Hi reader,

What happens when you miss a call(ing)?

My older relatives still have a landline. You know, wired to the wall. You don’t know if someone was trying to reach you until you get home. If they don’t leave a message, then the intention feels like it is out in the ether 🤷🏾‍♂️

If you were raised in the ‘90s or earlier like myself, then you know this was just how we lived. And at the dawn of the modern-day Internet, America couldn’t be Online and call to have a pizza delivered at the same time because they all used the same noisy phone line.

Today, with all the computer in your pocket talk, there is also a sense of inner peace we lack. Kind of like a trust.

Before, we knew that if we called someone and they didn’t answer, then it was our job to leave a message or try them again later. They had their reasons for not answering. It didn’t become a grand conspiracy about why they did or didn’t talk to us right when we wanted to.

On the other hand, we knew that if we away from home, then whomever wanted us would understand we were away and also do the right thing: leave a message or try us again later. We were fully present wherever we were, simply because there was no reason to check our pocket to see if we missed anything.

We were sure we missed something. We were always missing something. We were also sure we could catch up on it when we were done being present here.

Do I want to reinstall a landline for my family? Definitely not. My boys wouldn’t even know how to operate a tone dial, nevertheless a rotary I remember from grandma’s house.

But how many times are we worried that a social media post with less likes will sink our career?

Or a rejection will kill our dream?

Or an underperforming project absolutely requires a career pivot?

Trying to perfectly be everything to everyone everywhere is unrealistic. It is like never leaving the house because you’re afraid you’re going to miss a phone call: Silly.

Instead, our best bet is creating for the communities that are ready to receive the message. Trusting that those that don’t get the message will come back when they’re ready. And living our best lives outside of our career aspirations.

As we don’t know when the call is going to come, and sitting up in your room all day isn’t going to make it ring any faster ☎️

-​—Damon​ 

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🙋🏾 I’m Damon! (http://www.damonbrown.net) I help side hustlers, solopreneurs & others like yourself bloom. As a bestselling author, 2x startup founder & 4x TEDTalker, I co-founded the popular connection app Cuddlr and led it to acquisition within a year while being a stay at home dad with his infant son.

🫱🏼‍🫲🏿 Today, my boutique coaching business Bring Your Worth supports hundreds through one-on-one virtual and in-person support, as well as behind-the-scenes services for TED, Heroic Public Speaking, and other impactful organizations. You can catch this free weekly newsletter as well as the 18,000-subscriber strong television show BringYourWorth.tv.

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