Welcome to the 80th issue of Impact Curator! I curate this fortnightly newsletter for all of you who believe in transforming their community by amplifying the impact of the change makers around them.
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Good morning Reader, Yesterday, I got up at 5 a.m. to bake enough apple cinnamon oatmeal (so good!) for 3 days and get some work in before the school week starts. My husband is in Finland for the week doing the professor thing while I wing it at home. And if I've learned one thing about solo parenting, it's that preparation is KEY. Rolling out of bed at the usual time and throwing together breakfast, rallying a sleepy 6-year old to put her shoes on the right foot while I scramble to get my stuff together just doesn't work. You can either leave the house in a decent state or you can leave on time - you can't have both. Unless you're prepared. And preparation falls back on routines and consistency. But consistency has been inexplicably hard these last few months. Thanks to my dogged, sometimes unreasonable, determination, I used to be the queen of consistency: Get up at the same time, work out on the same days, meal prep regularly, work consistently, call home - no questions asked. But over the last few months of winter, I've scratched my head many times wondering when any of this became so hard: Drink enough water. Take breaks during the work day and step away from the screen. Move my body. Meal prep for the week. Write daily. None of these take more than a few minutes a day, or a few hours per week - time I DEFINITELY have, so no excuses there. I talked this through on a run with my soon-to-be daughter in law and realized that what I lack is the immediate feedback for being consistent. While being consistent makes life easier (you're putting life on auto-pilot!) and - in my case - a little healthier in the long run, being consistent today is not rewarding in any way. Do YOU ever go to bed feeling like a winner because you were consistent that day? Because I don't. Equally, skipping a day feels like no big deal - and that's exactly where consistency falls apart. If you skip a day (or a week), there's no immediate downside, either. It would appear that I'm in a consistency rut. Too many commitments, too many things on my plate and sticking to any one task consistently just seems like too much to ask right now. What's working for you right now? What things/habits are you consistent with? How do you reward yourself? Even better: How do you stay consistent without needing to reward yourself? A penny (or response email) for your thoughts! Between my earsLife, most recently: Things I'm excited about, pondering and trying out:
On my deskWhat I'm working on right now:
Featured Episode On my radarI come across a lot of resources that I want to share with fellow ecosystem builders and changemakers. If we're connected on LinkedIn or Instagram, they might already show up in your feed! In case you missed any, here's my curated list from the last two weeks: Esme Verity from Considered Capital is a true champion of social change and putting capital into the hands of purpose-driven founders. She's also an exceptionally kind, thoughtful and warm person. If you don't follow her on LinkedIn yet, you might want to change that. She just published a curated list of impact-focused grant opportunities for agents of social change that is too good no to share. Mark your calendars for 2024:
I will be back in your inbox in two weeks! In camaraderie, Anika |
I'm an ecosystem builder for social change. I love telling the stories of systemic changemakers around the world who make their communities a better place to live, work and play.
Welcome to the 87th issue of Impact Curator! I curate this fortnightly newsletter for all of you who believe in transforming their community by amplifying the impact of the changemakers around them. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? You deserve your own, sign up here! Afternoon view Hello Reader, Where I live (the beautiful Shenandoah Valley), we are in the final stretch of summer break. My kid returns to school in early August and I'm equal parts sad and excited about this transition....
Welcome to the 86th issue of Impact Curator! I curate this fortnightly newsletter for all of you who believe in transforming their community by amplifying the impact of the changemakers around them. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? You deserve your own, sign up here! Father's Day weekend in D.C. Hello Reader, I currently read more than usual and I spend a lot of time in my head and on the page writing - what a privilege. I feel fortunate to live in a two-income household (until recently)...
Welcome to the 85th issue of Impact Curator! I curate this fortnightly newsletter for all of you who believe in transforming their community by amplifying the impact of the change makers around them. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? You deserve your own, sign up here! I spent most of last week in the mountains north of Asheville, NC Hello Reader, Two weeks ago today, I drove to Harrisonburg to discuss my professional development goals for the next year with my boss. As usual, I hit the...