Gusto & Grace Journal, Volume 2, Issue 2

A monthly letter from the desk of Sarah Fejfar

Well hello there!

I hope you finished January strong and are entering February feeling refreshed and renewed towards your mission.

I don’t know about you, but my January came in like a lion.  Wow.  I now realize announcing “we’re getting puppy” with youthful enthusiasm in December was the equivalent of first-time expectant parents announcing, “we’re having a baby!”  There’s so much I didn’t know I was getting myself into, and it’s probably best left that way, or we might never have gone down this path… and it’s a good thing puppies are cute.  😉 I’ll keep up my mantra… remember the long game.

I’m curious, what did you learn about yourself or your business last month?

Here’s what I learned:

1. Seinfeld is right. Nailing ‘focus’ is hard.  And we need to constantly be building our constitutions so we can achieve the focus we need to keep moving toward our dreams. He did a podcast on this topic with Tim Ferriss; I recommend it.  He specifically called out exercise and meditation as his two favorite methods for “constitution building.”  I’m thankful to have a good start there as part of my morning routine: 20 minutes meditating daily on the Headspace app and 45 minutes every weekday on the Peloton bike. It’s just the beginning of my journey to nail focus; I’m proud to be on the path and also comforted in knowing I’m not alone on this journey.
   
   
2. I work best in solitude. I had such success in December working in 30-minute daily increments on a project I was having trouble completing, that I decided to try it in January with an accountability partner on another project I’m working on.  Well, we successfully met every weekday for 30 minutes, but I unsuccessfully made zero progress on that project in January.  Since my accountability partner was at a different stage, I ended up teaching and strategizing for that entire time instead of doing.  All is not lost; that teaching I did gave me the confidence to charge forward on my own this month.  There’s a lot to be said about the power of teaching to help organize and get clear on your thoughts and learn the material better.  I know when I spent a year in solitude creating my curriculum for Live Event Academy™ I got really clear on the methods and frameworks that have made me successful… something I had never stopped and given myself space to do before.
   
   
3. Certainty is important in the event space.  This is a hard pill to swallow.  But I’ll be honest with you… certainty in 2021, when it comes to large-scale live events, means hosting them virtually (vs. in-person.)  I’ve spent the last nine months obsessively studying virtual events, but in January, I went even deeper and spent three days in a full immersion training, learning from some very smart event strategists who have put on a high volume of high profile virtual events in the past year.  One of my takeaways was that yes, we can continue to plan with contingency plans, but the expense… both financially, and mentally, is so high… making the decision to stay virtual in 2021 gives you the certainty and space to go all-in on making your event world-class. “Once I made a decision, I never thought about it again.” – Michael Jordan

That said, it’s a new month with new opportunities.  Let’s go!

What are you trying to accomplish in February?

Here are three of my goals:

1. Instagram Challenge: I recently finished a course on organic Instagram growth strategies.  I’m challenging myself to show up differently on Instagram this month and apply what I’ve learned.  It feels unnatural, but I’m going to do it anyway. Just a few days in and I’m already seeing positive growth metrics I’ve never seen before. That win feels good and I want more. 😊
   
   
2. Live Event Academy™ Sales Page Refresh: I’m committed to finishing the work I started in January so I can move on to the next exciting task of live webinar funnel building!
   
   
3. Calm on the inside: I’m committed to setting alarms to take mini-breaks throughout the day to reset so that I don’t get so wound up. I’m pretty good at keeping a ‘grace under pressure’ façade on the outside at all times, but I’m not so good yet at doing the same on the inside... especially in the pressure cooker of this pandemic. You’d think… after five years of drinking personal development Kool-aide, that I’d have resets nailed, but not yet.  I appreciate that there’s a lot going on for all of us right now and it’s important we give ourselves the grace we deserve but also leverage the tools at our disposal to manage through uncertainty and challenge. I will also be keeping in mind that “pressure is a privilege.” – Jesse Itzler

And there you have it, my February update for you.  Just thought I’d share and keep in contact.

I hope this note finds you and your loved ones happy and healthy.

Make it an awesome weekend,
Sarah


Sarah Fejfar
Founder of Live Event Academy™
Coaching | Consulting | Courses
www.sarahfejfar.com | @sarahfejfar
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