One branch at a time
And other tips for life, creativity, travel, and business
Hey friends,
Following on from last week’s letter - and call, which went swimmingly, thank you everyone for joining! - I wanted to jump in and share a couple of updates, including another free group mentoring-style call that I’ll be running in a couple of weeks.
First, though, I wanted to talk about the magic of taking action, what this looks like in practice, and why, to me, it always feels a bit like climbing a tree.
I’ll preface this by saying I used to love climbing trees.
I grew up in southeast England near Ashdown Forest - the famed home of Winnie the Pooh (or at least AA Milne, who wrote Winnie the Pooh for his son, Christopher Robin), and, although I don’t tend to climb them as much anymore, trees and forests have always been one of my greatest sources of comfort.
Trees may also look pretty “normal”, but the more we learn about them, the more it feels like we can use them as a tool to tap into the mysteries and wonders of the natural world and universe.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t dive into Peter Wohlleben’s work or watch nature documentaries about trees without feeling some sort of magic affinity for these gentle giants that surround us.
To me, though, they also feel like quite an apt metaphor for life, creativity, travel, and business.
While a lot could be said about the importance of growing roots and building solid foundations, when it comes to climbing them, they can also only really be tackled one branch at a time; each offering different perspectives and opportunities that we often can’t see until we get there.
So many of us - myself included - think we need to have it all figured out before we take action; to see the whole route laid out in front of us.
But, as much as we can plan ahead or set intentions and goals, until we’re actually there, standing on one branch and looking for the next one, we don’t know anything for sure.
We can take educated guesses, but there’s no real certainty.
While having a rough plan feels like it’s an essential part of the equation to get us out the door and onto that first branch, I find it also helps to be a bit flexible when it comes to the journey and the outcomes.
For example, I absolutely did not make it all the way to the top of that tree in the photo above. Despite that being my original intention, my legs were shaking so much that getting halfway was enough for me.
In previous years, I’d have probably tried to push myself past my own limits, but giving myself permission to change my mind felt even more empowering than it would’ve done reaching the top - and then realising I still have to come all the way back down again.
Sometimes, we’ll get onto the first branch and notice that the one we’d planned on climbing next actually looks a little sketchy - like it’ll break if we put our whole weight on it.
Other times, a totally new and unexpected branch might unveil itself - one that we never would’ve seen, had we not started climbing.
In my case, running that creative circle call last week opened up a whole other path of possibilities. Some, I hoped would be there, waiting in the leaves. Others I wasn’t expecting - but are still very welcome.
For the past year, at least, I’ve been trying to think of ways to work with more people; to build more of a creative community, share all the lessons I’ve learned along the way, and encourage others to take action on their dreams, whether they’re creative ones, business ones, travel ones, life ones, or anything else in between.
Now, I feel like I actually have a bit more confidence and clarity about how I can make that happen, even if the exact outcomes and path to get there are still a little hazy.
I’m trying to see that as part of the fun, though - like how, when I set off on a road trip, I don’t always know where I’m going to end up, I just trust it’s going to be interesting. I’ll probably see some cool things, eat some good snacks, and take a couple of photos I’ll be able to use in one of these newsletters, one day.
It also helps that I’ve been on lots of road trips before, so I don’t get anxious about making the most of them and feel like I have to plan everything out to a tee any more.
Many moons ago, when I was a travel agent, my favourite thing was how I could combine all my travel knowledge and experiences to help my customers plan big, spend-all-our-savings, go-round-the-world trips. I didn’t need to think too much about it or study my map, I’d just call forth from those roots of knowledge and use whatever came up.
I especially enjoyed working with people who couldn’t decide where to go, were utterly terrified of solo travel or flying but wanted to do it anyway, or had a faint wisp of a dream and wanted help shaping it and bringing it to life.
The trips we planned were always incredible and they generally seemed to have way better times than the folks who came in thinking they had it all figured out and put together.
When I left that job and went out into the big wide world - literally, with my backpack, but also as a travel writer - I hoped my work would scratch the same itch. In theory, I was using that same knowledge to reach more people, but it always just felt a little hollow.
I really missed the connection and collaboration.
There’s something so magnetic and inspiring about talking and listening and being able to share stories and experiences to help people go after their dreams in real-time. I also really enjoyed helping people identify, navigate, and overcome potential obstacles, while cheering them on along the way.
It’s one of the reasons I love 1:1 mentoring and consulting so much.
Clients often come to my calls with one thing in mind, but ask the right questions and totally different things start to show up. Things they might not have known or been aware of had they not stepped foot on that first branch and opened up to what pathways and possibilities they might find.
They might think they want to be a travel writer, too, for example, but then realise they actually want to write a book and have some support, guidance, and accountability as they write a book proposal to send out to agents.
Other clients have come in hating everything and wanting to burn their business to the ground, but then realise that actually if they just make a couple of tweaks, they can make the business work better for them, instead of them feeling like they’re bending over backwards for their business.
Others talk about being too busy and hiring other people, but then realise that they don’t really want to be a boss, and actually, if they just let go of their lower-paying clients, they can probably free up some space and energy for bigger ones.
Others dream of going full-time in their creative business, but then realise that their creativity is their main source of joy and play, and they quite like the security of having a reliable day job.
It’s honestly incredible the kind of massive life-affirming breakthroughs that can come just from having a conversation and someone to bounce ideas off of.
It also still makes me laugh thinking about how, when I signed up with my first mentor, I wanted to go straight to the business stuff. I wanted a formula and a plan: a guarantee of a 6-month ROI.
To be fair, I was working with a mentor who marketed herself as someone who could help travel writers hit 6-figures, and, back then, that was what I thought I wanted.
Working with her was a huge investment - more than I’d ever spent on anything, ever - but the promise of what was to come was enough for me to take that leap of faith and step onto the first branch.
Needless to say, that mentoring journey did not go anywhere near where I thought it would go.
Instead, it was amazingly insightful and served as a much-needed reminder that sometimes what we think we want and the path we expect to get us there can be totally different.
Working with that mentor made me realise I didn’t actually want to be a full-time travel writer anymore - let alone a 6-figure one.
I didn’t want to spend my whole life pitching stories and coming up with timely hooks while leaving it up to other people to decide whether my words ended up in the world or not.
I wanted to be the master of my own destiny (as cliche as that sounds).
The path I thought I wanted crumbled right before my eyes. But, in its absence new branches emerged.
One where I was a writer, choosing myself, sharing my own words every week. Another where I became a creative mentor, using my skills and my experience to help people, just like I did when I was a travel agent.
Now, two and a bit years into that journey, I feel like I’ve found a new branch. But, for the first time, choosing this one doesn’t feel like I have to let go of any of the others that I like - like writing this newsletter or my 1:1 work - but instead add to it; a bridge between them.
And sure, it might have taken a shaky-legged leap of faith to make it happen, but the view from up here is pretty dang good, if I might say so myself.
Questions to ponder
Is there a “tree” in your life/business/creativity/work/home that you want to climb but you don’t know where to start?
Are you putting off climbing it until you feel like you have the whole journey figured out first?
Do you need to have it figured out to take the first step?
Is there anything that you really want to take action on but you’re not sure where to begin? Can you think of one tiny thing you could do to help you move forward and get out of the door?
Does narrowing down your options to one branch feel too restrictive? Could this mean you’re trying to do too much at once? Do you need more clarity or direction?
Write down five things that you really want, and let yourself sit with them. How does it feel to claim them? Are you surprised by what came up? Has it given you any more clarity about where you want to go first?
Try and pick one, and see if you can come up with a tiny step to move slightly closer to making it happen - like putting on your shoes to get out of the house.
Updates
And so, finally, to the updates!
Based on the success of last week’s circle - which was probably more of a coffee-style chat - I’ve decided to host a free “Ask Me Anything” style call in a couple of weeks. It feels like a great way to put all that knowledge to good use and help others, just like I did when I was a travel agent.
As an “ask me anything”, it’ll be a pretty open book - think travel, trip planning, writing, life, creativity, business, chasing dreams, flipping coins to make decisions, moving to the other side of the world, caregiving, grief, cats, coffee, books, imposter syndrome, camping, road trips, ghost towns, photography, and anything else at all, really.
I’m also planning on recording this one and sharing it here. I know that the timing last time didn’t work out for everyone, so if you do have some questions you’d like me to cover but can’t make it live, you’re welcome to email me or add them in the comments below.
I’d also love to try and work with you to find a time that works best. If you’re interested, I’ve included a couple of questions below that will help me tailor it to suit you. Obviously, I can’t please everyone, but I will do my best.
Alright! Well, I can’t wait to hear from you and hope you’ve all had a wonderful week and feel slightly inspired.
For me, January is always a bit of a half-in half-out time, but I’m feeling a lot more motivated than usual after climbing this first branch.
Action begets action, after all.
Love always,
Cxx
PS: If you’d like to find out more about my 1:1 creative mentoring services, you can check out my website or hit reply. I have some availability for new clients in January so if you’re finding yourself struggling and fancy a creative pep talk or some long-term accountability while you work on a big project, feel free to reach out!
PPS: In the future, I’m planning on hosting all of these calls as part of my creative community membership here on Substack. All you need to do to join is sign up as a paid subscriber. You’ll then have access to two calls a month, group mentoring, monthly journalling prompts, and some more BTS emails about running a creative business and all the other things that come with it. I’m super excited and can’t wait to expand on this more in the coming months.
This questions to ponder are great! Saving this! 👌