👋 Hi! I'm Dan. I help makers, artists, entrepreneurs, and creatives find the clarity and motivation to get their work out into the world. If that sounds good, let's go! 🚀

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Hi Reader,

The data is in: it’s quitting day!

Strava, the fitness app, analyzed their user data. They found that most people quit their goals on the second Friday of January.

Today.

Think about that for a moment: With all the pomp and lore re: “new years resolutions”, on average they get us about two weeks.

This shouldn’t be a surprise. Psychologically, we’re wired for routine and comfort. The bigger the change, the bigger the cognitive effort required. Especially when change is new.

In short:

Some goals are too much too quick and don’t last.

It’s like that vintage track suit from the thrift store back in college. You wanted to be the kind of person who could pull it off. It felt good to imagine it. But when you pulled to out at home and put it on, you couldn’t imagine actually wearing it.

Goals are often like that: too different from who we are to stick around.

So if you have a goal that doesn’t fit. Quit it. There shouldn’t be any shame about it.

It wasn’t the right thing for you right now anyway. If you need it, let this be your permission. In fact, lean in. That’s what I’m doing.

What else do you need to quit?

Ineffective routines?
Recurring commitments?
Unhealthy relationships?
Negative thought patterns?

For me: I’m auditing my calendar and looking for cruft. I hope you’ll take some time to do the same.

Happy Quitting Day.

Hit reply and let me know what you're quitting today.

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In Case You Missed it:

A few recent posts and articles you may have missed...

From the Newsletter:
​The Death of The Meaning Movement ☠️ - my last newsletter about creativity, risk, death, and what it means to be fully alive.

From LinkedIn:
​Fixing the root cause of burnout... - how to stay healthy and grounded in your work in 2024.

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​From LinkedIn:
​This year: Let it be easy - my theme for 2024

Yours in meaning making,

PS- I'm working on rebooting the podcast and hope to have semi-regular newsletters landing in your inbox.

In the meantime, hit reply. I'd love to hear what you're excited about making/creating/doing in this season of life. I can't always respond, but I promise I read every email.

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Dan Cumberland

Say hi 👋 on Twitter or LinkedIn!

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