a practical deep dive into how I’m scaling my portfolio career so you can pick the things that apply to you and speed up your own portfolio-process. But then I thought, no, Anna, you’re on holiday and your brain is operating at approximately 25%, get a grip. I’ve since parked that idea, and instead I’m serving up some recent thoughts that have been fluttering around the three quarters vacant space in between my ears.

If you follow me on Instagram you’ll know that this week I ejected myself from Melbourne’s bitter cold to hang out with Mum and Dad in the Sunshine Coast, which for the non-Aussies among us, is a warm, tropical-ish beachside haven in northern Queensland. It’s the kind of place that’s more conducive to 3pm glasses of Prosecco on the rooftop while overlooking the rise and fall of the glittery ocean than it is to deep strategic writing.

I gifted myself this much-needed holiday a few weeks ago when I decided to join my parents on a whim. It’s been a rather eventful year thus far and honestly, I feel like I’m due for break. While I don’t think I’ve ever felt this level of personal or professional flow before - my Substack is Substack-ing, my business is growing and life in general is wonderful - the anxiety can barrel over me like a tidal wave. The daily stress of building something from nothing is real and even though I’ve learned to manage it well, sometimes your girl just needs to chilllll. Hence the shotgun sojourn up north.

This week I gave myself the specific task of doing as little work as humanly possible. I’ve turned notifications off my phone. I’ve allowed myself to ignore the inbox for 23 hours per day (if you’ve emailed me, sorry, I’ll come back to you!). I’m not touching any of my products. Instead I’ve been going for beach walks. Drinking wine. Pottering around the local artisan stores trying my best not to buy every knick knack, trinket and doodad I see.

As a Type A overachiever, taking my foot off the pedal like this can elicit a unique type of discomfort, but as I sit here listening to the waves crash against the shore I’m reminded that momentum - personal, professional, creative - can only exist because of its opposing force. There is no flow without an ebb. There is no swell without retreat. These moments of silence matter more than my high expectations care to admit. They allow my nervous system to recalibrate. They reorient my actions in line with my purpose. They allow me to find myself within the surge.

So, my friend, while I could be spending this short holiday obsessing over how much value is in this newsletter or getting swept up in my last customer, my next product, my bank balance, my overflowing DMs or my big vision for this one precious, fleeting life, I’m giving myself some grace.

For now, I’ll simply watch the waves roar, then subside.

For now, that’s enough.

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There’s no chit-chat today but if you also feel like you need a pause, I hope this soundscape helps (recorded with my trusty little wireless mic). Back to regular programming next week <3

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