I tell wonder-filled stories about hope and healing
These may be the only instructions for life we’ll ever need.
“The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before.” ~ Albert Einstein
I’ve spent the past two weeks pitching workshops and ideation facilitation services that utilize my background as a product developer and yoga teacher. Before I gave my first pitch, I wondered if this idea made sense to anyone other than me. Maybe this was just too far out there. Maybe I should be a bit more mainstream and be on the outer edge of the crowd rather than off on a whole new path on my own.
That train of thought lasted all of about 60 seconds.
I’ve never been part of the crowd and I never wanted to be. I’ve always pushed boundaries, my own and those of others. I left my last corporate job because the company wanted to do what it’s always done dressed up in a slightly different costume. I realized I needed something different, something more in line with my own philosophy: if we want change, we have to change, and change is the only thing that keeps life exciting. It’s also the only thing we can be certain of.
I packed my bags, headed out toward unbroken ground, and I’ve never looked back. I needed to get to places no one has been before, and so far that’s exactly where I’ve been spending my time. It’s pretty glorious out here under the open sky. There’s more air, more light, and more life.
And as for the pitches that I was afraid were too far out there? They aren’t. They’re going really well. People do get it and want it, so much so that they wonder why it’s never been done before. And that’s just about the greatest piece of encouragement I could ask for at the close of my 3rd week of my freelance life.
Someone recently sent me an email and asked, “You clearly spend a lot of your time reading. Could you cut through all the chatter of the news and just send me links to the things you think are most interesting?”
Yes. Yes, I can.
I’ve been overwhelmed and honored by the number of people, some whom I know and some whom I don’t know, who have reached out to me in one form or another to say how excited they are about my leap into my own business. They ask me to explain how I made the leap and the planning that went into it. They want to know how they can apply it to their own lives and ideas.
I noodled on how to efficiently get this information to anyone who wants it and decided that the oldie but goodie mechanism of a monthly e-newsletter was the best way to go. After 5 years of daily blogging about living a creative life, I’m putting together the e-newsletter to highlight great books I’m reading, intriguing people I’m meeting, links to interesting articles on creativity, and helpful advice for entrepreneurs and people who are thinking of becoming entrepreneurs.
Get this goodness delivered to your in-box every month by clicking here or following the link at the top of this page.
As I reflect today on the meaning behind the 4th of July, I’m thinking of independence from a new vantage point – freedom and liberation in my work life.
Today I’m inspired by the people who took the Greatest Risk for all of us and founded our nation. When the time to rise up arrived, they didn’t shrink back from their chance at freedom. They risked a sentence of treason and death for the sake of liberty. The risks were high but so were the potential rewards.
In comparison, any leap we take isn’t even close to that scary! They took a chance, a planned and passionate chance, and they worked like hell through tremendously difficult circumstances to create the nation we have today. We are blessed by their courage and taking our own leaps, however large or small, is our way of saying thanks for all that they sacrificed for us.
Now that I’m out on my own, I’m realizing the triumphs and challenges of a freelance life. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Every morning I wake up and pinch myself – I am so fortunate to have this time and space to work on projects with my whole heart. And after a moment set aside for pure gratitude, I get to work.
The same is true for anyone who takes a risk and goes out on a limb to tear a dream right out of the sky. It’s scary and thrilling, and both of those feelings motivate in equal measure. Sure, you can absolutely be bogged down by the idea of, “What if it doesn’t work out?” But you can be equally raised up by the idea of, “And what if it does?” Rise up out of the bog. Life is so damn short. Do work that matters.
This road ain’t easy but good God it is worth it – today we’re all living proof of that. Happy 4th!
People are funny.
Yesterday someone asked me how I was enjoying my life of leisure. Someone else asked me how it feels to have all this free time now that I am unemployed. I was equally confused by both of them and set them straight (quickly):
A.) I am hardly living a life of leisure. I’m working a lot more now for myself than I was a few weeks ago when I was working for someone else. The difference is that now I work on projects that light me up and that I decided were worth my time rather than having someone else dictate work that I felt was largely pointless given its lack of usefulness to just about anyone.
B.) I’m not unemployed; I work for myself and not out of necessity. I chose this path.
Here’s the lay of the land in my new world of work:
When you work for someone else, you set aside a (big) portion of your day in exchange for a stable salary. Usually that time is blocked off on a regular schedule and you get into a routine: getting ready for work, the rhythm of the work day, and then traveling back from work into your personal life. When you work for yourself, the boundaries are a lot less clear. You need to set up your schedule with discipline and you work far more hours for yourself than you do when you work for someone else. Luckily, your passion for the work makes the longer hours worthwhile.
Working for yourself is a huge time commitment. Remember, you’re doing everything yourself – from the mundane administrative work to the big picture strategic thinking. It’s rewarding, but it’s not leisure. It’s work and it takes time.
You keep your current clients happy, you pitch new business, and you research for new leads. That cycle of work has to be maintained to keep the business going. The freedom and the passion you feel for your work provides a tremendous amount of satisfaction with opportunities to constantly learn and grow. It’s a ball and a half but it needs near-constant attention, especially at the start.
This life isn’t for everyone, but it is most certainly for me. I’ve never felt better about my career and life, present and future. There’s so much opportunity all around us and I’m grateful for the time to make the most of it. We only get one crack at this life in this form; every second counts!
Would you run out into the street, open your wallet, and hand out money to anyone and everyone you saw? Probably not. So why would you do that with your time?
Escape from Cubicle Nation by Pam Slim and The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau are must-reads for anyone who has taken, is taking, or is contemplating taking a big leap into a freelance life. They are both loaded with inspiring and practical information.
Of all the tidbits of wisdom and tools that they offer, the one that truly stands out like a shining beacon of reason has to do with valuing time. Nothing will get you to understand the worth of your time more than working for yourself. Pam Slim goes so far as to say that entrepreneurs, and particularly those just starting out, need to “be ruthless with their time.”
Pam and Chris are right on: your time is now at a premium. And not just the hours you may set aside for work, but all of your time. Working for yourself you become acutely aware that your time is your most valuable asset because it is at the core of every decision you make in your business. Don’t just give it away to to everyone who requests it. Treat it like the greatest treasure you could hold because it is.
“It’s okay to have emotions. Just make sure they don’t have you.” ~ Sarah Platt-Finger, ISHTA Yoga Senior Teacher
So, it happened. Over the past month since I gave notice at my corporate job and took the leap into working for myself, I have been amazed by how little fear has risen to the surface. Actually, it hasn’t risen up at all. Yesterday while in my meditation in my training class, it surprised me as it rose up and expressed itself with a sound akin to “Ah!”And then it passed away just as quickly, and as surprisingly, as it rose up.
The moment and its lessons were not lost on me. In that one second, I learned a lot about fear and perseverance:
1.) Fear is like an air bubble. It wants to be recognized and have a chance to express itself. The more we resist it and deny it, the larger that bubble becomes. If we can get ourselves into a neutral state (I recommend meditation to help with this), then the bubble can rise up to the surface and dissipate. Let fear come, but then let it go.
2.) Fear is like quicksand. If we begin to flail around in quicksand, it will swallow us whole. Remain still and we float to shore. The same is true for fear. When it comes upon us, we may feel the need “to do.” And by that I mean we may feel the need to do anything because we feel that doing anything is much better than doing nothing. It’s hard to be afraid and stay still, but that’s exactly what is needed if we want to find our way to the other side of fear, which is freedom.
3.) We have all the tools we need to banish fear. This is the most amazing insight that came from my panic moment. My meditation allowed the fear to surface and ask me, “Hey, are you sure you know what you’re doing?” In the stillness that the meditation induced in my mind and body, the answer clearly and quickly rose up – “Yes.” And in an instant the fear faded. It got the answer it needed.
This is the brilliance of meditation: it lets us face our fears but also gives us the tools to effectively and efficiently release them. We let go of fear (and every other thing that no longer serves us) because we ourselves let go. For a few moments every day, we stop doing and in those moments we feel the deep strength and wisdom that we always carry within us. Tap into that, and we find that we already have every answer to every challenge we will ever face. Go in and we find that it is this inner strength that allows us to rise.
Have you noticed how much energy you expend on fear? Now think about how much energy you put toward your dreams.
No one can tell you to stop being afraid. But there is a lot to be gained from evening out the equation between fear and dreams. Dreams will make you bolder, stronger, and more creative. They’ll light you up in a way that the whole world can see, drawing good fortune in your direction.
And here’s the real magic trick: the more you dream, the less you fear because dreams teach you what’s possible.
Earlier this week, Phin and I took our morning walk along the Hudson. The sun was shining, the boats were sailing, the birds were singing, and the wind was blowing. It took my breath away. I turned my face up to the sky, took a big full breath, and said a prayer of thanks. Thanks for this life, this day, and the opportunity to be exactly where I am right now. I’ve been carrying that feeling around with me for days and it feels amazing. Give it a try. See where it takes you and what gifts it reveals.
Risk has a scary connotation for many people. Maybe that’s due to pop culture references like the movie Risky Business or the board game Risk. Maybe it’s because we have stunning examples of the downside of risk like the latest economic recession which has harmed millions of people to a frightening degree.
The downside of risk paralyzed me for a long time. We have a natural, genetic predisposition to safety and we have been taught that risk is the opposite of safety.
How I changed my view of risk:
That unfortunate, and frankly untrue, equation kept me working for someone else for a long time. At 36, I just left behind a life of working solely for someone else to step out on my own as a freelancer with my new business Chasing Down the Muse, a consultancy business to assist creative professionals and companies on the leading edge of their industries. One reason that dream came to fruition had a lot to do with recognizing that for every downside, there is an upside. And though I wish there was a way to go out on a limb and guarantee safety, that just isn’t how it goes. Upside and downside are inversely proportional. The bigger the potential upside, the bigger the potential downside.
So are we stuck with those natural odds of risk? Absolutely not! There are a number of things we can do to pad our odds in favor of achieving the upside of any risk:
1.) Stash away your cash. I don’t offer investment advice but I feel infinitely confident saying that liquidity in your assets (having cash) is tantamount to giving you the best odds of achieving the upside of a risk. It gives you a cushion to land on if you come crashing down from your leap. How much do you need? That depends on your personality. I tend to hypochondria. I hope for the best and expect the worst. Many financial advisors now suggest having 6-9 months of living expenses stashed away as an emergency fund. I put away double that over 5 years because that’s what I needed to feel secure. You may feel comfortable with less, or you may need more.
2.) Meditate. Seriously? Yes! My yoga and meditation practice is a tool I use whenever I feel the jitters associated with a risk I’m contemplating. It relaxes my body, calms my mind, and helps me to call upon my creativity to drive home new ideas for boosting my odds of achieving the upside of a risk. I teach to share yoga and meditation to share these practices with anyone who wants to give them a whirl and incorporate them into their living. Curious about some meditation techniques you can use yourself? Contact Me.
3.) Stop talking, start writing. We can often talk ourselves round and round into a circle when it comes to our fears. That doesn’t mean we should stop sharing that information. I talk to my friends, my family, my dog, and to all of you about my fears. However, there should be a point where we give ourselves an end to it. I love this exercise from Pam Slim, author of Escape from Cubicle Nation: write down every fear about a risk you’re contemplating and then stack actions against every one of them to ease or erase that fear.
And when all else fails, remember this tidbit:
– Everything will be alright in the end. If it’s not alright, it’s not the end.
