On Doing
Damon Brown
Coaching Non-Traditional Entrepreneurs. Speaker, Best-Selling Author, Host/EP of BringYourWorth.tv
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Previously: On Habits
It has been a summer of transitions for most people I know, myself included. Me and my family recently moved to the Midwest after spending a dozen years on the West Coast. I'm fortunate that my focus, on helping potential and current entrepreneurs reach their best without burning themselves out, only gets richer as I connect with new communities in the Toledo/Detroit area.
Any transition takes a great deal of energy, no matter how advantageous or exciting it may be. It is like what writer Elizabeth Gilbert said in one of my favorite talks I've ever seen at TED: Her stratospheric success with Eat, Pray, Love caused the same performance anxiety as when she was a waitressing wannabe writer collecting hundreds of publishing rejection letters. Both felt like a foriegn place. Her way back to sanity? She started writing the next thing. She did the work.
The key during transitions isn't just to keep your focus, but to realize that it will take you more energy to do so. Like moving to a new town, previously unconscious acts like going to the grocery store or remembering a neighbor's name now require thought, rigor, and presence. You are building the foundation for your next chapter. Most importantly, you are given the opportunity to think about the things you previously assumed to be true and can make a structure better for you today.
All this takes time, all this takes energy, and all this takes patience. So, I'm allowing myself a few extra minutes of meditation each day, an additional breath or two before returning an urgent phone call, and considerable thoughtfulness in my workday strategy. The best gift you can give yourself is the space to get the inner work done to make a stronger you - even if you are the only one who can feel it. You are doing more work than you think.
More on the topic:
- Why Death is the Secret to Your Personal Success
- How Your Goals are Preventing You From Greatness
- How to View Any Failure as Progress to Success
On my mind:
- The Strategic Storyteller by Alexander Jutkowitz
- Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and Sheryl Sandberg all use the same old-school strategy
- Conor McGregor's Mind - Sean Croxton's Quote of the Day podcast
*Join this conversation based on the best-selling The Bite-Sized Entrepreneur series*