So Reader, I'm writing this right before my birthday. Grateful for another year around the sun ☀️.

Now, sometimes my birthday makes me a bit gloomy. I know myself well enough to notice that I become overly introspective —which isn't a bad thing, but often doesn't feel celebratory.

But even with lovely incentive of cake, celebrating a birthday can stir up a swarm of brain rats. 🐀

Yup, it happens even for me, and I work on the battle of the brain every single day. The passing of another year brings up a thousand questions, like:

• What am I doing with my life?
• Does my work really matter? To whom? Why?
• Am I getting ahead or falling behind? How do I know?
• Will what I do best become outdated or irrelevant?
• Does anybody care? Hello??? Hello???!!

I'm not immune to the swirl, but over time, I've narrowed the questions down to these:

​Read my article, "4 Career Questions to Ask Yourself on Your Birthday"

And no, one of the questions is NOT "is there more cake?"  🧁

How 'bout you, Reader? What questions are you asking yourself right now (whether it's your birthday or just a regular ole day-day?) Hit REPLY and tell me. I always want to hear from you. Plus, there's no judgment here, no right or wrong—you be you. I learn so much from each of your stories and experiences.

To quiet the brain rats, I remember what my grandmother used to say: "birthdays are better than the alternative."

And that's when I get grateful. 🙏🏽

I'm grateful to add another year to the roster, especially after all the world's challenges of our recent past.

I'm grateful to all the amazing people in my life, from fabulous family to long-time friends to trusted clients to the thousands of you who read these little Insider missives each week. Your presence is my present, today and always. Thanks for being here and keeping your red cape soaring in our world of work.

Always, Darcy

​

P.S. My birthday's approaching but here's a gift for YOU right now--$50 off any of the great video classes we have for you here. Just use coupon code DARCYGIFT50 at checkout to get the $50 savings. If you've been considering digging into one of my classes such as Get Career Clear or Should You Stay or Go?, now's a great time. The coupon expires September 3, so dive in! Enjoy! --D