👋 Don't give up on yourself
It's Monday. I'm here for you.
Hi, Friend! It's me, Jen Glantz.
I love to pay people for their advice. But I never listen to it.
Get me in front of a therapist or a life coach, even a Rabbi, and I'll ask them what I should do about x, y, or z. My tongue, teeth, and lips smash together into a crunch wrap supreme as I hear what they have to say. I cling to their words. My head bobbles up and down. They want the best for me, I reckon. But I'm too reckless to follow any of it.
Leave New York City, a well-known mentor of mine told me in 2021. All your problems will stay there as you go. The next day, I signed a two-year lease on a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn.
You must find ways to slow down. Yoga, meditation? A therapist once told me. All I heard was go faster. You better believe I found ways to turn up the speed on my mental treadmill to 100 mph.
I once paid a social media influencer coach $500 to teach me the secrets of the bizz. Post every aspect of your life, every day, for 90 days. I deleted the Instagram app off my phone instead.
I don't always do the opposite of what I'm told. I usually know what I'm going to do even before I pay people the money to tell me what they think I should do.
It's wasteful. It's ridiculous. It begs the question:
Jen, honey, why don't you just save your pennies and listen to your gut?
My gut has this convenient habit of going on vacation whenever I need it to rot on the couch with me. The last time I called for it, it told me it was in Bora Bora and simply said: IDK, what do you think you should do about that?
My gut is as reliable as that friend you invite to a party knowing there is a 1 in 5 chance they walk through the door and if they do walk through the door, they will be buzzed drunk probably drooling about their own misfortunes drowning out any of yours.
But other people's advice keeps you company as you go ahead and mess up your life a teeny tiny bit. It straps onto your heart as you attempt to be brave, after so many years of being too coy.
The other night I hired a tarot card reader and hoped she'd tell me something explosive that I of course would agree to for 5-15 minutes and then completely ignore.
Tell me to start a new business! Massage me with gossip about the universe needing more of me on TikTok. Sprinkle the news that money is coming my way any day now. Wink once if there's something big waiting for me on a mid-life crisis solo vacation to the freaking moon.
Instead she said the only thing I really needed to hear. Perhaps you need to hear it too. For the first time, I paid someone to give me advice that I will actually listen to.
I've been keeping my eyes open for mantras of the week. Last week it was: Don't be afraid of anyone. Don't be afraid of yourself.
These mantras don't tell me what to do with my own life, they tell me how to act, or what to remember to focus on. I recall them when I'm in a fritz. They keep me honest. They remind me that I'm here living so I might as well live.
The tarot card reader didn't give me advice. Mostly because I didn't ask her for any of it. She said what do you want to focus on and I said nothing, which kind of meant everything???
My reading was plain until the very end. She read the last card and said:
Ah, okay. Look at this. This one right here.
I popped my eyes open. I saw what she saw but I understood nothing.
Here's what you came to me for. You need to know this.
Don't give up on yourself was what she said.
The thing is, even if you don't trust your gut, even if you throw away every piece of advice you've ever paid for, even if you do everything backwards and sideways and completely wrong, all that matters if that you don’t give up on yourself.
For a thousand different reasons, it was exactly what I needed to hear. Maybe you do too.
Take care of yourself this week (ilysm),
Jen Glantz (Books, Podcast, Little Bits of Life)
Book: I’m making a big effort to eat healthier these days because I want to feel good this summer. This book, like the title promises, really is life changing. [Buy on Amazon / Bookshop]
Song: I’ve become such a big fan of her music, especially after watching a movie she’s in when I was sick a few weeks ago. It’s such a cute movie!
Most-Worn Items Of the Week:
→ These shoes go with everything. They are nice to have to toss on when you’re not sure what to put on your feet.
→ The comfiest summer sandals
→ I’m going all in with leopard print this season. I wore these pants 3x this week.
→This is my absolute favorite skin care brand. They just came out with a shampoo and conditioner and I am beyond obsessed. My hair has never felt cleaner! Love, love, loveeeee.
Quote I’m living by: Don’t be afaird of anyone. Don’t be afaird of yourself.
I turned off the paid subscription option on this newsletter. I want to keep this space open to everyone. I just want to write and not worry about begging people to pay to read any of it. Maybe i’ll change my mind. But for now, a couple hundred newsletters from the past are all free, free, free!
I had no idea what to get Adam for Father’s Day this year. I’ve known him for a decade and I’ve done every type of gift: sentimental, clothing, adventures, etc. I was out of ideas. SO! I swung by a local bodega and grabbed a handful of $1 scratch-offs. It’s seriously a great, fun, and even last-minute gift for anyone in your life. He did them with Gemma and they won $7.
I saved a bunch of recipes from websites and TikTok. I asked ChatGPT to pick three for me to make this week. I wanted three easy dish ideas for dinner. Here is what I plan to try to cook — all vegan!
Recent Monday Pick-Me-Ups:
Most clicked items:
Ilia Foundation — life changing!
Bala bangles — workout anywhere!
Pink Adidas shoes — stand out!
Thank you for reading this week’s pick-me-up. I adore you! I’ll be back in your inbox on Monday. Until then, hit reply and say helllloooo!
If you want to follow me on @jenglantz, I’d love it. And if you have anything to share or ask, hit reply or comment below.
P.S. I'd be so grateful if you could tap that like button below - it really helps others discover this content! Your support means the world to me! Thank you for being here! ✨
In the words of Tom Papa - "you're doing GREAT"! If you don't know him I suggest you watch his special: https://www.netflix.com/title/81103777
Thanks for this, Jen! Ugh it been like this for me too lately, but I'm in a corporate soul sucking job and was passed up again for a different internal position. The feeling of hopelessness is real.
I'd love to move into freelancing and build other streams of income. Where to start? I do invest. Should I take a course of yours? I, too, have spent a countless number of hours trying to find my direction in courses. Some days are daunting, while others I'm motivated. I love your letters always!