Recovering perfectionist. Former overthinker. Softening control freak. Slowly lightening my Type A grip.
Can you relate to any of these?
I sometimes use terms like this to describe myself, and I’m only half-joking. It took a long time, but I finally came to realize that all of these tendencies had one thing in common: fear. Fear of being “less than,” of doing things wrong, of looking ridiculous, and myriad other scary monsters.
My cure came in the form of my Purpose Statement.
Once I did the deep work of uncovering my values, clarifying my strengths, and putting together the important pieces of my purpose, I found myself naturally gaining more courage. I discovered that as long as I could identify the meaning behind my actions and connect them to my purpose, I could say ‘yes’ to just about any healthy adventure or bold leap.
Even playing the ukulele in front of 100 people after just two lessons, as pictured here! 🙂
The theme of this day was COURAGE, however, and I knew that if I wanted to inspire courageous action on the part of my participants, I needed to model it myself. My hands were shaking (which makes for interesting ukulele-playing!) but I did it, and I often look back on that day as a pinnacle moment for myself, too. I hadn’t announced in advance that this would take place at the event, so I could have easily backed out at the last minute…but my purpose wouldn’t let me.
Lesson #2: Let Your Purpose Give You Courage. This lesson changed every aspect of my work, relationships, leadership, and overall life, and I hope it does the same for you.
As I celebrate 14 years in business this month, I’m sharing 14 lessons – one per post – that I’ve learned (many the hard way) over the years. I hope they help you work with meaning and live with purpose!
Photo Credit: Kris Gaspari Photography