October Theory, Reasons to Listen, and Spooky Season

Three good things

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

Hi friends,

The Life Audit is finally out in the world, WHEW! Here I am on launch day, getting to the good stuff and signing books, meeting readers, and celebrating with friends and family.

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Now that I’m beyond the blur that is book launch, I’m excited to soak up a little bit of fall’s goodness. Lately I’ve been appreciating the sunny side of the street (that perfectly golden autumn light!), leaves swirling so high up they look like birds in flight, and the satisfying crunch of fallen leaves beneath my feet. This being Brooklyn, I’m also enjoying finding the best spot for a spicy chai (not too sweet, and for the love of god under $8), the perfect apple cider donut, and the spookiest block in the neighborhood. What are you loving these days?

Now onto, three things on my mind this month:

1. October Theory. There’s a viral trend on TikTok you might have heard about recently called “October Theory.” It’s based on the idea that October is a kind of “second New Year’s” ideal for self-reflection, goal-setting, and change. (Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, also took place this year in early October.) For followers of October Theory, the month marks the beginning of a ninety day sprint to get your house in order before the year ends. That might mean getting in shape before the holidays, or even coupling up before the cold sets in (see also cuffing season). It’s like a mini New Year’s, but with less pressure (because there’s always January 1 right around the corner for a do-over if you need it), and a shorter timeline to see goals through (90 days, rather than a full year), which might help you come up with more manageable, realistic goals for that time frame.

   October Theory sounds amazing—in theory! But as a parent, between back-to-school season, Halloween, a myriad of random school days off, and the holidays, it would be hard for me personally to get my house in order in October. (I’m more of a January girl myself, given both the New Year and my birthday drop then.) But if you’re into it and can make October Theory work, I love that for you! (If not, I’ll see you in January.) May I suggest you grab your copy of The Life Audit and start unearthing those goals and drafting a vision?

2. Less shouting, more listening. Anyone who’s ever had to promote themselves or their work knows that it can feel a lot like shouting into the void (especially on social media). But alas, self-promotion is part of the job today for authors—just as it is for entrepreneurs, influencers, and small business owners alike. Maybe it’s expected for you in your field, too. A lot of us have found it necessary to pump ourselves up in the public sphere to get the word out about our work, creative or otherwise.

   I know that this is part of the deal of being an author today. I consider writing books to be a job—not the dreamy, romantic, lightning strike of inspiration it’s painted as in popular culture, so much as a discipline that requires hard work, long hours, sufficient isolation, and focus. The work is hard but rewarding. The self-promotion is necessary, if uncomfortable. I believe in my books, so I’m going to talk about them in the hopes that the people who need them find them.

   But now that I’m past launch, I’m also very much looking forward to talking less and listening more. What have I missed, in the lives of friends and family, while I have been knee-deep in social media to get the word out on the book? Who do I need to reconnect with? What art, movies, books, fashion, TV, is it time to catch up on? What is out there that I haven’t heard or seen because I’ve been too busy shouting, Me, Me, Me? These are the questions I’m asking myself this month.

3. Spooky season. I love Halloween. I love that we get to dress up as whatever we want for a day. I love seeing kids’ imaginations go wild and guessing how their little brains got to that choice of costume. I love making costumes from cardboard and random craft material and if you can’t tell what the costume is well, I tried, and I had a lot of fun doing it. These days I focus my Halloween costume efforts on my son, and it’s probably one of the most fun “kid” activities I do all year. (Beats the playground anytime.)

   Related, if you need a rec for some spooky reading with your kids may I suggest The Skull, by Jon Klassen, which is exactly what so many kids books are not these days: weird and creepy and whimsical and dark and totally riveting. We got it when my son was four and he surprised us all by loving it, despite its spookiness. A good reminder that kids like to be spooked too! Just like the rest of us out here, watching true crime and reading thrillers and jumping out of our seats watching horror movies—and loving it.

• Preorder winners have been selected! Thank you to everyone who supported this launch with a preorder. Early orders mean the world to me and make a huge impact. I’m looking forward to doing some life audit coaching sessions soon. (If you’re wondering how I picked, I used this handy wheel spinner and channeled my inner Vanna White.) If you didn’t win a free 1:1, you can always book a paid consultation with me here.

• The Life Audit in the news: I’ve been lucky enough to chat about The Life Audit with some great publications recently. I was on the wonderful Good Life Project podcast to talk about The Life Audit with Jonathan Fields, and the fine folks at Medium also interviewed me to talk about how The Life Audit helped launch my career as an author

• It’s not too late to have me come into your organization, book club, or team to learn more about The Life Audit (or, one of my other books if you prefer!). The Life Audit workshops are fun and interactive, and a great way to dip a toe into life auditing in a group setting. Find out more about my speaking topics here and reach out here.

🎧 📚 What I’m reading

• The Magicians, Lev Grossman (sci-fi). I hadn’t heard of Grossman’s popular Magicians trilogy, which was made into a TV show back in 2015. (I watched Episode 1 after finishing the book; you have my permission to skip it.) Grossman got a lot of coverage over the summer for his latest novel, The Bright Sword, a King Arthur inspired story, and while I wasn’t sure that would be my speed, a novel about a Brooklyn-based teenager who winds up at a secret school for talented magicians sounded like the perfect fall escape.

💸 Currently coveting

• A good stack of fall reads. Fall is a big season for publishing, and despite Election season, there are tons of new, promising books coming out every Tuesday. Truthfully, I’ve been in a little bit of a reading rut lately—not that I haven’t been reading. But I have picked up and put down at least ten books in the past month (life is too short to force yourself to read books that don’t grab you from page one), and I’ve struggled to really get into books this season. (Outside of ACOTAR, which are in fact as bingeable as they say, and yes, #2 is the very best of them all.) If you have a book you loved and that feels autumnal (loosely defined! whatever that means to you!), I’d love to hear it.

💌 Thanks as always for reading along and supporting my work. If you like what you see, hit the heart button, drop a comment, or share this with someone you think will love it, too. You can order my new book or book me for a speaking event here. 💌