Helloooo and welcome to my next adventure!! After nearly a full year of adventuring out there, its now time to move the adventure… in here.
So what’s that mean? I’ve done a lot of exploring in my time. I love it. I can’t get enough. I might just be chemically addicted. Those endorphins really are somethin’ else.
But my favorite adventure so far? It’s been the adventure into my own mind.
Now I know that I’m addicted to new personal insights. Every time I have a new insight, new awareness, or new understanding of why I’m doing (or not doing) something, it feels like the tectonic plates of my personal world shift, rock and rumble. This leads to seeing even more possibilities in my own life and what I’m capable of.
HOW FUN! My mind causes earthquakes, what does yours do? 😂
How the mind works fascinates me…like really fascinates me. It always has.
Part of this is likely because I’ve always been incredibly sensitive and acutely attuned to other people’s energy. Meaning I just knew how people were feeling. They didn’t have to tell me with their words. I just knew. I could sense it in how they engaged with me, in how they presented themselves. The more people I met, connected with, and observed…the more I started seeing patterns. And because I’m a scientist by training, those patterns led to questions.
How come some people are happy all the time?
Why are some angry no matter what?
Why do some people take responsibility for their life while others try to outsource theirs?
What’s the difference between someone who succeeds and someone who fails?
Who are the people that take action when others just come up with ideas?
How do people gain confidence?
Why are people they way they are?
Those questions grew bigger and bigger until it really came down to one big question.
Can anybody choose to become whoever they want to be?
The answer is yes.
So over the last 5-6 years of my life I chose to become a leader and chose to create myself into a risk-taker.
Past versions of me must be somewhere sitting at a stand-up comedy show thinking that I could ever be either of those two things. A risk-taker? No way. A leader? HA.
But here I am.
I am a risk-taker and I am a damn strong leader. Because THAT is who I choose to be.
As I’ve been reflecting on this journey, and getting ready to share with the world my choice to step full-time into the world of entrepreneurship and transformational coaching, I realize how few people will self-identify as risk-takers or leaders.
I want to change that.
Most of us are experts at self-criticism, and novices at self-celebration. (I also want to change THAT). We excel at finding all the areas we aren’t meeting our own already-unrealistic expectations. We don’t give ourselves credit where credit is due. We think there’s something wrong with us and we have to hide it from the world.
Ever heard of imposter syndrome? I’m sure you’ve heard of it and experienced it. If you haven’t…it’s effectively that fear constantly running in the background that someone is going to finally find our you’re a total fraud incapable of doing whatever you’re currently doing.
I’m a big fan of invitations, and I’ll be giving out many of them this year (and every year for the rest of my life…feel free to follow along😉). The magic about invitations? You get to choose if you RSVP. Sometimes you can make it, and sometimes you either can’t…or don’t want to.
My first invitation to you is to ask yourself the following questions: Would I identify myself as a risk-taker? Would I identify myself as a leader?
Another invitation for you. So soon after the first invitation?! Yes, yes indeed.
I’m inviting you to start taking more of a leadership role within your own life.
This post has a two-fold purpose. First, I wanted to share with the world who I am and what I do. And second, my intention is to share how I use the term “leadership” on my website. When I talk about leadership, it does NOT mean that you are a leader in an organization that has a team of other people underneath you. And it does not mean that you are the CEO of your own business that you run full-time. Although these are ways you can be a leader as well.
For example…just because you have the word “leader” in your professional title does not inherently make you a capable leader. Leadership is a skillset that is learned, not something bestowed upon you by a job title or company. We all know there are plenty of managers, bosses and “leaders” out there that are anything BUT true leaders.
You could be a leader of your household. You could be the leader of small children. You could be the leader of your own day.
The most important leader…the leaders I’m speaking to and work with…are the ones who take leadership roles in their own lives.
This definition is more aligned with self-leadership. Self-leadership is the concept that in order to accomplish your goals and have the experience in this life that you want to have…you take full accountability, responsibility and ownership of making that happen.
When I say “leaders”, I’m talking about powerful self-leaders who understand that nobody is coming to save you. The world doesn’t owe you anything. And that committing to creating a life you want is your choice and your choice alone. I do not know what is best for your life, YOU are the expert there. But I will help keep you honest with yourself.
Learning the art and skill of self-leadership will rock your world. There are bold ways to do this, like collaborating with a coach, or hiking from Mexico to Canada. But honestly, those options are not the best for everyone. There are countless smaller steps you can take to grow this skill, like sharing your opinion in a team meeting even though you’re nervous about how it’ll be received.
I know that this year I’ve (gladly) paid a coach a lot of money to support my adventures, challenge me, help me grow, and illuminate my own blind spots—both personally and professionally.
If you’ve enjoyed reading this far, you are my people. Feel free to follow along and watch the journey unfold.
My last invitation to you for today…if what you’ve read so far has sparked something in you and you’re curious what coaching can do for you or your business…reach out. I love having conversations to see how I can help. No strings attached. No hidden motives. Just a powerful conversation that I hope changes the trajectory of your future.
Cheers to the best adventure yet.