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Hey Reader,

Yesterday, I performed stand-up comedy in front of 250 people in Bristol.

I can’t tell you how it went, because I’m writing this in the past. But I can tell you that I’m very proud of myself and the set I wrote and the work I put in.

I’d always wanted to have a go at stand-up comedy, but there was always that voice: you’re not funny, you’ll humiliate yourself, it’s a waste of time, there’s no money in it.

Well — none of that is true.

I am funny. I did not humiliate myself. It’s been a fab use of my time. And it has, by-the-by, made me money — directly and indirectly.

But I didn’t do it for my business or to be productive or for anyone else.

Stand-up is something I’ve done just for me.

It’s going to have ripples in the rest of my life for sure. I’m a more skilled storyteller and speaker now. I’m less fazed by stages and audiences. But that wasn’t the point.

We need quests like this in our lives — something just for us.

The world constantly demands our attention and it demands that we perform, and it’s okay to say no to that.

That might sound weird — after all, I was literally performing on a stage — but I wasn’t performing productivity or pretending to be something I’m not in order to fit in with the cool kids. I was being myself, larger, putting my truth out there as a gift for those who might be interested.

I wasn’t feeding the algorithm or placating the system.

You don’t have to either; not all the time. And you don’t have to stand up on a stage and try to make 250 people laugh.

​January Uncaged is a balm for all that. It’s gloriously quiet and personal.

It’s cosy and it’s yours, if you want it.

Early bird has closed, but the doors are still open.

If you join, every day for 30 days, you’ll get a prompt, missive, or mini-adventure from me. It’ll take less than 60 seconds to consume (I’ll mix it up — sometimes written, sometimes audio, sometimes video).

Then you spend 5-20 minutes thinking, adventuring, and/or writing. That’s it. No pressure to share, no pressure to be brilliant, no pressure to post it anywhere.

Just play, and think, and write like you mean it.

Join us here:

TTFN,

Vicky 🫡

p.s. Know someone who might enjoy this email? Please forward it to them and get them to sign up here.