16 Comments
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Carolyn's avatar

Love this! And your local dahlia garden...so much growth! Swoon!

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Maddie Burton's avatar

Thank you, my dear friend! Next time you’re in the PNW, we’re visiting the dahlias together. 🥰

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Brenna's avatar

I was wondering did you grow that yourself? Impressive!

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Maddie Burton's avatar

This was snapped at a public garden...so sadly, I can only take credit for the photo. I wish I were this talented at gardening! 🙈

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Ashley Holstrom's avatar

Love this! The enlarge vs diminish bit is so important, and a thing I didn’t realize has (mostly) made my quitting decisions for me.

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Maddie Burton's avatar

Thank you, Ashley! I'm so glad that I could provide you with a taste of the epiphany I experienced when reading Burkeman's column. It's such a clarifying question!

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Brenna's avatar

New subscriber here. I love the thought of “enlarging your life”. I LOVE it 💕 thanks for the Inspo.

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Maddie Burton's avatar

You’ve made my day, Brenna! Thank you so much for sharing how this piece landed with you—it means the world to me. ✨

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Chris Anselmo's avatar

This is well-timed! I love the idea of reframing our decisions to account for growth. When I think about my own quitting decision, it makes me feel better about the choice I made. It's a different way to frame success.

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Maddie Burton's avatar

I know you went through a lot of soul-searching on this particular quitting decision. So I'm happy to hear that this framing made you feel even more confident after the fact!

A link to the newsletter in question, for others to enjoy: https://helloadversity.substack.com/p/a-leap-of-faith

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Sandra Ann Miller's avatar

Choosing growth is a beautiful way to go through life. Love it. This is a great piece, Maddie. And the only advice I would give is: Don't quit when you're pissed. You need to make that choice from a calm, rational place. Also, I don't mind burning bridges either. When that adage was introduced to me as a teen (as I was about to quit when pissed), I looked at that adult and said, "Why wouldn't you burn bridges? It will keep you from going back." Older and wiser, I get it a little more. I'd rather move forward, though. xo

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Maddie Burton's avatar

I love this addition, Sandra! Based on my own experiences, I can absolutely co-sign your advice to make sure you're calm before deciding.

And while I tend to be a people-pleaser—basically, the polar opposite of a bridge-burner—it's a pretty thought-provoking hot take from Burkeman!

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Lonely Robot Theme's avatar

Wonderful and wise as always 💕

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Maddie Burton's avatar

I so appreciate that! Thank you 🙏

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Wendy Mettrt's avatar

Wise, wise Maddie. So thought provoking!

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Maddie Burton's avatar

Thank you so much, Wendy—I'm honored to hear that from one of my wisest friends!

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