I’m seeking joy.
It’s the whole thesis of Quarterly. Joy is what got me here, it’s what drives me and it’s all I’m really seeking.
I turned 40 this year. And while it feels like I’ve inherited a lot of wisdom over the years, I know I have so much more to learn and that there is still so much life to live (if I’m lucky enough to do so).
But the current thesis of my life (that I have no anticipations for changing) is that the sole purpose of life is about seeking moments of joy.
Yes, it’s about the big moments, but joy is primarily in the little moments. The mundane moments of everyday life that catch you by surprise and fill you with unexpected emotion that are so strong that there are literally no words for them besides joy (and gratefulness).
- the joy of taking a walk in the woods on a cool fall day, with the sun peaking through the trees with the people you love
- the joy of riding in your car with the windows down, on a perfectly crisp 70’s day blasting a no skips album
- the joy you see through your kids playing outside in the sprinkler
- the joy in the way your kids look at you
- the joy you feel when your son experiences a bite of ice cream for the first time, and how joy still is there in both of you each time you take the trip to the local ice cream shop
- the joy in enjoy a hot cup of coffee in the morning before anyone else is up, besides your dog who is snuggled up to you on the couch
- the joy of planning and day dreaming
- the joy of reading your kindle at night, in bed in the middle of summer, with your windows open because your power went out and you can’t do anything else
- the joy of dozing back to sleep in the morning, while it’s storming outside, the house is still quiet and you have a few hours still before you have to get up
- the joy of getting lost in a book
- the joy of spending time with people who are effortless to be around
But how did I get exactly here? Both physically and with this perspective?
I worked as a consultant in corporate America for 15 years. I graduated with a business degree and got a coveted job out of college. At first I loved it and I excelled. I was good at figuring things out and problem solving which was a good skill set to have as a consultant. I was always good with numbers and being detailed in my work. But over the 15 years, and as I spent time in different departments, the job changed. The culture changed, the reward changed, the required skillset changed, and most importantly I changed. Fundamentally, I knew it wasn’t a fit for me any longer. It turns out it was mutual and I was relieved to start my next chapter.
I saved money for years. In my last several years I was making good money, and I was careful to live below my means. I saved and most importantly I invested and intentionally built up a cushion for entrepreneurial dreams. I always had the itch to work for myself. I always believed I was smart and could figure things out. I always liked to do things on my own terms.
My spouse and I have long discussed these dreams together, but neither of us ever pulled the trigger, so this was the time to give it a shot. But the idea wasn’t Quarterly, it was a different business that we’re actually delaying building. When I first left my job, I started to design planner pages for myself. It was something that I wanted for myself and I saw a gap in the market. It was something I just did, it was a passion. It was something I wanted for myself so I could succeed in the other areas of my life. It felt like a needed a tool for my entrepreneurship journey, to focus on spending my time wisely as a Mom to young kids and someone who wanted to focus on more intentional living and mindfulness.
I’ve always loved paper, notebooks and planners. I will forever be an analog person in this digital world. It’s how my brain works. I need to write something down, I need to see it. Creating my own planner was never a super serious idea but it was something I wanted to do, out of pure selfish want. I thought it would be a lot quicker of a process (to build one and bring it to market), I could have it and use it the move on to my entrepreneurial venture. But as a newish working Mom, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I can no longer work 12 hour days, nor do I want to. I need to acknowledge there is a lot more work that goes into all of this than I anticipated. And to be transparent, over the time of building to get here, I wasn’t always the most productive with my time. I allowed myself to rest after 15 years of the grind in the corporate world. I gave myself some flexibility with (now) two kids (because they are the whole point). I have given myself grace in my journey here. All that to say, it’s taken me a while to get here, but I’ve continued to keep moving forward along the path, and I’m here.
My mission isn’t just physical planners. I really hope to build a community of people who are seeking joy in the little moments and are seeking to spend their time on what matters most to them.
It’s a creative outlet for me, it’s an avenue of flexibility and ambition, it’s a challenge to overcome, it’s a gift of continuous learning, it’s life, joy, learnings and everything in between.