🌻 Perfect Progression: This Newsletter

Hey ,

You know how we're told to "fake it 'til you make it"? To present our work as polished and perfect, even when behind the scenes things are still... well ya know.... finding their way? That’s kinda how I’ve been feeling about this newsletter! 

As I hit "send" on this fifth issue, I'm realizing that Perfectamente in Progress isn't just the name of this space we're creating together; it's literally the state of this newsletter. And instead of hiding that messy middle, pensé, "Why not share it?" 🤷🏽‍♀️

Embracing the Pivot: When "Figuring It Out" IS the Process

If you're in the middle of creating something—whether it's a project, a business, a relationship, or just a new chapter in your life—here are some reminders that have helped me navigate my own constant iterations:

✍🏽Document your pivots: Each time you shift direction, jot down what you learned and why you're changing course. These aren't failures; they're data points guiding you towards what works!

💬 Share the journey: There's incredible power in letting others see your process. Not only does it create authentic connection, but you might be surprised by how many people are inspired by seeing the real, unfiltered version of building something.

😧 Expect the unexpected: Plan for things to go differently than lo que imaginabas. Build flexibility not only into your timelines, but in your expectations, and even your definition of success! 

😆 Laugh at the mishaps: When things go sideways (and they will), try to find the humor. Those "you won't believe what happened" stories often become the most memorable parts!

Recuerda: The messiest phase of creation is often the most important. It's where you discover what truly matters to you about what you're building.

So, last Friday evening, I'm sitting on my couch, can of lime Bubly fizzing beside me, laptop balanced on my knees. I'm getting into the newsletter-writing zone, ready to draft this very issue you're reading right now.

I decided to send myself a test copy of the previous newsletter, just to see how everything looks from a reader's perspective. Then, I hit reply with a quick "Testing!" message, expecting to see it arrive in my inbox within seconds.

Instead—an error message bounces back.

"Delivery Status Notification (Failure)"

Wait, still? 😵‍💫 I frown at my screen, take a sip of my Bubly, and try again. Same error. I had assumed the new newsletter platform didn't allow replies, but after some research I realized that I had some settings to adjust. I did that, and yet here I was still getting error messages!

I put on my tech detective hat (which, seré honesta, is really just me switching from casual scrolling to serious googling) and started digging.

An hour later, surrounded by empty Bubly cans and increasingly technical support articles (tabs galore!), I have my answer: when I switched hosting providers for my website a few months back, my DNS settings weren't configured correctly for my email. This means I haven't been receiving ANY emails sent to my domain—not a single one—since the migration 😭

"No way," I whisper to my empty living room. "No. Way."

My mind starts racing. Had people been trying to reply to my newsletters all this time? Had questions gone unanswered? Stories unheard? Connections missed?

The perfectionist in my head (you know the one—she's loud and has impossibly high standards) immediately launched into her favorite routine: "Ya ves? This is why you shouldn't try new things. You'll just mess them up. No one is going to trust you with their inbox now. You should just quit before you embarrass yourself more."

I closed my laptop and flopped dramatically back against my couch cushions. For the next hour, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd failed—not just at a technical task (while freaking working in tech!), but at the very connection I so desperately wanted to build with this newsletter.

As I reopened my laptop, determined to fix the issue, I realized something: this mistake is perfectly aligned with what this newsletter is all about—the messy, imperfect journey of becoming 🙃

You see, this newsletter journey has been nothing if not a series of pivots and experiments. This is actually my third major reinvention since I started writing to you all (shoutout to the OG subscribers who have seen it all!)

I launched Sunday Sparks back in 2022 (though it started with Lattes & Blooms, who remembers?) with stiff, formal posts that I thought made me sound "professional" and "expert-like." I wrote about career development with all the personality of a corporate handbook because I thought that's what people wanted. (Spoiler alert: folks were here for the career advice, but I didn't actually enjoy writing about it.)

Despues came more structured content with specific segments and a focus on productivity. It felt too rigid, too formulaic. I found myself writing to satisfy a format rather than to connect with you!

Next, life happened. Depression made consistent writing impossible and I disappeared. When I returned, I knew something needed to change.

Enter Perfectamente in Progress—a name that finally felt like me, like us, like what we're doing here together. I switched platforms. I changed my sending schedule. I rewrote my entire approach to center authenticity over expertise.

Each step has been imperfect. Each pivot necessary. Cada error, a signpost pointing me toward what matters.

And now, this email discovery feels like the universe delivering the perfect punchline: "You wanted to build a newsletter about embracing imperfection? Here, have a spectacular technical fail to write about!"

The truth is, todavía no sé if anyone has tried to reply to previous newsletters. Those messages, si existen, are floating somewhere in the digital ether, never to be recovered 😬 And, since there's not much I can do about that now… all I can focus on is the email responses to come!

So yes, I've been technical-issue-blocked from receiving your emails for months. And yes, I'm still figuring out the best day to send these newsletters. And absolutely yes, I'm constantly questioning if the content is valuable, if the format works, if anyone is actually reading this far down.

But instead of seeing these as failures or reasons to quit, I'm choosing to see them as necessary parts of creating something real. Something that matters. Something that's perfectamente in progress 😉

So por favor, if something in this newsletter resonates with you, hit reply and let me know. I'd love to hear what's "in progress" in your world right now. And I promise—your message will actually reach me this time!

This week, I invite you to reflect on something you're currently building or creating that's still very much "in progress." It could be a project, a relationship, a skill you're developing, or even an aspect of yourself you're working on.

What would it feel like to fully embrace this imperfect, middle stage? Instead of rushing to the finished version, what might you discover by honoring where you are right now?

Share with me one thing you're proudly keeping "in progress" these days, and one lesson the messy middle has taught you.

_{¿Qué dijo? / What did she say?}
pensé - I thought
lo que imaginabas - what you imagined
recuerda - remember
seré honesta - I’ll be honest
Ya ves - you see
Despues - then
Cada error - each mistake
todavía no sé - I still don’t know
si existen - if they exist
por favor - please
Café - coffee