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Choose courage over comfort.
Brene Brown uses this quote when talking about facing fear and after the first time I heard it, it has been one of my daily affirmations. In fact, I have it taped to my bedroom mirror so I am reminded of this on THE daily.
Seriously folks, if you don’t follow this amazing human, stop reading right now (ok, maybe wait until the end), but then go follow her. She simply is amazing.
Back to the story…
Being an entrepreneur is s-c-a-r-y. Showing up day after day. Following your passions. Believing in yourself. Having the doubt. Doing things that friends and family constantly remind you that what you are doing is hard, that you probably are going to fail, that you should “play it safe” because, duh the pension and it is a safe bet. Insert facepalm here. Why we keep prioritizing money over health and happiness, I have no idea.
When the world is noisy and you are constantly fighting THAT battle, boy it is tough.
So how do you navigate the times when people don’t believe in your mission? When people expect you to fail? When fear has such a tight grip on you that it suffocates you? That sometimes, you are the only one in your corner? When you know deep in your heart there is something more but you are starting to lose hope? When day after day, you put the hard work in and don’t always see the results?
First of all, DEEP BREATH.
I know these times are challenging. We don’t have all the answers and we certainly cannot predict the future... but if we could, that would be boring.
I thought I would share what I do during these times, ‘cause girl… we all have those thoughts and feelings. Here is how I navigate those challenging times and stay focused even when things are scary, even when I have that OH SH*T, what the heck am I doing feeling and the panic and fear creeps in.
I come back to my mission and my vision. Very early on, I created a vision of what I wanted my life to look like, who I wanted to help and the impact I wanted to leave on this planet. I recorded an audio description of my vision and I listen to it every dang morning. This reminds me of why I am doing the work. Why I am walking this path. Why I have to keep going. This ALWAYS reminds me and snaps me back to my purpose.
TRUST. This goes totally against the grain for me. I used to have EVERYTHING planned out, know how I was going to do it, by when and the degree of accuracy I would achieve said goal. I am learning to trust and believe. There is so much I do not have control of and when I combine inspired action with trust, everything will work out as it should.
Surround myself with people who want me to succeed. Believe it or not, there is a whole world of strangers out there rooting for you, not judging you and WANTING you to succeed. You just have to be brave enough to look for them. ‘Cause here is what I have learned, anyone doing this work, showing up and putting in the effort will not criticize you. They will encourage you, want you to win and will cheer you EVERY step of the way.
I practice an evening and morning ritual that sets my day up for success, solidifies a solid mindset and I take ownership of my thoughts and actions. This has been THE game changer for me. I do not leave my thoughts, what I believe or who I want to be in someone else's hands.
I only take advice from those in the ring with me. Theadore Roosevelt once said this quote and it stuck with me...another quote I have pinned up in my bedroom and office for all those critiques and naysayers who think they know best...
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
6. One more for good measure. I have taken failure out of my vocabulary. There is no such thing as a failure, only a lesson to be learned and a new way of looking at things. For the door that closes, was not meant for me and something better is right around the corner.
Ok, I am starting to sound like a Hallmark card. So let’s wrap this up before I get too carried away.
Seriously though, I know the road is hard. I know it is challenging. I know it requires courage and strength. I know you want to quit some days. But, you were born to do what is in your heart. Double down on that. Put all your focus on being the best version of you possible and keep leading with that vision and I promise you, things will work out. Maybe not the way you originally thought, but they will work out as they should.
Sending you all the love and courage.
You got this.
Gina
xx
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