YOU DID IT!

You made it through what’s oftentimes the most difficult part of the “trying something new” equation.

Making the decision!

Unless you didn’t read last week’s blog? In which case – I GOTCHU!

Uncover what the pathway to purpose and passion abundant living looks like for you right here, and then come back to strategize and be inspired into actually DOING the thing- yippee!

You ready?

Most people either smile or shiver when they think of starting something new.

Which one are you?

Someone who experiences an ever so slight sliver of both?

SAME, babe.

Whether it be a new job, relationship, location to live, or any other kind of adventure – starting something new can be scary as sheeet.

You don’t know exactly what to expect (no matter HOW thoroughly you research), and you’re more than likely acting out both best case and worst case scenarios in your head.

But, for some strange reason, your thoughts continue to land on the very worst case — complete and utter failure. 

Leaving you with the stomach churning sensation of a failing grade in your belly, and what feels like a big fat ‘L’ on your forehead.

And you’re not alone.

The truth is, fear is a necessary survival mechanism built into the physical makeup of you, me, everybody. 

But — now that we humans no longer live in a caveman-style society – fear (for the most part) does nothing more than stall our growth journeys. 

GREAT news. Today’s blog is designed to help you reframe your fear and move into empowered action.

Are you up for the challenge?

Harness those shiver-inducing scaries into some sheer determination, and join me in walking through a 3-step, quick list to help you clapback at your fear and embody your strength when starting something new.

STARTing with:

1. Commit to your practice.

Ever heard the saying, “Trust in the process”?

Committing to your practice (aka: the intentional time you set aside to work towards your goal/passion/project) is how you take that trust and transform it into ACTION.

In addition to empowering you into working towards the end goal you’re imagining, consistently committing your calendar to your dream can help take the negotiation out of the equation when all of the sudden doing the dishes sounds delightfully more appealing then taking the action that will actually bring your future vision into reality. 

As author and Internet guru Seth Godin says in The Practice: Shipping Creative Work:

“What I’m saying is: the best way to do the work we want to do is to have a practice. And to show up and do the work regardless of how the world around us – and we – are feeling.”

Sound slightly too strict for you?

Take it from the dude who’s succeeded in writing a blog every. single. day.

Yup!! Seth has posted a daily blog for a 20+ years straight streak.

Just soak that up for a second.

With nineteen bestselling books behind him and many more in front of him, it’s obvious that his practice pushes him towards living out his purpose — and it can absolutely do the same for you. 

Now, I’m not saying you need to commit to a 20-year streak of daily blogging ASAP, but I am saying that choosing a realistic practice with a timeframe that’s comforting for you can work wonders on easing productivity anxiety, and empowering your creativity to flow with greater ease. 

I mean, who doesn’t want that?

Next up we’ve got:

2. Align & attach yourself to your purpose, NOT your outcome.

Once you’ve scheduled in some time to actually commit to your practice and put in the work, (if you’re anything like me!), you may start to feel some anxiety.

Anxiety that’s not centered around your productivity per say, but instead forms from questioning:

Woah, woah, WOAH, wait, wait, WAIT!

What if I commit to the practice, but the practice doesn’t push me any closer to where I want to go, or who I want to be?

What if I commit and STILL don’t end up with diddly-squat OR jack sh%t?

As Seth sees it, “this attachment to the outcome paralyzes us.”

Think about it.

Has there ever been a time in your life where your attachment to the outcome left you in the doghouse of doubt?

You didn’t go for the job because you didn’t think you’d get it..

You didn’t tell the joke because you were worried no one would laugh..

You didn’t try for your dream body, mentality or lifestyle because it just wasn’t didn’t seem “in the cards” or fit for you..

If so, you’re not alone.

In fact, it’s a common characteristic unsurprisingly found in those living within a capitalist, consumerist culture.

From our first graded assignment, to the accomplishments listed out on our tombstone, our society trains us to exchange our time for a tangible result, often influencing us to host uncomfortable feelings towards anything not guaranteed to push production down the line.

So what’s the alternative?

Choosing to believe that your worth is work doing regardless of the result.

Easier said than done, especially if you’ve been raised in a results-rewarding society like the one mentioned above.

But, guess what?

If you defined your purpose (aka: your reason WHY) in last week’s blog, you’re already one step ahead of the curve!

LOOK AT YOU GUUUUUURL!

By defining your ‘why’, you’ve empowered yourself with an opportunity to align with your self-appointed purpose, instead of an outcome that’s out of your control.

So maybe you have an idea for some sick new sneakers that speak self-love slang at you with each step, and your ideal outcome would include everyone on Earth wearing a pair, and a fat wad of cash mula in your brand new, designer jeans, back pocket.

Or maybe your goal isn’t career oriented at all, and has more to do with working your way into a relationship with that nice man you met down the street, or the commune at your local goat farm.

Examining either and all of those scenarios, is there room for a reason that expands above and beyond the end-goal outcome?

Can you find a ‘WHY’ that doesn’t rely on the outcome at all?

To prod your perspective:

Would the growth and lessons learned on the self-love sneaker creation journey cut it for you, even without an ounce of profit?

Would discovering more about what you do and don’t want in a relationship, and simply enjoying and loving another person be worth it if said relationship’s particular timestamp doesn’t send you into forever with a shiny new sparkler on your finger?

Sound silly? Let me share why it’s not:

When we decide to expand our reasons outside and above our outcome, we allow ourselves the opportunity to really WIN – regardless of the result.

As bestselling author and spiritual guru, Gabby Bernstein, shares in her Instagram post called, “How to Never Fail”:

“If your only objective is to have fun, how can you fail?”

PSST!! The correct answer is- you CAN’T!

After pausing for a brief moment, Gabby continues:

“When we bring joy to whatever it is that we do, we open up invisible doors for creative possibilities.”

Which is why it’s so vital to remember:

When you feel like stopping, think about why you started.

When you feel like stopping, framing your objective around fun, fulfillment and a feeling of flow can guide you above the fear of failure, and keep you moving forward in the direction you’re destined to go.

Because the truth is, when starting out on something new, the outcome is never guaranteed.

But guess what’s always got your back?

GROWTH!

Which is why your third and final tip to unleashing the strength to start something new is:

3. Just GROW for it.

Schedule it in, set your sights on your why, and simply GROW for it!

Because – just as capitalistic culture can crush our creativity in it’s insatiable search for results – it can also create crappy, imaginary cubicles that will try to tell you what you “can” or “should” do.

Like Seth Godin shares, “We’ll sit back and wait to be chosen instead. That’s backwards.”

Backwards because: Who’s any more qualified to choose what’s right for you other than YOU?

Can you hear the crickets too? 😉

Waiting is the stuff of the past.

Creating is the stuff of the future.

And I hope you know you can create anything you damn well decide to!

Stop sitting back waiting to receive your golden ticket with an invitation to enter society’s accepted standards of success.

You don’t need a door to be opened for you, because YOU hold the carving tool.

Besides, everything’s “impossible” until someone proves it otherwise.

And today, I’m looking right at you, boo. 

To leave you with a final note from our guy Seth Godin:

“Trust is a commitment to the practice, a decision to lead and make change happen, regardless of the bumps in the road, because you know that engaging in the practice is better than hiding from it.” 

What I want to know is-

Have YOU decided?

XO,

Kendra