Archive for the ‘business’ Category

As any entrepreneur can tell you, running your own business can be a downright frightening thing at times. Times when you wonder whether you’ll be noticed or stand out from your competition. Times when you have to stand up in front of a group of strangers and try to explain what it is you offer – in a compelling enough way to attract clients or customers. Times when you hit the “publish” button on your blog or website and hope that what you’ve written hits its mark. Times when you wonder if you’ll be able to pay your bills, the rent and still have enough to buy groceries.

I’ve lived with fear a long time. It’s been such a close companion, for much of my life I didn’t even know it for what it was. I assumed it was normal to worry like crazy, feel anxious and berate oneself for failures. Most of us do it all the time, behaving as if we all should somehow magically be prepared for any possible contingency, every possible outcome. “What an idiot I am! Why didn’t I realize that was going to happen? I should have known! I should have seen the signs!!!”

Lately, I found myself worrying a lot about whether my business will succeed or fail. Am I doing everything I can to promote myself? Am I doing it right? Do I even know what I’m supposed to be doing? What if it doesn’t work? What if I can’t do it???

The questions were swimming around in my head, keeping me up at night and waking me up in a state of panic in the mornings. “I’ll be OK,” I told myself. “I have faith that it will work out; I’m in a learning curve, that’s all.” But no matter how much I tried to hush the panicky voices inside me, they only seemed to hang on tighter and get louder.

I finally sat down to confront them the other night. I wanted to truly understand why, no matter what I said or did, I still felt this anxiety. Finally, it hit me: what my fear needed to hear was confirmation that I have failed. I HAVE FAILED. I’m doing it even now. Oh, my. Wow. I am currently failing. My business success is not happening the way I wanted it to right now.  I’ve FAILED!!!!! Aaaarrrrggghhhhh!!!

And then I started laughing. Because as soon as I admitted to myself that I am failing, I have failed and I no doubt will continue to fail, I FELT BETTER. My anxiety lightened up a little. The problems I’m dealing with didn’t go away, but the panicky questions in my head – the constant stream of “what ifs?” – got quieter.

I’m still giggling a little as I write this. What a relief to remember that it’s OK to fail; in fact we do it all the time. How lovely to revel in failures and the lessons they can teach rather than shy away from them. Now that I’ve admitted to failing, I am open to possibility. Instead of the nagging “What if?” I can hear the exhilarating “What’s next?!”

Try it. Admit to your deepest fear. You can fail. It doesn’t have to be spectacular; it can just be. I wonder what will happen when you do.

I heard an inspiring report on my local NPR station (KUOW) the other night which highlighted the importance of encouraging creativity in the classroom. In the report, neuroscience research was cited which posits that actively partaking in creative pursuits (art, music, dance, writing, etc.) can actually improve brain functioning because doing so helps grow new neural pathways.

Imagine that. Creativity improves the brain.

Take THAT, all you gremlins and old myths that have told us for so long that art is not important or that creativity has no real value.

Take THAT, my high school Algebra teacher who criticized the fact that I was studying poetry, saying “What’s that gonna getcha?” all those years ago.

“A BETTER FUNCTIONING BRAIN!” I can now say!

Recently, I attended a marketing workshop where, for the first time in public, I confessed that it is my BIG DREAM to be a part of the paradigm shift towards valuing creativity in all its forms, towards the belief that YOU can, I can, WE ALL can do what we love in the world, do what we are passionate about, what matters to us AND be valued for it. No more, “you can’t make a living doing that”. No more, “if you’re an artist you’ll have to starve.” No more of that. I reject it.

And, apparently, neuroscience does, too.

Our ancestors knew that art and creativity had value. Why else would they have ensured that future leaders were trained not only in diplomacy, war, science and math but ALSO in dance, art, languages, poetry? They knew: the more creative you are, the better you will function. The better leader you will make.

In this emerging New Economy, in our 21^st Century “Brave New World,” those of us who value the capacity for creativity will lead the way.

What will enable you to step up and take the lead?