Hey Reader,

I'm writing live from our 3rd power outage this month.

This is the 2nd time in 10 days.

And 3rd time in a month that our power has gone out during a heat wave.

3 hours have passed now and I don’t have access to the email I drafted last week so instead here I am wingin' it which apparently looks like revealing the fact that I now eat baby food.

But let’s back up.

I read this in a newsletter this morning: “Parenting Hack [for 7 month old babies]: Encourage eating by pretending to like the food yourself!”

This stood out to me because Haven’s baby food is so dang good, I've been willingly eating spoonfuls of it myself–no pretending here!

One of my greatest delights these past few months has been making Haven’s food (From my hands, not my boob).

Introducing her to the different flavor combinations I put together and seeing her face light up brings me a deep sense of joy and fulfillment.

But let’s be real. Making fresh baby food from scratch creates more work for me. By choosing to make her food, I’m also choosing to work more than I have to.

Reader, There are 2 reasons people work more than they have to in their jobs.

1. They want to convince the higher ups that they’re good employees.
2. Out of a sense of fulfillment and purpose.

Convincing the higher ups you're a good employee

In order to get un-stuck in your career, you first have to stand-out. And the most common, go-to tactic for this is by working more.

This is the biggest mistake that's hurting your career growth.

If working late is a cultural standard in your industry like it is in the apparel world, then you're not standing out if everyone else is doing it too. You're just on a hamster wheel of burnout which keeps you from spending that energy on the things that will move you towards your goals.

Working more, For fun, On Purpose

So then how do you get to a place where you're making the choice to work more, from a place of fulfillment and purpose?

A plan.

You need to create a strategic plan.

Throwing "more" at the company (more of your time, your energy, your designs) isn't a strategy. If it hasn't worked yet it's not going to work now.

Ditch the lie you may have bought into that working more is what makes you valuable.

YOU, Reader, are what's valuable. That's what you need to be showcasing. I want to encourage you to block off a weekend (hey, why not this one!) where you can focus on creating a strategy-backed plan for your career goals.

If you need help, you know where to find me.

Your hype girl,

PS. If you like my emails and want to support more of my writing, consider forwarding this to a friend!
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