One of my favorite Georgia O’Keffe quotes is “I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life - and I've never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.” I love it because I too feel fear every single day. Truthfully, unlike my hero, I have let it stop me, way too often. I am not proud of this. I don’t want to share it with you, the vast faceless sea of humanity that forms social media and the web. I certainly don’t wish to share it with friends and family. I’m not even sure I want to admit to myself, how much time I’ve lost to fear and procrastination. Days. Months. Years.
And yet, here I am writing it down and publishing it. And no, I’m not asking for feedback - positive or negative. This is A) to encourage and hold myself accountable for taking action and B) to let you know that you aren’t alone if you identify with allowing fear to stop you.
In a recent entrepreneurial class, our professors encouraged us to take small measurable steps in creating our businesses. “Take easy, 3-foot tosses,” they repeated, because, here’s the thing, 3-foot tosses taken every day, add up in very short order.
Want to take that expensive vacation? Start setting aside 5 to 10% of all pre-tax income, you’ll be amazed at how fast it adds up. And, from personal experience, as a single mom, who lives paycheck to paycheck way too often, having a savings when you washer dies, is a HUGE weight off your chest.
Want to hike the Winds and haven’t stepped into a gym in a year? Walk a couple of miles a day. Head to Sacred Rim weekly. Ask for help and guidance from people who are out there. Honestly, people love to help!
The only way you are going to lose is by sitting at home numbing out on social media with a bag of potato chips.
Those of you who know me well, know that I am a firm believer in the Law of Attraction, manifesting, actualizing, whatever you call it. And here’s the thing, you can sit on your cushion, focusing on your hearts desires, but if you don’t take steps, nothing is going to happen. You have to take action! (I HAVE to take action.)
So here’s my accountability part. I have been needing to be better at sharing what I do (I’m a freelance graphic designer if you didn’t know and I happen to be pretty good at it, (shameless self-promotion). I’m also stepping into the world of life coaching this year). And I bought a little road bike last year, she’s red and cute and looks like fun. But I’m scared of getting on her, so I procrastinate in many ways.
Action steps for me this week, include, contacting one new person this week and sharing what I do, asking if there is anything I can help them with. And I commit to starting Reba up and taking her out, even if it’s only for a short ride this week. I’ll report back to you next week on my progress.
Where I would love feedback, is in hearing where you are at. Where have you let the voice of fear win? What 3-foot toss will you take this week? Where have you won? Let’s create the life and living we truly desire now!
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I’m Deanne Swain, a freelance graphic designer and coach, my passion is helping individuals and businesses to create alignment internally and convey their brand externally to the world around them. You can connect with me at www.deanneswain.com, email me at hello@deanneswain.com or follow me on Instagram @d_swaindesign.