January 2023 Newsletter

Updated on January 23, 2023

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When we pursue new goals, what we think will happen is a straight line upward toward said goal. But that’s not what happens. Whether we’re aware of it or not, we go through a downslope first, because change is hard.

This graph is an illustration of the Satir Change Model, aka the J-Curve, where the first phase of change is jokingly called the pit o’ despair. (Shout out to Sue Jones of HR4VR, who brought this concept to Rent Responsibly in our first company retreat 💙)

I share this because we may all have a big vision and clear goals, especially kicking off a new year, but in order to reach them, we have to go through the pit o’ despair first.

• You may feel itchy about changes (that’s ok!)
• You may not feel confident you can do some new things (you can!)
• You may feel frustrated or confused (us, too!)
• Things may fall through the cracks (not the end of the world!)
• Things may not go 100% right on the first try (that’s why it’s called try!)

This version of the graph has fire in the pit o’ despair, which may be a bit dramatic, IMO. I like to think of this place as foggy. As actual fog naturally occurs with shifts in temperature, metaphorical fog naturally comes with changes of all scales, like launching an advocacy campaign, starting a new guest service program, or handing over a task to someone else.

This is expected and totally ok. If December’s RR Summit showed us one thing, it’s that changes in 2023 are amazing opportunities for growth – but, expecting perfection and home runs in the pit o’ despair is counterproductive. 

All we can ask of ourselves is just to take one step forward at a time. We’ve been here many times before, and here we are now. The fog is ultimately just water – and we don’t melt.

So, if you’ve been stressed or if you start to get stressed about change in the next couple of weeks, know that you’re not alone! The Rent Responsibly community is with you and here to help. Some things you may find helpful right now:

• 2023 Travel Trends and How to Navigate Them
• Clearing the Physical, Digital, and Mental Clutter to Make Way for Success
• From Burnout to Freedom Workshop
• The Super Bowl of hosting: What to know before short-term renting around big events

See you in the pit!
Alexa Nota
COO & Co-founder

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