Getting Started
On starting something new, perfectionism, and interrupting patterns
One of my goals this year is to develop an email community as a medium for connection and sharing tools and resources.
I knew this was a goal before January, so before the new year I equipped myself with learning resources in anticipation. But here I am, post-Tax Day, and I have yet to send my first broadcast message. I have a whole list of reasons. I was in learning mode in January, my mother-in-law passed away unexpectedly in February sending our whole world upside-down, I was onboarding a new body of work in March, the email service provider I selected just upgraded and the system integrations I need aren’t yet available for their new version….
Some might call these excuses. I try to give myself grace and recognize that these are all reasonable bumps in the road and part of the process, or at least part of my process.
That being said, I am seeing with fresh eyes that I could have gotten rolling sooner by releasing my assumptions about success. Based on my research about sending emails as a small business, I must email weekly on a consistent day; I need an email service provider that meets a whole set of [jargon-filled] requirements; and I need a “lead magnet” to “attract” people to join my mailing list. The experts have spoken, and I have taken all of it as gospel truth.
Until now.
You see , I’ve had a bit of a life theme showing up in these past couple of weeks. It’s “try different.” I’ve had nudges to try something different in my routine, my environment, my marriage, and with work. In this case, it’s both about changing my own pattern AND shaking up the way things are “supposed to be done.”
As for my own patterns, I have a tendency toward perfectionism - the kind that keeps me from moving things forward when they’re not good enough or stops me from even starting when I don’t know where to begin. I know I’m not the only one. That perfectionism has served me many times when I deliver something beyond expectations, and it’s also shown up at my expense through over-working, self-criticism, and a misled sense of control. I can get really stuck in some vision of how my project needs to turn out. Research or learning-mode is one of the places I consistently tread water when my perfectionism flares, so all these learning resources I had gathered with shoulds and musts fed right into my perfectionism party!
In the spirit of “try different,” I’ve decided it’s go time. Today. I know I don’t have all the “required” pieces in place. I feel my resistance and judgement that things aren’t ready, I’m not ready. But I’m choosing to shake up my normal, go against the “best practices” and try something different.
So I’m getting started, imperfectly, with this very first blog post. A little bit of me is proud of the imperfection of it. I may find that I have to completely re-work things, but I’ll be learning through action.
I invite you to come along for what will unfold. I intend to share ideas and resources, offer possibilities, and prompt reflection related to leadership, our workplaces, and living a balanced joy-filled life (despite the fact that those often feel mutually exclusive). If you want to be part of this journey of exploration and insight, fill out the form below to submit your email address. I’ll add you to my email community… when I get it set up.
Join the email community
Photo by Jon Tyson | Unsplash