Hi Reader,

The smell of sugar cookies and conformity is in the air right now.

While everyone else is feasting on the, "New Year, New You" messaging splayed all over our feeds like spaghetti hitting the wall, I want to be the cheesecake in your inbox.

There seems to be something about this time of year that always makes me want to reach out and send a message in support of a healthy dose of non-conformity.

I said it last year and I'll say it again, I don't believe you need a New Year, a New Year's resolution, or a 2026 journal exercise, to become the version of yourself you most want to be.

If it works for you great, and I believe we always have a choice to choose a new behavior, story, or creative outlet on any given day of the year. So if January doesn't feel fresh and you're more like the bears who like to chill during winter, there's still 11 other months to f*ck around and find out. (My theme of the year for 2025).

For example, I tried something totally new in September.

A few years ago, I saw a YouTube video of a show Rockin'1000 put on.

1000 musicians coming together to put on a stadium show with a setlist of 20 rock songs.

Guitarists, singers, bassists, drummers, the works.

I thought it was so cool and so my ever supportive husband encouraged me to audition.

Naturally, I waited seven months.

(I was in band and choir in high school and have always loved to sing, but have been very shy about it historically).

From October to March I thought about it occasionally but never pulled the trigger.

In March of 2024, I finally got over myself and send in my audition video. I sang Desperado in the style of Linda Ronstadt, and what do you know, I was accepted.

The show that summer filled up quickly and I didn't make it off the waitlist.

But this past September, I got to take part!

I studied the song arrangements at home. I'm sure most people were already familiar with a majority, if not all, of the 20 song setlist. But if you've been around here for a bit you know my parents had a Christian music only policy for most of my childhood so I missed formative knowledge of 80s music for much of my young life and have been catching up since. This helped tremendously.

Then, in September I flew to Portugal for two days of rehearsals and the show.

And that's right about the time I thought of you, Reader.

Even if we don't know each other personally, here's why I still thought of you:

On day 1 of rehearsals, I became overtly aware of how many people 1000 is.

Sure, we've all been in large crowds or at shows where we're around way more than 1000 people. But very rarely in that circumstance are you meeting with and trying to talk to a bunch of those people. And you usually aren't all focused on the same goal.

And you don't normally know exactly how many people are around.

So the first time I stepped out of the stuffy room the singers had been practicing in and saw the field with all the guitarists and drummers practicing, I had a moment of deep appreciation for you.

The number 1000 was significant because there are just about 1000 of you on this list. And so I had a moment of realizing just how many people that is—in a very tangible way.

Social media loves to play tricks and make it seem like more or endless growth is the thing to chase. I mean, were you even legit if you didn't have 10,000 followers and the blue checkmark back before you could pay for it? (The answer is yes, but it doesn't mean it felt that way).

In reality, getting the chance to interact with 1000 people felt like...a lot...over those three days.

And as I stood there listening to the instrumentalists practice Bohemian Rhapsody down on the field, I felt immensely grateful that roughly 1000 of you open these (historically sporadic) emails from me and have resonated with something I've said or a story I've shared along the way enough to let me into your inbox.

I've always been grateful for your attention because I believe our attention is our greatest asset.

But that experience gave me an appreciation for just how many people 1000 is in one very short moment. It brought a relatively abstract metric down to earth and I have thought about it many times since.

And today, I felt like sharing it with you. One, because that whole experience was an example of trying something completely new that made me uncomfortable on a random day in September—no new year required. And also because as we do wrap up a year, I wanted to say thank you for sticking around through many an evolution since I started writing emails 5.5 years ago.

I can't wait to see where this year takes us. 🍒✨

xx,

Alyssa

P.S. If you want to see what the vibe of the shows are, you can check out the Rockin'1000 YouTube page. If you're a musician and want to join, they're always taking new people. Maybe don't talk yourself into waiting the better part of a year before sending in your audition tape like I did.

P.P.S. I hope you have a great New Year's Eve. I'll be doing as the Spaniards do eating 12 grapes with each strike of the clock at midnight with some friends.

You're subscribed to Make it Mentionable, a punchy and practical column exploring self-awareness and how we relate to one another. Written by status-quo avoidant writer, Alyssa Kulesa (formerly Alyssa Patmos).

Love this email? Forward it to a friend and wait for their thank you to roll in. 💌

Make it Mentionable: Fresh perspectives on the layers of life with Alyssa Kulesa.
​
You may have found me through one of my sites, social, or another creator generously recommending my words. However you landed here, I'm glad we found each other.
​
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​
539 W. Commerce St #4088, Dallas, TX 75208