Life Isn't So Random
Why I moved to NYC 10-years-ago
PICK-ME-UP: IT'S NOT SO RANDOM
Hello! Greetings from the ocean. It took me 30-something years and 10 New York City winters to fully appreciate Florida in January. I packed a backpack, bought a one-way ticket, and came back to my parent's house for the rest of this month.
The 10 degree (but it feels like -2 degrees) weather in Brooklyn was starting to make my mind swirl like frozen yogurt. Every day felt the same, yet nothing made sense.
When I left for the airport, I tossed my winter coat in the closet and slammed the door shut.
I won't miss you! I told the coat and the coat didn't say anything back, but now i'm in Florida and it's supposed to be 40-something degrees today and I know that coat is laughing so hard in that tiny closet in Brooklyn reminding me what I'm too stubborn to remember:
The things in life you're trying to escape, will always follow you across state lines.
In this issue: Lessons from living in NYC for 10-years, backpack packing list, and the odd gigs of the week.
Why you’re getting this: I'm Jen Glantz and this is my Monday Pick-Me-Up newsletter. I've been sending it for over 8-years, every single Monday morning, to thousands of awesome humans, just like you. Thank you for letting this email live in in your inbox. It makes my heart explode with joy.
The Pick-Me-Up: You're the Magic
10-years-ago, I moved to New York City because I had nowhere else to go.
I didn’t move to be famous or to follow any dreams.
I moved because I had outgrown my twin-bed-sized life at my parent’s house.I had a poetry degree / 2 horrible jobs / and after applying to 437 jobs all over the world, I got a “yes”.
They said:
Move to NYC. You start in a week.
I moved because the risk of ending up with nothing is sometimes the chance at everything.
At the airport, my mom said:“You know, you can always come back home.”
And I knew I could just as much as I knew I wouldn’t.
Because once I got to NYC, everything my life was missing, I started to find:-
-Like my random roommate, who I met 10-years-ago. I didn’t know about true friendship until I met her.
-I wrote thousands of things, got hundreds of rejections, published 3 books and hundreds of articles - in every publication that once told me “no”.
-I started Bridesmaid for Hire, got laid-off from my full-time job, and vowed to forever be my own boss - no matter what….there’s been a lot of “whats”.
-I cried hysterically in Times Square, Union Square, Madison Square, Herald Square, Washington Square….to be a New Yorker is to unravel inside a square.
-I found love, I lost love, I felt deeply heartbroken, and I had a best friend break up with me on a road named Broadway….
Give my regards to Broadway….ya, know?
-I met best friends, in strange ways, who helped my heart expand.
-On a chilly day in March, in a coffee shop with expensive chai lattes, I met
Adam Kossoff, and married him exactly 5-years later, outside that tiny place.
This city isn’t magic, it doesn’t exhale confetti on you, it doesn’t hope you make it here.
That’s all sales talk.
You’re the magic, and you bring it here, and you don’t even know it, but you sling it around, and you feel like you’re living somewhere special.
Because there you are: living.
People used to ask me why I moved here.
Now, they ask me why I stay.
My answer has changed.
I’m just not ready to go anywhere else.
All my love,
Jen Glantz
❤️
Random Links
My dad and I are in a BAND together (The Jen Glantz Band) and after 3+ years of taking a break, we finally are back together! Don't judge us too hard please - we're doing what we love and i'm proud to share this with you.
Also, have this podcast for you if you need a quick hit of inspo.
Picked From the Library: We Are Not Like Them
Odd Ways to Ask for More Money
Let's talk about this: are you hoping to make more money from your job? I decided to dedicate this week's odd job newsletter to helping you get more money at your job - with expert help, of course. Here it is for you!
I was nervous to fly home for a zillion reasons so I didn't pack anything I needed and instead packed the most random things. Here's what I stuffed in my backpack:
-A mini tripod (perfect for on-the-go filming)
-Poster board to map out my 2022 game plan. LOL I stuffed this in my backpack instead of clothes.
-These weighted arm bands because I bring them everywhere. TSA was like ????
-I forgot sneakers so I picked these up and am obsessed
How to Get That Spark Back in Your Life
Whether it's your love life or self-love life, my friend (Arielle Leavitt) is on the podcast today dishing the best kind of advice. Hint: she reminds you how to find the fun in love - no matter what.
Ps. I'm excited to open up some more coaching spots! I have 0 spots opn in January and 2 spots open in February. Check this out if you're interested in working together one-on-one. PLUS! I have availability for company workshops in February/March. If that's of interest, look at this!
🖤
Mini Pick-Me-Up: You're Not Like That
People are constantly telling you to "stop being so [FILL IN THE BLANK] but the truth is, their words won't get you to stop.
Someone told me to stop being so nervous about something that was giving me the shakes.
You know what their words did?
Their words made me more nervous.
And then their words made me realize this:
Know who you are // how you are // understand that // and don't try to change overnight.
So now, when someone tells me I should stop being so nervous, I say:
I can stop, I will stop, but just not today.
The End
Thanks for reading my Pick-Me-Up Newsletter.
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Until next time... I'll be rooting for you and cheering you on!
Have a great week.
Jen Glantz
p.s. Here's the About Me on my website if you forgot who I am or where we met.
-Jen Glantz
Author, Serial Entrepreneur, Podcast Host, Pizza lover, & Goofy's best friend.
Here's what she is currently working on:
The Newlywed Card Game // Books // You're Not Getting Any Younger Podcast // Bridesmaid for Hire // Odd Jobs Newsletter //The First Years of Marriage Newsletter // The Monday Pick-Me-Up Newsletter // Jen & Juice Business & Life Coaching // Company Workshops