She DID it.
One of my clients knocked it out of the proverbial park this week, when she did something that absolutely scared her to death.
After weeks of planning, researching, thinking, crafting.
Weeks of writing and re-writing, experimenting and practicing.
She stepped up and out in her business, showing up for her clients in a way that she’d never been able to do before.
She offered them a service for the very first time, one that required a completely new skill on her part.
And if you saw what she did, you might even think it was no big deal.
In fact, you’d think: Well, sure! I see that all the time. That’s no biggie!
But it was.
And here’s why.
This lovely brave woman is a master at what she does. As a financial coach and concierge, her skill in helping men and women untangle knots in personal finance is nothing short of magic.
She has a deep understanding of their pain, and the incredible confusion – and even shame – that so many people have around money. (Think you’re the only one? You are SO not.)
So sitting with individuals or couples at their kitchen table, pouring over piles of icky papers filled with columns of numbers, digging through the fine print of insurance policies and retirement plans, works just fine for her.
Public speaking, on the other hand, does not.
I’ve coached her through a couple of talks now, and I KNOW how hard this is for her. She does it, can do it, but it is super uncomfortable – and way, way out of her comfort zone.
So when I challenged her last fall to come up with a program she could share with her clients as a whole, I knew what I was asking. I was challenging her to speak.
In front of a group.
Without even being asked.
To volunteer, even.
Gulp.
And THIS is why I love this work.
One thing I teach my students, is that the “how” is never the problem.
Not really.
Not knowing how to do something is just a story we tell ourselves to make it okay to stay where we are.
It’s a sneaky little way we give ourselves permission to just sit on our hands and not do that very scary thing that we need to do, that we really want to do.
Oh, I’d love to make that happen, but I have no idea how – soooo – I guess it’s just not meant for me to do. Oh well! Sigh…
But I know you. You are a strong and determined person. Fierce, even.
You’re also creative. Resourceful. Smart.
So if you set your mind to something, but something stumps you, gets in your way, tries to stop you…
Oh man, that doesn’t go so well. :)
Because you WILL find a way. You WILL figure something out. You always do.
You’re stubborn that way.
And my client was no different.
She, too, is strong, determined, fierce.
And stubborn – in the best way.
(She also never shrinks from a challenge. Entrepreneurs are like THAT too.)
So even though just the thought of creating and teaching a class was in fact one of the hardest things I could have asked her to do, she was open to the challenge.
Because she wants to grow her business. And she really, really wants to serve her peeps.
So she said yes.
Saying yes was the beginning of everything.
See – everything we do begins with a decision.
A decision to move forward, or to stay planted firmly where we are.
A decision to step into the unknown, or to stay safely tucked behind the familiar.
A decision to stretch into what is possible for us.
Or not.
So Deb made that decision.
Then, she made a Commitment.
It’s easy to do this in your head. “Okay, I’ve made a decision. I am GOING to teach this class, damn it.” But if you don’t follow that decision with a commitment, it’s really, really easy to put things off.
Sometimes, forever.
So when she started talking about her class in her ezine, asking her clients what they most needed to learn, and TELLING them she was going to create this program, she was committed.
It was out there now. She ‘had’ to do it. :)
Then, she took action.
She set a date for the course. She crafted marketing materials, figuring it out as she went. She listened to her clients and what they needed. She began thinking about different ways she could do this, places she could hold a class, and how that would work.
And this is the cool part.
She came up with a completely different idea – one that worked for her.
She decided to do a webinar.
EVEN though she’d never done a webinar before. She had NO idea how to use the software, or even what software to use!
But she figured it out, at least well enough to try it.
And this week – she taught the class.
Decision + Commitment + Action.
Three absolutely key ingredients to making real progress, building momentum, moving forward, in your business.
Was it perfect? NO.
Did that matter? NO.
Was she scared to death? YES.
Did she do it anyway? YES.
THIS is what matters.
She made it through the first one, and survived.
She learned all kinds of things just from getting through that first process.
She pushed through fear, and took imperfect action, and next time will be easier.
With practice, she’ll get better and better, and her clients will benefit from her bravery.
And the best part?
What she did, YOU can do, too.
This, to quote Oprah, I know for sure.
Need help? Call me. If you need a loving push, and a little encouragement, you’d be surprised how much having a coach can help.
Whatever it is that you’re facing, whatever that next Big Scary Goal is that you want to reach, know this.
You. Can. Do. This.
So go. Just start.
And tell us what you’re up to in the comments below, so we can hold you accountable…
…and cheer for your success. :)
Photo Credit: grindelkhan on Flickr