This is About You
It's Monday. I'm Here for You.
The Pick Me Up is a Monday morning newsletter filled with advice, personal stories, and tips to help you get out of bed and jumpstart your week.
Greetings, friend! It’s me, Jen Glantz.
I’ve been obsessed with thinking about all the stuff in my life that I desperately want to fix.
I wrote last week that I’m desperate to fix things in my life that feel like they have splinters sticking out of them. One of those things is how I treat other people.
In my nostalgic moments, somebody who I haven’t thought about or spoken to in years will pop-up in my brain and then I’ll spend the next 5-minutes looking them up on social media, trying to decipher how they are doing in life, and wondering why we didn’t keep in touch.
The tail end of my investigation always leads me to the same answer (scroll to read more).
In this issue: What it was like spending 2-weeks with no caffeine and bathing suits that will rock your summer.
Why you’re getting this: I'm Jen Glantz and this is The Pick-Me-Up newsletter. I've been sending it every Monday, for 8-years, to thousands of awesome humans, just like you. Thank you for letting this email live in in your inbox. It truly makes my heart explode with joy.
Today’s newsletter is sponsored by:
Meet Pipedrive, the CRM platform that helps you grow your business in just four easy steps. It’s simple to use because it lets you visualize and customize your sales pipeline, schedule reminders so you never miss a follow-up, and even helps you forecast revenue so you can stay on track of your goals. There’s no CRM tool like Pipedrive. It’s recognized as a top-rated CRM tool and has earned over six industry-leading awards this year alone.
Try it out today and get a 30-day free trial plus 20% off the first year.
Instant Pick Me Ups
📚: A book about finding, keeping, and leaving love behind.
🎧: More Taylor and this fun song.
🛍️: Shopping for: Sharing my favorite three items for those looking for -
Baby products: onesies (I bought these in every size), stroller books, fun pillow for a nursery
Summer makeup refresh: love this mascara, this lipstick, and this shimmer
Everyday items: Picnic blanket, a fun park game, chairs for the park
I’m the Problem. It’s Me.
I wrote last week that I’m desperate to fix things in my life that feel like they have splinters sticking out of them. One of those things is how I treat other people.
In my nostalgic moments, somebody who I haven’t thought about or spoken to in years will pop-up in my brain and then I’ll spend the next 5-minutes looking them up on social media, trying to decipher how they are doing in life, and wondering why we didn’t keep in touch.
The tail end of my investigation always leads me to the same answer (scroll to read more).
And the answer is that I royally messed up.
Let me share a classic example that I’m guilty of repeating a thousand times over.
I recently thought about this writer Ben I connected with when I first moved to NYC 10-years-ago. We were both crunching words into stories and trying to get published. We met for coffee, gave each other advice, and both left feeling like we’d made a genuine connection in the writer’s world.
Except somewhere, around that time, I went from being someone who was so eager to uplift the people around me to someone who only cared about uplifting myself.
I can blame NYC for making me this way, how every day you run into someone who is working harder than you, making more money than you, engaged in the kind of success that you spend your free time flirting with. But mostly I blame my ego, the cut-throat hustle veins that pulse inside my swollen little heart. Add in endless rejection, mounting credit card bills, and looming doom that I’ll forever be a failure, and that’s how you become who thinks too much about themselves and how they can move up, and up, and up.
So in 2014, Ben sends me an invite to this really awesome show he’s reading his writing at. He even put in the email that it would be a great networking opportunity for me and that i’d make some new friends.
The 2013 version of myself would have been there without hesitation. Would have shown up with no agenda. Would have hugged new people hello. Would have cheered Ben on until I lost my voice.
But the 2014 version of myself wrote this reply:
Was I busy? Who knows. Most likely not. Was I sour that Ben was reading at an event and I wasn’t? Absolutely.
Ben and I never chatted again. I didn’t even think about him until last Thursday when he popped into my mind and I searched my inbox to see our last correspondence. Ben went on to become a big-time writer (go, Ben, go). Even so, I bet he still uplifts the people around him.
I wish I could say the same about myself.
I’m proud of how I support my family (Adam, Gem, Goofy). It means a lot to me to try and be a really good friend to my besties. I try to answer every email or message I get from someone who needs advice or a pick-me-up. I volunteer 5+ hours a month for organizations that I’m super passionate about.
But when I look back on my decade in New York City and think about the tons of people I’ve met and connected with, I can’t help but regret how much I viewed so many of those interactions from the lens of:
How can this person help me?
And not: How can I help them?
I’m working on changing that. Now, every time an old connection pops up in my head, I email them and confess the truth about how I wish I did a better job of supporting them, keeping in touch, and showing up in many ways. I’m not looking for forgiveness, friendship, or anything.
I just want to thank the people who have entered my life and offered to help me, or get to know me.
Which is why, 10-years-later, I mustered up the courage to send this email to Ben:
I’m in change-mode right now in my life and I’m feeling like before I can fully fix what’s crumpled up on the floor in front of me, I have to revisit the past.
And it’s scary and uncomfortable, quite dirty and filled with gunk. It’s stained with mistakes and littered with my own faults.
But I’m crawling through it all. Let’s see what comes out of it.
Ps. Let’s work together - here’s how:
👏1:1 coaching: I specialize in working with people who want to switch careers, start their own business, improve their personal brand, or are feeling lost in life. Book a session and let’s work together this month.
👏Company workshops & speaking: I offer company workshops and conference keynotes on topics that include personal branding, social media trends, storytelling, and more. I’ve worked with Google, Apple, HBO, ESPN, and more. Learn more here.
Also:
Books // Card Game // Bridesmaid for Hire // Scared to Be a Mom // Shop
The key here Jen is that you are able to recognize this shortcoming and start treading a different path. I too have regretted my past transgressions and tried to make amends. Don't be upset if there's no reply; let it go. Be happy that you are moving forward with a more rewarding outlook on life. Kudos Jen!!