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What If We Put Intention Before Design

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Quick Spin:

• What a “perfect day” meditation revealed about my true desires
• Why imbalance isn’t the enemy in a world telling you it is
• A journaling exercise that can change how you allocate your time

Thanks for keeping Life's a Game free!

I used to think Mercury was just for VC backed startups and founders.....but then I learned they are focused on helping people with portfolio careers!!

Track and organize different revenue streams ✅
Manage financial and operational tasks ✅
Organize expenses for quarterly taxes ✅
Pay vendors and contractors ✅
Send and track invoices ✅

As a creative, this part of work isn't necessarily my zone of genius, but with Mercury, it's a good reminder that better experiences are out there if we're willing to look for them. See how it works here!​​
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​*Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group, Column N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

PS. We are in the home stretch to the release of TOXIC GRIT coming October 21st and I thought I’d spend the next few weeks giving you early access to some of the frameworks you will find in the book.

PS You can pre-order the book here.​

♟️ MY TURN:

This exercise is one that showed me when it was time to switch out characters in my life.

It revealed when a season was ready to shift.

When was the last time you paused long enough to ask:
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​“What does a perfect day look like for me - right now?”

I was on a beach in Tulum when I did this meditation for the first time.

The guide said:
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“Close your eyes. Money is no object. You can live anywhere. Walk through the entire day, from the moment you wake up to the moment your head hits the pillow.”

I saw treehouse vibes, palm trees, coffee with friends, slow mornings with my kids, focused work, a dinner party in the backyard, and falling asleep next to someone I loved. (I was single running a fast growing VC backed startup at the time)
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What I didn’t see?
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My inbox.
A board meeting.
Accolades tied to my work.

That perfect day exercise helped me realize I had spent so much time in CEO mode that I had forgotten to develop the other characters inside of me.
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I had forgotten they existed.

And it was time to bring them back.

It was time to rotate the cast in the movie of my life because balance happens in the macro, not the micro of life.

Toxic Grit will teach you exactly how to proactively assess which parts of you are taking up too much screen time in the movie of your life before you burn them out or lose some other characters altogether.

♟️ YOUR TURN:

Here’s what I want you to try this week:

Give yourself 10–20 uninterrupted minutes.
Then close your eyes and walk through every single moment of your ideal day.

📍 Where are you?
📍 What does the room look like?
📍 Who is there?
📍 What are you doing when you wake up… midday… before bed?
📍 What emotions are present?

When you open your eyes, write it all down.

Then ask:
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➡️ What parts of this life are already present?
➡️ Which parts are completely missing?
➡️ Which versions of me showed up today? Which ones didn’t?

This isn’t about shame.

It’s about alignment before imbalance.
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When we wait until burnout forces us to change, we don’t get to choose how to rebalance.
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But when we proactively reassess what we want?
We can start designing a life that feels like our own.

When I did this exercise before the book tour I saw a day filled with The Today Show, a keynote in front of 1,000 people and my kids walking into Barnes & Noble with me. Will it all happen? I honestly have no clue but I know I’m designing my life right now to try and go for it.

I will repeat the exercise in December and likely see a different “perfect day”.

Because ambition is about seasons.

​Toxic Grit is about building hustle as part of your lifecycle, not lifestyle.

If this resonates - you will love my book, out October 21st.

And remember:
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You can have it all. Just not all at once.

XO,
Amanda
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113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205
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