Welcome to Issue 100 of Clearly YOU. Every second Wednesday, I serve up ideas that help you share the clearest, realest, most unforgettable version of yourself with the world. Not a subscriber? Let's fix that: https://kimscaravelli.com/newsletter/

100 issues feels like a milestone.

Way back in issue one, this newsletter was called Writing and Other Stuff. To be honest, the goal was to grow an audience, get sponsors, and turn this email thing into another revenue stream.

And I was getting there.

By issue 30, about 2,000 people were reading. Then a vicious bot attack hit and I abandoned ship. I fled from ActiveCampaign to Kit with fewer than 30 surviving human readers.

Not my favourite week.

But once the panic and rage wore off, I felt something unexpected: relief. Obsessing over subscriber numbers had quietly drained the joy out of something that should have been fun.

So I didn’t turn "Surviving a Bot Attack" into a story of my resilience and entrepreneurial determination. Instead, I let go of my plans to monetize and focused on the simple pleasure of communicating with my 30 subscribers.

Seventy issues later, about 300 of you read ClearlyYou. And not to brag, but my open rate rarely dips below 60% and sometimes hits 80%. 🥰 Big hug to each of you.

For issue 100, I want to talk about the joy of communicating with written words… and maybe help you feel a bit of the magic too.

Cool Quote

“Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs.”

Carl Sagan, astronomer and science communicator

A Few Tips on How to Stay Close to the Joy

1. Stop using AI for every damn thing.

It seems helpful. Just a quick "double-check" to make sure your words are working. But here's the thing. The AI gremlins will always change something.

Over time, you will start to doubt anything you share with the world that hasn't been run through AI. I know - because this definitely happened to me.

So stop with the double-checking when it's just an email or a casual communication. Have confidence in your own words. Let them be.

2. Write something with INK every day.

Personally, I start each day by writing a few sentences in a journal. Nothing deep. Most often I reflect on my mood, the weather, and the state of my morning coffee. I'm still getting the hang of using a French Press.

It's not Shakespeare. But the words flow directly from my brain, through my hand, and onto the paper. There's clarity to those words. They're pure and 100% mine.

And I've discovered that sometimes (just sometimes) I become a bit poetic when I'm talking to myself. I'm not sure what the psychology behind this is, but you may find the same thing happens to you.

3. Start collecting brilliant words and phrases.

Over the weekend, my daughter and her partner told me they were having a "duvet day". How glorious is that phrase?!

Yesterday, I heard a young child in the grocery store say they were "pooped out" and I thought... Yep. I feel that!

And this morning, I was writing quickly and when I looked at the sentences on the page, the term "hen scratches" came to mind. Hadn't had that expression pop into my head in years.

When brilliant words and phrases appear, I save them like pearls. I use Notes on my phone, folders on my laptop, and yes... old school notebooks that I've stashed in every room of my house.

Pay attention long enough and you’ll realize something: language is playful.

Writing doesn’t have to be optimized or polished within an inch of its life. Sometimes it’s just noticing, smiling, and letting a good phrase roll around in your mouth like a piece of candy.

That’s the good stuff.

Stuff Worth Sharing

When I'm struggling to put my knowledge and thoughts into words, I find Focusmate helpful.

It’s a virtual co-working platform where you get paired with someone on video, say what you’re working on, then work quietly together for a set time. The idea is called body doubling. Having another person present helps you stay focused.

For me, the interesting effect isn’t just that I stay focused. I actually start enjoying the work more. I get into the process of writing. My critical inner voice quiets down, the itch to check with AI fades, and I start playing with the words.

Basically, I have fun.

For the Word Nerds

One of my newly discovered words is autotelic. It sounds very firm and scientific, don’t you think?

Autotelic is an adjective used to describe something done for its own sake, because the activity itself is rewarding, not because of any external reward like money, recognition, or outcome.

In a world that seems to demand everything be purposeful and profitable, I love the idea of autotelic activities.

Yes, I make my living using words, so not all my writing can be autotelic. But some can. And a small sprinkle of autotelic writing feels like a quiet act of rebellion… and a joyful addition to each day.