Having it all figured out is overrated.

Cheers to the unknown.

I’m stuck.

(Which is why I’m back with such a quick follow-up. Officially taking the pressure off of writing and treating this more like a diary instead of a dissertation. Cheers! or Uh oh? — Not sure yet lol.)

Y’all must really love me… or maybe you just really loved my last newsletter about the shift. It was one of my highest viewed newsletters in 24 hours and surprisingly, my most casual/ just get the words typed out/ not overthought / more of a brain dump newsletter of me trying to figure out what’s next for my career. I even got quite a few new paid subscribers (hey cousins!).

My email inbox had more replies than I’ve ever received from subbies telling me how much it resonated. And I truly don’t feel like I wrote anything spectacular. And that’s what makes this so special. I just, wrote.

I’ve been known in my career, my family, my life as the girl who has it all figured out.

Got a question about X, call Erin. Need a new recipe for your dinner party, Erin probably has one. Have a good idea and need to run it by someone — Erin’s your girl.

And to some extent, I’ve taken pride in being the go-to person for stuff. It’s become a part of my identity. So much so, that I’ve aligned my brand with that and cultivated an entire 500,000+ online community who looks to me for inspiration and education.

Now I realize how much pressure that adds to your mental. Feeling like in order to show up, you have to show up in a way that’s nearly perfect (“nearly” meaning with justtt enough blemish to connect with people and feel relatable). Or, if you are in a space of uncertainty, you rush to find a solution so that no one senses you’ve missed a beat. This pressure comes from no one but myself.

So seeing yesterday’s Substack perform well, really encouraged me.

To top it off, I read a piece from one of my favorite writers here on Substack, Jamilla Reddy, called The Gift of Not Having Everything Figured Out. She’s an entrepreneur-turned-waitress who candidly (and beautifully) shares about how a decade of entrepreneurship led to burnout.

In that post, she writes about how reframing has been the key in maintaining a light-hearted POV on life, especially in unexpected situations. Stuck in traffic? Reframing it as a sign to slow down. Had a tough conversation? Reframing it as a way to strengthen your vulnerability skills. Her words put a lot into perspective as I transition into whatever is next. She inspired me to write this newsletter and to channel thoughts deeper than tip and tricks.

So here are a few lessons I learned:

• No one is pressuring me to do or be anything other than myself.

• I don’t have to show up as the same version of myself all the time.

• I don’t have all the answers, and I don’t want to. That’s what makes life beautiful. That’s why you trust in God and have the Holy Spirit within you, to guide you.

• People want you, truly. Ooh that sounds kinda sexy lol. No but seriously, people want to know you beyond what you know. They want to know your perspective.

• Just write. Just record. Just say no. Just say yes. Just do it. Putting pressure on tasks is just going to slow you down. And sometimes slowing down is what you need to gain clarity. But you’ll never get to experience the freedom of just being if you keep overthinking and strategizing every aspect of life. Live out loud.

• True community is built in conversation. And the best conversations are not one-sided. They’re the juicy ones where both sides are coming to the table with something to share. And I’m beyond excited to keep this conversation going.

Simply put, you are enough. Thank you for being here. And thank you for being on this exciting quest with me. I want to share this super sweet email I received last night from Isabelle.

I really love y’all! Also loving the feedback on which option I should move toward in my career. (You must read my last newsletter to know what I’m talking about). Keep the feedback coming!

Will I be back in your inbox tomorrow? Prolly not, but we shall see lol. I may surprise myself.

In love & creativity,
Erin xx