Week 19

Permission. Have you ever realized that you can give yourself permission?

Let me back track and then explain what I mean. Consider if any of this resonates with you…

• You want to start your own business but you’re not sure if it’s the smartest move.

• You want to start posting videos on YouTube but you’re not sure if you really know how or what you want to do.

• You are burnt out and need to take a break but you aren’t sure if that’s a wise thing to do considering the money you have to keep making.

• You are constantly telling yourself you “should” be working, or you “should” be resting, or you “should” be creating, or you “should” be taking a break.

• You want to start, but you have no idea how or where to start.

• You want to pursue a new hobby, but you’re afraid to invest in time or resources in case you give up on it.

Okay, I could continue to add a bunch of potentially relatable scenarios…but the point I want to make clear in this newsletter is…YOU. YOU are the one who can give yourself the permission to do these things (or not do something). You don’t need the external validation from someone else. You don’t need someone to tell you the YouTube channel is a good idea. You don’t need someone to validate that you deserve to take a break.

If you’re like me, you would feel a whole lot better if someone just told you what you wanted to hear. If it was clear in my mind and body that I needed rest, for some reason, I have a habit of wanting someone else to confirm that they see that too. I have fallen into the trap of waiting for someone else to give me the permission to just rest. The reality is, I have to give myself the permission. I would be much better off if I didn’t always need someone to externally validate my experience.

Maybe this doesn’t relate to you at all, but if it does…I hope this is super helpful. If you want to start that YouTube channel, that business, that hobby - give yourself the permission to do so. If you need to rest - who cares about productivity culture that is setup to make you guilty for the most normal human need…just take a day of rest. It’s okay. You know the balance between being lazy and resting. We all do.

Don’t spend so much time criticizing and “shoulding” yourself, and just give yourself the permission to do/or not do what you want/need.

Of course, I’m saying all of this within the framework of wisdom and morality haha. If you want to go steal everyone’s camera gear, don’t act on that impulse haha. You know what I mean. Give yourself permission to do something good for yourself: whether that is to start the thing or take a break from it.

You got this!

This week’s creative challenge:

AN EXTRA FOR THOSE WHO MAKE IT TO THE BOTTOM OF MY EMAILS :)

To give a real life example of what I wrote above…I’m giving myself permission to send out this newsletter with less effort than I wanted to give it today. The truth is, I don’t feel very well on the day I’m writing this. I am also beyond tired. I really wanted to record a podcast today to share in the newsletter - but I’m just giving myself permission to skip another week. I started my podcast with the intention for it to be a creative release for me. A space to not “be perfect”. I wish that was all spaces for me but it’s a thing I struggle with. Thus, not posting every week is an important piece of that. When my podcast feels like an obligation rather than a delight, I’m choosing to give myself permission to skip. I hope you can give yourself that grace too. (Again, this doesn’t speak to all personalties - some people need to push themselves to do more than to rest more - you know yourself - you know what you need).

Also, here’s a little screenshot of some of the people in the More Than a Filmmaker community - this isn’t all of us, but they’re just awesome and I wanted to share my joy of the week! I’d love if you want to come join in the fun!

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Have a great day!

Best, Jordyn

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