hi Lovely Simplerista,

Did you have a fun halloween? Did you get all dressed up and stuff? I didn't. I just went out to a nice dinner with my beautiful wife at ABC Kitchen, and then we went home afterwards. Nothing fancy. I'm not much of a dresser-upper. But it did really affect the mood of the city. Everyone was really happy and playful, which was cool. Did you notice that as well?

In other news ... I've found that when I go to sing a song, I'll often try to avoid going to that place where I really feel the song, really feel what I'm singing about. And yet, that's the only place to sing from that's worth listening to.

Lorraine said it brilliantly: "Your biggest strength is that you're emotionally available, and yet you don't go there. Why is that?"

It's a great question. It's definitely one of the ways that I sabotage myself. 

Growing up, it seemed all the adults were very emotionally distant and disconnected from their feelings. I thought that was the way you were supposed to be. I never much liked it, but I did what I thought I had to do to fit in and be like the others.

Even though that's no longer my reality, clearly there's still a habit there, and for some reason, it's especially evident when I go to sing. I think it's because singing is very vulnerable for me. It really opens my heart, and so if I allow myself to go there emotionally, I'm afraid I'm going to start crying, and there's still a part of me that finds it embarrassing to cry in public. So better keep the sid on.

Turns out, it's way better to take the lid off. And if I tear up, so be it. If I show emotion, probably what's going to happen is that it helps others open up their hearts a bit. If they ridicule or pity me, that has nothing to do with me. Not that I really think anyone would.

I've sung for people twice in the past week, and one of those times was with something I'd written myself. I was out doing a stand-up routine last week, and decided to open with three verses I'd written myself. Figured it would be something new and surprising and memorable to startle people and make them pay a little attention. I think it worked really well.

And the next day, when I sat down at my piano to sing one of my favorite songs, Robbie Williams' Angels, I could reach the high notes in the chorus with way more ease. Not sure how that happened. A few days later I sang a couple songs for some friends at home. I guess it's time for me to get on a stage as a singer, so I can stop subjecting friends and comedy audiences to my singing :)

New features in Simplero

We've added separate logos for white and colored background. Tweaked the invoice design to make it better match the rest of the design. Implemented a new drop-down control that makes it easier to select in large data sets such as countries or currencies. Come up with a work-around for a nasty bug in Safari. And made tons of little and small fixes.

We're currently working on a new editor for landing pages that will allow you to see your changes live the way it will actually look. Once we have that rolled out, we'll probably apply it to other relevant areas as well.

We're also, simultaneously, working on the ability to do 1-click upsells, after people purchase something.

No promises on when any of this will be ready to go, but it's being worked on.

We also have many other things in the pipeline, and we're also happy to hear about your needs and suggestions. The best place for that is in the Facebook group, where others can chime in as well.

Fun stuff from around the interwebs

Turns out a feather and a bowling ball actually do fall at the same speed when you suck all the air out of the room first. Related, an iPad filled with stuff weighs more than an iPad that's empty (though not by much).

Here's an interview with me about my business, my singing and other fun stuff.

Paulo Coelho's writing tips are really cool. If you knew how much time I've spent beating myself up about not having a real solid note-taking and filing system, like Woody Allen and Dan Kennedy says you need to have. I've always felt like it worked much better for me to just live my life, and whatever sticks sticks, and the rest ... who cares. So that's what I've done, but I've also felt guilty. Now Paulo comes in and releases me of my guilt. I'd take advice from Paulo over either Woody Allen or Dan Kennedy any day of the week, thank you very much.

I'm 40, and I've learned to properly tuck my shirt this week. What's next? Learning to tie a tie? I'm referring to "The Underwear Tuck". So useful.

That's it for this week.

Have an amazing time till next time.

I'll be in Denmark the next 3 weeks or so, to spend lots of quality time with my kids, so if you don't hear from me, that's (probably) why.

Much love,
-Calvin