You'll go a lot further if you show up and make mistakes
than you will if you try to get things right before you start.
Ah. Yes. Anyone else out there need to hear that? I sure did.
Recently I had a huge a-ha thanks to my wonderful mentor, Sunny. We were chatting and I was sharing how comfortable I am with the preparation stage, you know, being a perpetual student. I'm a lifelong learner. I'm always ready to read more, research more, take another class. And sometimes I've been stuck there. Sound familiar? (I know I'm not alone here)
But in talking to Sunny, I realized that I am also very comfortable with the doing stage. I love coaching my clients, sharing Nia, being in a studio, leading a group. I love it. I feel 100% at home there. Once I'm there, in the moment, I love it.
So what's the part I'm not so fond of? That bridge from learning to doing. You know, that rickety, scary bridge that goes over that never-ending precipice? Ever been there? Hate it!
But what has changed is that now I know that the bridge is just that - a link between 2 places I love (learning and doing). And in this rickety, scary place I will make mistakes and say the wrong thing and, yes, sometimes suck, and I will do that in front of others (bleh). But I won't be there forever and with each step I will get closer to that wonderful doing, sharing place. Knowing that makes all the difference.
Today Molly Gordon's wonderful quote above showed up for me as a reminder to venture out onto that bridge. Or maybe to turn it into something more appealing. When I was in coaching training the tag name that my colleagues gave me, the one they chose in order to encourage me to become all that I am, was Trapeze Artist. I think it's time to fly.
A note about Molly Gordon
Over the past year I have done a lot of reading and research about starting a business, finding your niche, defining your target market, etc. And I found myself deeply resistant to much of what I read. I am suspicious of anything that says, "This is the way it must be done." Recently I signed up for a practice-building mentorship program. I lasted a month. It just wasn't a good fit for my independent, rebellious nature. Molly Gordon, whom I quote above, is the first person to talk about things like marketing in a language that I can relate to, perhaps the clue is in what she calls her approach - authentic promotion.
Ahhh.... thank you.
I know a lot of you reading are independent, creative women who want to make a positive contribution to the world. And I know first hand that it's a challenge to find your own way, make your own mark and feel like it's possible to be a success on your own terms - not by fitting your beautiful round-peg self into a painful square hole. I hope we can share lots of success stories about how we've done it and that we can encourage others to do the same.
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