When I turned 30, I was definitely freaked out. Like stereotypical omfg I’m old now, I should be further along, Jennifer Anniston in Friend’s nonsense.

But turning 32 I feel even younger than I did at 30. Feel like I look younger too, but maybe that’s just looking at myself with kinder eyes.

In yoga today my friend Brit talked about how we look at things differently as we get older. We appreciate the daffodils, we stop and notice colors, textures, the micro moments that make life so rich. And sometimes, we stop to notice the birds, and get really into them, what kind they are and what they’re up to.

In 5th grade, my primary teacher was a woman named Ms. Beck. Well, Sandy Beck, but even decades later calling her Sandy feels a little too bold.

Ms. Beck transferred to my school from ARC, the academic resource center, which in my memory was a place where so called “gifted” kids would go a day or two a week for special classes. ARC is where I first learned to code and built my first website, and it also offered wildlife focused classes where you learned about and interacted with local animals, sometimes even working with the nearby animal sanctuary to feed baby animals and nurse others back to health.

Ms. Beck led most of the wildlife classes, and when I say she was obsessed with birds I’m really not exaggerating. Think Ms. Frizzle vibes… bird earrings and clothes with birds printed on them. She owned multiple pairs of the gloves you wear to let birds of prey perch on your forearm, and always seemed to have an owl or hawk she was taking care of before returning them to the wild.

And at the time, I thought she was nuts. I loved animals and all, but the whole bird thing was beyond me.

Fast forward to now, and I spend 10 minutes most mornings staring out the window, listening to the mourning doves who perch on our fire escape. I marvel at birds and look them up and wonder what they’re thinking and doing as they move through the world.

What’s the point here? Getting older our perspective changes. With the new Meta verified thing (check my podcast episode going into all things blue check), I’m reminded of how much I used to care about what my life looked like to other people, about the image of my business. But not from the perspective that really matters, the perspective of what do people think about me.

I know now, 7 years into entrepreneurship, 10 years working in marketing and advertising, what actually matters. And it isn’t a particular number of followers, or flashy branding, or showcasing a luxury lifestyle.

Those things might contribute to building a brand and creating what you want, but at the core what matters is in the basics. In the smallest details, the little parts that are too easy to overlook.

Like those moments of pausing and noticing flowers peaking through the dirt or birds perched in the trees.

In business, that translates to the small, simple steps you can take to move things forward.

Creating and sharing content. Interacting with your community, those you know and those you don’t know yet. Client and customer service. Creating and updating offerings. Keeping your branding, positioning and messaging consistent across offers, content, marketing efforts. Investing in growing your skills. Resting, slowing down, making space to be creative or get inspired.

Not focusing on what’s viral, on the newest strategy or tech tools or trends. But treating your business like it’s a capsule wardrobe. You can pepper in new trends, fun accessories or colors, but for the most part you’re relying on quality basics.

Another thing that I’ve gotten from getting older: I want so much less. In my life, in my home, in my closet. And yes, in my business.

I want simple, streamlined, and deeply effective. I want that for you, too.

If that sounds juicy, then let’s take a spring cleaning moment for your business.

A moment to slow down, pause and savor everything you’ve got, everything that’s here, everything that’s working.

A space to edit things down and create the capsule wardrobe, so to speak, for your business. What’s the core positioning and key message? Content pillars? Core offerings ecosystem? Major marketing platforms and processes?

Is it back to basics? Maybe. But it’s also going to be way more effective than trend hopping or overwhelming yourself with all the things to do.

At least, that’s the wisdom from this 32 year old. Honestly? Cannot wait to see how much juicier things get with every passing year.

x

CQ

PS I've been on fire with work lately, so I mean... let's make magic. Private coaching is almost full, I'm capping Momentum after 4 more spots. LFG.