The Real Deal Digest Issue No. 29

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January is a weird month, isn't it?

It's technically just another month with 31 days (six other months manage just fine), but somehow January always feels like it lasts three years.

The days are short but also feel long. If you're up north like I am, the cold and snow act like it will never leave.

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And as February shows up and the "new year energy" reveals its true self, you find yourself in one of three camps:

⛺ Camp 1: "I'M STILL CRUSHING MY GOALS, YEEEAAAHHHH!"

⛺ Camp 2: "Ooookay... things aren't going as expected... just breathe, just breathe!"

And then there's ⛺ Camp 3, where you did not declare any New Year Resolutions out loud, eeeeeven though...

Deeeeeeeep, deep down...

You want to do ALL THE THINGZ...

But you're afraid of disappointing yourself. Or others. 😐

So you try to keep it cool. You don't make any big declarations. You're afraid of failing so you don't share your dreams out loud.

And you're stuck in what I like to call...

The Wheel of Disappointment:

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Whether you see yourself in this wheel or not, I encourage you to keep reading. 'Cause I think this month's edition of The Real Deal Digest is going to hit home for just about everyone who is on my list. 😬

(This is what my girl Brené Brown has told me, anyway... that ALL of us are just scared, little people! Yay for vulnerability! #iykyk)

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In this week's edition of The Real Deal Digest:

🗓️ Why January messes with your head more than any other month (and what to do about it)

☸️ The Wheel of Wins: how small moves create real momentum (and how to break out of analysis paralysis)

💁‍♀️ A gentle way to build confidence that actually lasts (tip: it's hard to do it in a silo)

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Throughout my life, I've been in all three February camps mentioned above. ^

And after working for myself the last few years, I've realized how important it is to get your head straight in January — so you don't have end up in Camp 2 or 3 and have a complete meltdown by February. 🫠

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Real talk: I have found myself bouncing around all three "camps," but by year three of being in business, I felt quite defeated in several areas.

So I pitched my tent in Camp 3, keeping myself small and confused, and trying not to hope too much so as not to disappoint myself.

Inevitably, this energy channeled into self-doubt before I even started to work on my goals.

And surprise! I stayed stuck. 😑

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What finally changed for me was when I decided that I just had to make bigger moves before I felt ready.

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And that's what all the multi-millionaires and business bigwigs say, isn't it?

Start before you're ready.

You'd think us less-than-millionaires would listen to the ones who have already made the millions, but noooOOOoooOOoo.
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Jokes aside...

Before taking any kind of action, I realized I had to make a very specific decision about what it was that I wanted. I had to quantify it, set a deadline, and then tell everyone I know about it so I could create some accountability for myself.

And guess what? That was when the magic happened.

My confidence GREW because I took action — not the other way around.

I started to notice a loop as a result of my big and little wins. It was like a spinning wheel. And the only way it starts moving is if you push it — or rather, push *yourself* out of your comfort zone. 😁

I call it the Wheel of Wins. (And why yes, I did just make that name up. Thank you for asking.)

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Now... did I feel confident making those bigger moves?

NOPE. Absolutely not. 😆

But over the last year, my confidence has grown more than I ever expected — and that confidence is what allowed me to make even bigger moves, like:

• Creating my community, The Copy Confidence Club (which I'm already realizing needs a name change, lolz)
• Offering email workshops to business centers, communities, and networking groups
• Showing up in rooms where I felt out of my league (initially)
• Posting more reels on socials with my opinions and thoughts (even though I don't think socials are the best way to grow your business... but that's a topic for another time)

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I learned that taking action doesn't mean "winging it with no plan."

In fact, I learned that taking action doesn't even mean, "have a plan."
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It means believing that your goals are POSSIBLE.

👉 And then becoming the person who acts like that's true.

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I'm going to say that last part one more time for you, Reader. Because it is that important:

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You must act like the person you want yourself to be — and believe that that future version of you exists.

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Am I perfect at that? Aw, heck no! Beliiiiieeeve me, I have my days of self-doubt & despair. I promise.

But I find that when I'm consistent enough, the momentum builds, and the results of my actions create positive reinforcement, which builds the confidence I desire to have.

(There's that wheel again! 😉)

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Before I go off on multiple tangents here, let me boil down this email to ONE (more) thing that's cliché but true:

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Big changes in your life rarely come from one massive, dramatic leap.

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They come from small, brave actions taken consistently: doing the next right step, and then doing it again and again. Even when you don't see the big wins yet.

That's the energy behind what I'm building right now — a space less about perfection and more about momentum.
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(As I sit here on my third hour of writing this newsletter. LOLZ. See? I told you I'm not perfect!)
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I'm building this energy internally and also externally, in my community The Copy Confidence Club (OMG, and I'll say it again: I'm realizing that I *need* to change this name because it's becoming so much more than just learning how to write great copy for your biz!)

I'm creating that space for encouragement, accountability, and where to actually get the damn thing done that we know we need to do... but struggle to sit down and DO it.

'Cause it's so much easier and we're all so much stronger when we're in this together! Wouldn't you agree? ❤️

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So as January (finally) comes to an end and we march into another full month of winter (for us Northern hemisphere folks, at least)...

I want to leave you with three reminders:

1. What you're building right now MATTERS — and more people need to know about it! Make that your motivation if you can't think of anything else to get you to take action.
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2. Feeling overwhelmed is normal — doing everything alone is not. So find your people and lean on them when things feel tough.
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3. Even though it may feel hard to get outside right now, make an effort to meet up with a friend for coffee. Or bundle up real good and take a short walk outside for some fresh air. Movement produces clarity, too!
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Here's to stepping into the next beautiful, messy step — whatever that looks like for you this month! 🥂 You got this!

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See you around in the inbox,

-Rachael

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P.S. Aw shucks, I can't end this email without directly inviting you to that new community I keep talking about, can I?
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Well, here's the dealio: if you're looking for a space where you don't have to go through February all alone and you're exhausted from doing everything by yourself, I have this community that helps you build the confidence to not only hit publish, post or send but also give you clarity & accountability on what you need to do next to grow your business.

Even though Round 2 of the Founding Member pricing has passed, you can join with a 7-day free trial to see if it's something worthy of your time & energy. If you want to stick around, you can hop into Round 3 of the Founding Member price before it increases again in March. :-)

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What did you think of this month's edition of The Real Deal Digest? Loved it! This is *exactly* what I needed to hear today. It was good, but a tad too long for my taste. I liked it, but it didn't resonate with me that much. Ummm... appreciate you Rach, but this wasn't it for me.

Please vote! Your vote matters and they help me write newsletters that are relevant to you and worth your time. ❤️

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