Lessons Learned from 100 Letters

A year into your Peace Corps service as a volunteer is a milestone of sorts. It’s when you feel more like a native of the host country than an American. For me, it meant I felt Panamanian. Your work projects are finally starting to take hold, and you’re building momentum. There’s the shift from how am I going to get through this for two years to oh man, how am I going to leave after another year! It’s a whole thing.?

I remember sitting in front of my casita on the teeny island that had been home for two years on the evening of my one-year anniversary. I pulled out my journal, and without giving it much effort, my pen took over, and I started jotting down lessons I’d learned over the first year there.?

They ranged from an appreciation for super soft toilet paper, flush toilets, and washing machines. (Of which I had none.) The hatred of roosters. Learning I couldn’t do it all on my own. A dance party has the same cathartic effect in Panama as in my bedroom growing up, trying to avoid laundry. That not everyone deserves your trust, energy, or anything from you. That was a painful one learned repeatedly. I’m a giver…

Today, this newsletter has reached a milestone! This is episode 100!?

Much like that one-year anniversary, today has me thinking about the lessons I learned, committing to put pen to paper two years ago, and sending this newsletter off every Thursday. (Except when you get it on Fridays.??)

I remember learning of the newsletter/blog concept as an essential part of being a “thought leader.” I saved countless examples of blogs for inspo. I read all the articles about style, headlines, SEO, formatting, optimum email provider and all of the noise, advice, and how-to’s to write a professional blog. Learning your ideal audience! Providing value! Solving problems!?

That noise paralyzed me for years.?

So it was March 2022 I said, “Get over yourself, Erin, and write what you want to write. Who. Cares.”?

I decided to write what came naturally, and if you’ve been here for a minute, you know that writing this newsletter is one of my favorite weekly activities.?

For edition 100, here are some lessons I’ve learned from committing to putting my butt in the seat for the past two and a half years.?

I’ve learned:

• When I gather all of the “how to do it” information, I get in a swirl, stuck, and confused. Basic knowledge is fine. Doing what feels aligned with how I want to show is more important. I want to show up authentic to me.?
• While batching might behoove me, I bang this missive out weekly because it feels more real. I am fully aware that you have no idea when my doctor actually treated me like a punk…I could say it was this week but it could have been 23432 years ago…there’s just something about writing this weekly for that week that feels right.?
• Committing to getting this out on Thursdays is admirable! I know Thursday is newsletter day! I have also learned to give myself grace those days that it just doesn’t happen. I’ve learned that, particularly with my version of tending to beat-myself-into-submission-to-get-things-done, the kinder way to handle a missed Thursday is to say, “It’s OK, Erin. No one cares. No one is paying attention. It doesn’t matter. Friday is fine.”?
• I’ve learned that some weeks I won’t get it out. And I will take breaks. And everything is still OK. Grace is much better than grinding it out.?
• I’ve learned to trust my process of grabbing my pen, contemplating a scene from the week, and bullet-pointing points in my journal. Opening up a doc and flailing out a commentary and lessons learned, inspired from those bullets.

Readers comment about how long it must take me to write…I almost don’t want to let them in on my secret–I bang these things out in 2 hours or less. I found a process that works for me…which brings me to my next lesson…

• I’ve learned to trust myself. I don’t need multiple edits. To take copious hours. To listen to Grammerly’s suggestions. (Grammerly does not like my style of writing! ) To do it my way because it seems to work…What’s exciting is to see that trust for myself seeping into other areas of my work and life.?
• The minutia loves to distract me. How many times have I thought about, “Oh, this needs a title! What will I call it?” IT DOESN’T MATTER. “Oh, I need to change the formatting.” WHY? “Oh, I need to have a call to action and a forwarding link!” I mean, those might be helpful. ?? All of those things will come…and for now…things are just fine. I’ve learned EVERYTHING is a constant evolution; don’t let that stop you from starting.
• I’ve learned I love writing this newsletter. In my style, true to me, and true to my voice. I love cracking myself up weekly with an Easter egg or a turn of phrase that, perhaps, only I get. I love processing life through the lens of “What’s the lesson? What am I learning? How can I use that lesson to teach and be helpful to my people?”?

Finally, I’ve learned one of the same lessons I learned in Panama–no matter what, my Mom is my biggest supporter. She responds every week with a note of encouragement. She’s rooting for me as I continue to grow and learn and expand in this world of “thought leadership.”?

Knowing I have her support–and yours–as you continue to read these weekly thoughts keeps me going! Here’s to another 100!?

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