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Welcome to Issue 87 of Clearly YOU. Every second Wednesday, I serve up ideas that help you cut through the blah-blah and actually get heard. Clarity. Confidence. Realness. That’s the magic combo that makes people remember you. Not a subscriber? Sign up now.

Doing stuff is hard.

Talking about doing stuff... less hard. In fact, it can be downright fun!

Summer is a time for dreaming and chatting. And that's cool. But August is on its way out folks. And autumn is a season for DOING.

That said - despite my enthusiasm and fabulous intentions - I’m fully capable of spending most of September in a professional space I call DOING-ADJACENT.

✅ Making lists of things I plan to do
✅ Building strategies and action plan
✅ Buying apps, programs, office plants, and colourful agendas

Sound familiar? No shame. Loads of brilliant folks fall into this seasonal rabbit hole.

DOING-ADJACENT feels productive. Big thoughts. Big ambitions.

🙄 But let’s be honest: it’s a beautiful delusion.

So here’s the deal: Next week, after we’ve picked up a new plant or two and reorganized the junk drawer in our workspace, let’s agree to skip DOING-ADJACENT and jump straight into actual DOING.

Cool Quote

“The talking about the thing isn't the thing. Doing the thing is the thing."

Amy Poehler, Actor, Comedian, and Author

Try This: Kickstart Your September

Let’s kick off September by DOING something small but powerful.

This 5-10 minute exercise is designed to give you a quick shot of clarity about who you are and what you want to accomplish. That’s enough time to focus and move forward with INTENTION, but not enough to slide back into DOING-ADJACENT.

Here’s your quick-start template:

• List 3 things you like about your work
• Name ONE thing you want to do MORE of this month
• Name ONE thing you want to do LESS of this month
• And here’s the part that matters most… Jot down 3 words that capture how your professional voice should sound

Stick those three words on Post-Its and keep them where you can see them. Let them steer you.

📝 Note to self: Clarity fuels action. Five minutes. Four prompts. Then start DOING.

Stuff Worth Sharing

If you perpetually spend more time strategizing and list-making than actually DOING, you might be what psychologist Nick Wignall calls an “anxious high-achiever.”

FYI: This is me in a nutshell.

His article is definitely worth a read: 7 Signs You’re an Anxious High-Achiever.

Inbox-Worthy

Nick Wignall writes a newsletter called The Friendly Mind. I may have mentioned it before, but when something’s genuinely helpful, it deserves a repeat.

It’s practical, smart, and refreshingly human (no fluff, no jargon). Honestly, it feels like advice from the psychologist friend we all wish we had on speed dial.

If emotional clarity and less overthinking sound good right now, give it a peek: The Friendly Mind​

For the Word Nerds

Let’s talk about kickstart.

The word began literally: a kickstarter was the lever you stomped on to fire up a motorcycle. One swift kick, engine on. Over time, it became metaphor - shorthand for giving anything a jolt of energy.

👉 Bonus fact: The crowdfunding platform Kickstarter (2009) supercharged its popularity. Suddenly everyone was “kickstarting” projects, businesses, even love lives.

Technically, it’s a compound word (two words fused into one). Think cousins like brainstorm, springboard, and download - quick, punchy words that suggest ideas in motion.

And that’s why I love it: kickstart isn’t about overhauling your life. It’s about one solid push that gets the engine humming and builds momentum.

Thanks for reading. Back in your inbox September 10th. Until then: ​ 🩷 Feeling social? Click one of those icons 👆(I know follower count is a vanity metric but damn it... I'm vain). ​ 🩷 Want to give your professional voice a JUMPSTART? That’s literally what my 1:1 service is called.