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just D's avatar

I did the burgers thing this week with my sandwich at Panera. 😂 We're so much harder on ourselves at our cringey moments than anyone else would ever be.

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Mark Kolke's avatar

Liz - I can relate to what you are saying; the really tough ones are often tougher because they are coming way way too too late. I came across are reference recently to cool book - old school, and not available in electronic format: The Only Personal Letter Book You'll Ever Need by Judi Barton and Nate Rosenblatt; '400 letters that solve problems and deal with sensitive matters in all areas of your personal life.' ISBN 0-929543-43-2. They are incredibly helpful to me when I'm stuck on 'how to start a tough letter'. I keep it in my bathroom next to home office for some light reading ... and some laughs, like ones for 'My New Siding Is Falling Off', 'Sorry I burned a hole in your sofa', and 'Your salesman has an offensive odor', 'I'm having an affair with your wife' .... and so many others for a giggle while I'm moving things along ....

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Liz Gumbinner's avatar

What a brilliant idea for a book! I feel like there must be something similar for digital times. (“I’m sorry I unfriended your brother-in-law after you divorced my sister.”)

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Katherine Goldstein's avatar

thanks for shouting out The Double Shift Liz, and a good reminder and encouragement to send the hard emails. One I subset of "I'm sorry I can't help you with that" that i struggle with: declining requests for your time. It can sometimes feel easier to avoid them than say no.

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Liz Gumbinner's avatar

So glad to see you on Substack! And oof yes -- there are a lot of people who want me to share their amazing cause or fundraiser, but they're all amazing! And when there are 50 requests a day, you have to say no more often than not. It's the hardest.

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Elisa Camahort Page's avatar

"I’m opinionated! But not confrontational."

it me.

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