Lisa Weiss

Augut 31, 2026

Just doing it

Inside: Getting what you want out of life, ideas I love, and a zesty writing prompt

Hello!

Pour yourself a cup of ambition.

This month I had fun reading You Can Just Do Things: How High Agency People Get What They Want Out of Life by Cate Hall (Harper Edge, July 21, 2026).

The title spoke to me, so I borrowed it from the library. I've been in a bit of a fear-based loop, looking for a reminder to stop running my decisions through the filter of, "Who's going to tell me this is a stupid idea?" Or, even worse, "What will my childhood frenemy think?"

The author of You Can Just Do Things, Cate Hall, is a Yale-educated attorney who went on to become a professional poker player. Cate's unconventional career includes some pretty painful struggles and inspiring successes.

The book is like a pep-talk from a friend, but useful enough to receive praise from Arthur C. Brooks who said: "Millions feel stuck in a rut in their lives—preprogrammed and unable to change. In You Can Just Do Things, Cate Hall has the answer. Through small, decisive actions, you can take control of your life and live the way you want."

Let's say you're pondering a change in your life or career. I liked Cate's advice to look at the decision through the eyes of a crisis manager. Parachute in. Don't think about sunk costs, including what you've already invested: the study you ran that came back with nothing, ten years at a job you hate, all that yarn you bought but never crocheted (my examples). She helps you think about what you can do starting today.

So, this month, I'm using Cate's book as a guiding force in my newsletter.

Because I want you to get what you want!

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In this issue:

Practice So, what do you want? Recommendations Ideas and things I love right now On my mind Book time with me!

Practice

What do you want?

In Cate Hall's book You Can Just Do Things, she advises staring into the "abyss." You're probably so busy you don't have time for the abyss. But what if you made the time? Staring into the abyss, through Cate's lens as I understand it, means sitting with eternity and allowing yourself to get a bit uncomfortable. ​ Sometimes, we get so comfy in our routines, we avoid asking ourselves juicy questions. Do I really want to stay at this job? What if I took a month off to write this novel? What if I moved to Costa Rica? What if I became a Court Appointed Special Advocate? Maybe you're sitting with something lofty, or something really humble: I wish I could work at Trader Joe's. Maybe it's just a fantasy, or an alternative universe you'd like to explore for yourself. What if you did it for a week? Maybe you're stuck doing what I've done too many times: Trying to prove ____ to ____. Well, forget about them for a minute. If you're haunted by dreams or questions, let yourself think about what you really want. Write about it for at least ten uninterrupted minutes. Come back to in in a few days and write more!

Recommendations

Ideas and things I love right now

This month I visited the National Public Housing Museum in Chicago. This incredible museum offers you the opportunity to step inside and experience tours of apartments frozen in time so you can better understand the history of public housing in America. On my visit, I toured historic public housing apartments inhabited by families between 1938 and 1975. You can listen to the actual voices of the families and their descendants from their collection of first-person oral histories. Such inspiring and meaningful storytelling can be found here. And there's much to explore on the website if you can't visit in person.

For more than a decade I've been dreaming about meeting alpacas, those small domesticated cousins of llamas and camels. Alpacas are just so cute and fuzzy looking. Well, somehow I never got around to meeting them. Until now. In reality, the alpacas I met at Eagle Eye Farm in River Falls, WI were way less huggable and way quirkier than I expected... but I loved meeting them and getting to know their zesty little personalities. Such a joy. Are there animals you'd love to meet in person? Could you find a way?

This month I made cottage cheese crust pizza and it was so easy and good, I recommend trying it. I used this recipe from Nicole Modic, but there are many others out there if you want to explore the idea. The crust comes out so soft, and it's "packed with protein," or so the influencers say.

Book time with me!

I'm opening my calendar in September
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If you'd like to chat with me about any of the ideas in this newsletter, the story you want to write, the perspective you hope to share... book time on my calendar here and we'll talk in September. I'm opening up slots just for you. Say hello. I'd love to hear from you!

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