New year, new format for these things I’ve been telling you

Reduced reading workload = Less likely to miss anything

Jan 07, 2025

Regal cat is curled up on a sofa next to an open laptop computer — Carly reading about what’s coming to your inbox this year

You may notice that this week’s newsletter has a new format. Previously, every edition started with a “Snapshot”--something I think your mom (or somebody) should have told you about navigating young adulthood–followed by snippets from the Book of the Month and Clippings of News You Can Maybe Use.

It can be a lot of content to consume in one sitting. I suspect you sometimes scroll past the Book of the Month content after reading the Snapshot and don’t feel like wading through the Clippings. Let’s face it–email overwhelm is a thing; reading can feel like work, and the desire to get through one email and move on to the next is real.

I considered eliminating the Book of the Month snippets and/or the Clippings, but this newsletter needs to include voices other than my own. After all, no one person possesses all the wisdom you need for your journey through life.

So to make your reading workload more manageable, I’m trying something new for the New Year. Every other issue will feature a stand-alone Snapshot, and the alternating issues will feature Book of the Month snippets and Clippings.

This week’s issue is a Book of the Month/Clippings one. Next week’s issue will feature a Snapshot.

Thank you for inviting me into your inbox every week. I still have plenty of things to tell you. And if anything about adulthood has you scratching your head, DM me, and I’ll see what I can do about clearing it up.

I wish you a joy-filled and meaningful year.

Front cover of Pivot by Jenny Blake — Click the cover image to go to Bookshop.org, where you can select a local bookstore to support. Your online order will be filled directly by their distributor, and the full profit from your purchase will be sent to your bookstore of choice.

In Pivot, the former career development manager at Google reveals how to methodically make your next career move by doubling down on what’s already working for you. Jenny Blake’s mantra is: If change is the only constant, then let’s get better at it.

“Typically when the word pivot is applied to a business strategy shift, it is considered Plan B…Pivoting is a response to failing at Plan A, the original goal. But when it comes to our careers, learning to pivot is Plan A. Pivoting, within our roles and throughout our careers, is the new normal,” says Jenny Blake.

“I define a career pivot as doubling down on what is working to make a purposeful shift in a new, related direction.Pivoting is an intentional, methodical process for nimbly navigating career changes,” according to Jenny Blake.

“In the career-as-smartphone analogy, pivoting is about learning to download apps one by one–or a few smaller apps simultaneously–so you can reduce risk, experiment with ideas, and enhance your career-operating system without sending yourself into a panic by trying to make moves that are too drastic, too far removed from what you are doing right now,” says Jenny Blake.

“By doubling down on what is working best while thinking about how to develop into what’s next, you accelerate the experimentation and change process. You can proceed with confidence, knowing that you already have what it takes to get where you want to go,” according to Jenny Blake.

“I felt tremendous relief when I stopped blaming myself for my career confusion and started taking smarter, more focused steps. Combing my past for clues to my future gave me a sense of buoyancy and relief: I can figure this out,” says Jenny Blake.

“I started to celebrate the many things I was proud of and began experimenting with small extensions of the strengths and experiences I had been accumulating…This boosted my confidence and empowered me to solve the puzzle sitting right in front of me, with new insights into the pieces already at my disposal,” according to Jenny Blake.

“Hitting a career plateau is not a problem, nor is it a crisis. It is a captivating knot waiting to be untangled, in exchange for accelerated growth…All of us, when we reach even higher than we have previously or bust out of traditional norms, may wonder, Am I smart enough? Capable enough? Am I the rule or the exception? Am I cut out for this?” says Jenny Blake.

“YES. Your biggest vision is worth pursuing. Just as not two people share the same fingerprint, your ideas have not yet been tackled with your unique upbringing, worldview, and life experiences, at this moment in time, in the framework of our current economy and technology, for your intended community,” according to Jenny Blake.

“That does not mean that your exact conjecture about what’s next is guaranteed to be successful or profitable. But what I can say with absolute conviction is that you are creative, resourceful, and resilient, and will find a way to bounce back from just about anything. That is a certainty you can return to, says Jenny Blake.

In the olden days, moms used to clip articles from newspapers for their kids if they thought it was something they needed to know. I’m keeping an eye out for things that you might have missed that may be helpful to you.

This week’s clips:

Want to ensure a happier new year? Experts say shifting your focus to thinking about others can positively impact the year ahead.

You don’t have to dread the winter months ahead. Researcher and psychologist Kari Leibowitz explains how to achieve a wintertime mindset that will help you see the winter as a time of opportunity. Listen or read about it.

Nobody wants to waste time dating someone if they spot something early on that could be a dealbreaker. So, what are the dating yellow flags worth paying attention to? Relationship experts weigh in.

A renowned life coach says that anyone can become more confident. She identifies six key habits authentically confident people share.

Journalist Bruce Feiler interviewed hundreds of people about what purposeful and fulfilling work means to them. He offers a roadmap for how to find work you love.

Things Your Mom Should Have Told You

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