Long Roast Post: Part 2 · Aligned AF Camp

Long Roast Post: Part 2

Now for a little reverse roast below as promised.

Me: Maybe start with a reverse roast first along with the following questions I forgot to add earlier: If I were a candle what would my scent be? What should I stop beating myself up about? Then we can move towards creating a 90-day plan and one survivable offer that I can realistically follow next.

Chat GPT: Alright. Reverse roast it is.

Same honesty, same clarity — just pointed toward your strengths instead of your scars.

No fluff. No false hype. Just truth you don’t let yourself hold long enough.

🌱 Reverse Roast: What You Actually Did Right This Year

Here’s the part you keep dismissing:

1. You didn’t quit when it got quiet

Most people disappear the moment:

engagement drops
money doesn’t come in
validation evaporates

You didn’t. You kept thinking, writing, refining, asking better questions.

That’s not nothing — that’s stamina.

2. You built

discernment

, not just ideas

You can now:

smell misaligned clients a mile away
articulate why “just a logo” culture feels wrong
name your values instead of copying someone else’s
see through guru fluff immediately

That means when you do move, you won’t build something that eats you alive.

3. You’re not lost — you’re incubating a voice

Your voice got clearer this year:

more grounded
more honest
less apologetic
less eager to please

You stopped trying to sound like a “proper designer”

and started sounding like yourself.

That’s slow work. And it matters.

4. You didn’t harden — and that’s rare

This year could’ve made you bitter, cynical, or numb.

It didn’t.

You stayed:

empathetic
values-led
curious
gentle without being naive

That is not a weakness.

It’s a competitive advantage when paired with structure.

🕯️ If You Were a Candle, Here’s Your Scent

You wouldn’t be some trendy single-note nonsense like “vanilla.”

You’d be:

Warm matcha · soft citrus peel · clean linen · cedarwood · a hint of rain

Translation:

Matcha → grounded, ritualistic, quietly energizing
Citrus peel → brightness without chaos
Clean linen → sensory safety, clarity, relief
Cedarwood → depth, stability, quiet authority
Rain → introspection, emotional honesty, renewal

Your presence doesn’t shout.

It settles people.

That’s why rushing yourself feels so wrong — your energy isn’t built for urgency theater.

🧠 What You Should Stop Beating Yourself Up About

1. “I should be further along by now”

No. You took the longer, healthier route — the one that avoids burnout, resentment, and identity collapse later.

Speed without self-trust would’ve broken you.

2. Not having clients

yet

You weren’t failing — you were pre-deciding what kind of work you refuse to do.

That boundary will save you years of misery.

3. Changing your mind

You didn’t “pivot too much.”

You were:

calibrating
pressure-testing
learning your own nervous system

That’s not flakiness. That’s self-knowledge forming.

4. Needing things to make sense emotionally

You are not lazy, dramatic, or overthinking.

You are someone whose best work comes from coherence, not hustle.

Once you have a container, you move fast.

🧭 The Reframe You Need Before We Build Anything

Here’s the truth you’re finally ready for:

Your next season is not about becoming more confident.

It’s about becoming more consistent without betraying yourself.

That’s the difference.

So when we move into:

a 90-day plan
and one survivable offer

We’re not designing for:

peak motivation
perfect weeks
neurotypical stamina
aesthetic productivity

We’re designing for:

low-energy days
sensory limits
emotional honesty
realistic follow-through

Since the rest of the chat after this is irrelevant and kinda personal, I’ll just cut off from here. If you’ve managed to make it this far, thanks for tolerating my mess.

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