Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable
In the months of my re-branding process (and even in the months leading up to it), I’ve had a creative surge. But most of my ideas aren’t really new. THANK GOODNESS!!
As part of me getting clearer about who I am and what I stand for, I’ve been able to embrace projects that have been abandoned over the years. I’m no stranger to branding. This is my third time to the rodeo in four years. But what’s so different this time around is that I’m deadest on bringing anything I’ve created that involves the theme of GETTING OUT OF YOUR OWN DAMN WAY to light.
No more hiding. No more abandoning my babies. No more excuses.
Nope. It’s ride or die time.
Several years ago when I began imagining my dream business, I thought of all the ways I could help people using all my talents, skills, and passions. The list was LONG, and got longer.
Us creative types can get a bit sidetracked and overwhelmed. Coming up with ideas is never the problem. The problem is in finishing them. And that’s exactly where I got stuck.
Yet I didn’t get stuck in places I expected to get stuck, like in how to get things done. The how is the easy part. How involves processes, technology, resources, and systems. I know a heck of a little about a lot of things and can usually find my way through the “how” stuckness. If not, that’s what virtual assistants and other techies are for.
No I got stuck in the why part. This is the trickier part, the part that brings up the inner critic and the ugly fear monster that whispers very unsweet nothings in your ear like:
- Who do you think you are to bring your work into the world
- Nobody wants to hear what you have to say
- You’re not perfect, so you’re a fraud
DAMN those fearful thoughts!
But part of the re-branding process for me has been learning to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Shocker. This is a phrase I use with my clients all the time. And now the tables turned. In order to bring my vision to light, I had to come to terms with the absolute and undeniable FACT that things were gonna get downright uncomfortable, meaning the inner voices of self-doubt and fear were going to get friggin’ loud.
As I braced myself for the onslaught of negativity, something strange happened. It didn’t really come. At least not as roaring and loud as I had anticipated. What happened is that while roadblocks occurred, my inner love-bug kicked in telling me things like:
- You’re amazing
- You’ve got this
- Keep going
- You’re almost there
And you know what? I listened. I’m in my 9th month of amazing-ness. Projects are getting finished left and right. New connections are being made. New opportunities are presenting themselves. My speaking calendar has never been so booked. And more and more people are knocking down the door to work with me.
So when I talk about using fear as a catalyst rather than a crutch, I know of what I speak cause I’ve totally lived it. It is possible to tame that fear and use it to propel you forward into some amazing results.
How are you taming YOUR fear? Leave a comment below.
Photo: Performing Female Contortionist — Image by © Bernd Vogel/Corbis
