I’m excited.

If you’re on my Self-Love Letters list, you already know why. (If not, read on, fair friend!)

My brand new baby product, The Comparison Cure, is part of an incredible 72-hour sale, Multi-Passionate Must-Haves, which begins today. This is the first time I’ve ever been part of something like this, and I’m feeling pretty delighted to share it (at a price that’s something like 95% off what this inspiring stuff would normally cost).

So here’s the deal: 27 courses, audios and ebooks – worth $1,379(!) – that will help you live your dreams with bravery and compassion, are available for $97 ‘til Thursday at midnight. That includes my brand-new product, The Comparison Cure, along with all these:

• BYOB Build Your Online Business Guide by Natalie Sisson ($37)
• Pitch Perfect™ Pack by Dyana Valentine ($57)
• The Creative Ignition Kit by Melissa Dinwiddie ($37)
• Renaissance Business by Emilie Wapnick ($49)
• Productivity for Multipotentialites by Michelle Nickolaisen and Emilie Wapnick ($67)
• Operation: Creative Career Cheer by Michelle Ward ($37)
• Social Media Rehab by Tiffany Han ($59)
• Reclaim Your Dreams by Jonathan Mead ($47)
• Life is Messy Planners by Mayi Carles ($40)
• Creating Your Own Mastermind Group by Jen Louden ($100)
• The Declaration of You by Jessica Swift and Michelle Ward ($57)
• The Comparison Cure by Kylie Bellard ($15)
• Ethical Selling that Works by Pamela Slim ($97)
• Help, I Need More Time! by Bev Webb ($46)
• How to Describe the Indescribable by Alexandra Franzen ($17)
• The Art of Earning + The Art of Growth by Tara Gentile ($40)
• Spin Your Story by Amanda Oaks ($10)
• The Joy Equation by Molly Mahar ($147)
• 52 Weeks to Awesome by Pace & Kyeli ($52)
• The Right Brain Product Development Playground by Jennifer Lee ($97)
• How to Take a Career Break to Travel by Alexis Grant ($29)
• Small Army Strategy by Srinivas Rao ($2.99)
• The Kick Burnout Kit by Michelle Nickolaisen ($17)
• The Yearly/Weekly Planner Bundle by Michelle Nickolaisen ($23)
• The Courageous Living Program by Kate Swoboda ($125)
• The Momentum Kickstart Kit by Charlie Gilkey ($47)
• Guerrilla Influence Formula by Tyler Tervooren ($49)

Another very exciting part of this? $10 from each sale is going to Michelle Ward’s team for the Avon 2-Day Breast Cancer Walk in NY. Michelle was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2011 and declared cancer-free in June 2012. Celebrating with donations is one of the very best ways to celebrate, yes? Yes.

(Just so you know, clicking the links here sends some affiliate dollars my way. I don’t usually do the whole affiliate thing, and I wouldn’t be involved in this if I didn’t fully, totally, 100% believe in it. Many of the products and practitioners here are the very ones that got me on the path I’m on right now. They quite literally changed the entire course of my life.)

The Multi-Passionate Must-Haves sale will go poof at midnight Thursday, so get your paws on it now. Soooo much inspiration, learning, and support awaits!

Confession: I’m not the biggest fan of summer.

I know; it’s a terribly unpopular opinion to have. But I’m a Seattleite at heart, forever and always, which means that I thrive on 50 degrees and cloudy with a chance of showers.

This wouldn’t be too much of a problem, except for the fact that summer in NYC pretty much lasts five months: May through September. And while my summertime strategy has often been to hide out and hope for cooler temperatures, I don’t want to be hiding for half the year. Plus, there are summertime activities that I’ve been known to enjoy, on those clear, 70 degree July days in the Pacific Northwest, blissfully free of humidity.

So. This is my list for making the most of my summer. Even if I’m a little reticent to embrace it. Because there are quite a few summertime activities that I’m actually looking forward to (instead of dreading), and I want to remember that. I’m planning to work my way through as many of these as I can, and update you on how they go.

My Somewhat-Big List of Summer Fun

• Have a backyard barbecue in a Brooklyn backyard
• March in Pride (Already did this one! Go me!)
• Swim in a lake
• Go to an outdoor concert
• Go to Puddin’
• Walk a doggy from the shelter
• Go for a hike
• Meditate with a sangha (Did this one, too!)
• Go to Governer’s Island (I’ve never been!) for the Jazz Age Lawn Party
• Sit in our community garden
• Try a new yoga class
• Sample a Shiatsu massage
• Go to Culture
• Try reflexology
• Use that one gift card to buy a colorful piece of clothing that makes me feel happy when I wear it
• Host a sleepover!
• Go to Providence, RI and see WaterFire
• Read the second and third Hunger Games books
• Have friends over for dinner. Make pie (or crisp, perhaps?) for dessert.
• Make this salad
• See a modern dance or ballet performance
• Make coffee ice cubes
• Play a board game
• Hang out on our stoop (with plenty of bug spray slathered on)
• Celebrate Bastille Day on Smith Street in Brooklyn
• Record a short video
• Pick fruit
• Create a signature drink. Name it something awesome.

I could clearly have listed tons more options of things to do. But like I say to my coaching clients, I’d rather keep things manageable and do-able than epic and overwhelming. I can always add to my list if I happen to get to the end before summer’s over.

Comments: I would LOVE to know if you have any summertime activities you’re aiming to do. Feel free to share here, or share a link to a list you post somewhere else. 

I’m feeling grateful right now. For family, friends, and clients. For New York City (my home) and Seattle (my homeland). For the many thoughtful responses to my survey from a couple weeks back. Thank you so much for your feedback. If you’d still like to weigh in on what you want to see on Effervescence in the coming months, you’re welcome to. Really; thank you.

I created a new wallpaper for my computer with a photo I took in Seattle last week. You can download it here for yourself. Consider it a small holiday gift from me. Please also feel free to pass it on to friends.

Like many of you, I’m feeling quiet and reflective at the moment. I’m also rather excited about the start of a new year. I’m wrapping up my very last coachin’ school requirements, which means I’m going to be posting on the blog more frequently and will also have more availability for photo and coaching sessions. (Yay!) All this thrills me to no end, because it means I get to spend more time connecting deeply with people. Like you.

Thanks for being here. Seriously; I’m grateful for you.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of photographing Monica McCarthy, LIFEstylista. She was preparing for the launch of a brand new website, and she needed photos for the new venture. Afterward, she was kind enough to take some time out from LIFEstyling to answer a few questions.

. . .

K: What do you do, and where can people find you?

M: I help busy creatives and entrepreneurs create a day-to-day lifestyle they love. People can find me on my website/blog at MonicaMcCarthy.net, on Twitter at MissMMcCarthy, or Facebook. Or running with my dog in Central Park!

K: How did you come up with the term LIFEstyling? Whatever does it mean?

M: Prior to being a LIFEstylist, I was a holistic health coach. I loved helping people feel their best, but I discovered I was just as interested in helping them accomplish their non-health goals like career, bucket list, etc. I also noticed that I really enjoyed writing about life changes on my blog — and that’s when readers started actively participating and responding. The way I personally approach LIFEstyling is combining Nourishment (what we feed our mind, body, and soul) with Adventures (or what I like to call Life Experiments). Creatives and entrepreneurs are generally a really hard-working bunch, but we often forget to create a life that supports our passions instead of draining them.

K: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about yourself in recent history?

M: Oh, this is an easy one because it’s been coming up over and over for me: The importance of making CHOICES. These are very different from decisions. Eventually everything in our lives comes down to the choices we make. Which is awesome and super scary at the same time!

K: How has LIFEstyling impacted your own journey — how you see yourself and offer your skills to the world?

M: Wow — there’s so much to this question! I’ll start by saying, I’m really learning to walk the walk. For example, travel has always been a big priority for me, but until I realized I’d have to change my lifestyle (like quit acting, move to an apartment with cheaper rent, etc.), I didn’t make it happen. Now I’m ready to turn my big, crazy dreams into reality! The other part of that question is more difficult to answer because I’m still carving out my niche. What I do know is that I am a huge believer in the idea that everyone can have a life greater than they’ve ever imagined, and I’m incredibly grateful that people trust me to help them do just that!

K: Alright, one last one, in fill-in-the-blank form: I feel effervescent when…

M: …I’m surrounded by people I love, in a place I love, doing things I love.

Many thanks to Monica for kindly sharing her words, and her stunning self, today. Hop over to her blog for updates on her world traveling, LIFEstyling expertise, and her brand new Happy Workaholic Handbook.

This week, it almost hit 100 degrees here in New York. So you’ll have to excuse me if I seem . . . melty. ‘Cause I’m feeling pretty melty.

. . .

Pop Chart Lab has some wondrously playful designs. And they’re Brooklyn-grown, in case you were wondering.

I just discovered Lori-Ann‘s shop, and it’s just sublime. Those bear pillows!

Have you encountered Rhiannon Laurie? She’s stupendous, as is her pretty new website. She talks about making friends with your monsters, and flailing, and giving yourself time, and it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy.

I recently found Sui, and it was love at first…tweet? She’s an amazing photographer, and her writing’s stupendous, too. I see lots of overlaps in our work, which is so exciting. Her last post hit me hard. Grab a box of tissues before you read it.

“Mommy, I Want to Be White.” talks about the way Black girls and women internalize racism, and includes a preview of the upcoming documentary Dark Girls. Hang onto that tissue box.

Biebershop Quartet. Oh wow.

You’re an Oxymoron. As always, J. Maureen has a point to make, and she makes it really well.

. . .

And with that, I wish you a happy weekend. Anybody else celebrating Pride tomorrow? I’ll be wearing rainbows at the Brooklyn parade.