Creating with intention
Yesterday I joined a call with several dynamic professionals. The topic? Audacious goals. It made me realize that it isn’t often we verbalize our innermost dreams. Which is unfortunate.
There is something powerful about setting intention, announcing with clarity and conviction what you want and where you are going.
It’s easy and passive to let life come to you. The risky way? Making it known — and going after it.
Set one audacious goal this month. Failing is relative.
There are many warm, idealistic perceptions of the life of an entrepreneur. Being your own boss, running your own show, creating things that matter, following your bliss. Anyone who has groveled at a desk job is lying if they say they haven’t dreamed of what it would be like to play by a different set of rules. Fantasies of setting your own schedule and having more dimes in your pockets seem anything but illicit.
And the success stories! It’s thrilling to hear about the one who struck it rich, the single mother whose idea took off, the underdog whose product went viral, the family man who sold his company to pursue his passion. We love them. We try to find where they drink. We scour articles and books instructing us how to live passionately and make money while doing it.
If we do, it’s after the big win (and even then, we tend to gloss over those not-so-appealing details). The long hours, the misdirection, the insecurities, the unknown, the uncertainties, the sacrifices, the pain, the anxieties, the waffling bank account. The struggle isn’t what we want to buy. We want the finished product. The clean, packaged version. We shy away from the gritty, dirty parts, and when they happen to us, we’re not sure if we’re on track.
It’s those moments of doubt and despair that prompt action. And it is such moments that make us human, vulnerable, approachable, relatable. Because of these unglamorous, unspoken phases, we champion the entrepreneur. We marvel at their guts, their innovation, their creativity, and their gumption. We should consider celebrating the failures, too.
I remember the way my heart would race as I entered the county jail to conduct interviews. I’ve known long work weeks, late nights, early mornings, and the loss of self to put on a good show. I’ve felt the pressure of “that one shot,” that chance of doing something really great, and the pressure of not fucking it up. And I felt the flip side of when it did go well, the postpartum that can follow. I’ve shipped and failed then shipped something else and waited to see what happens.
Nothing will properly prepare you. You don’t need a certain degree, specific experience, or a different title. The project is yours, and it’s waiting for you to give it life. There is no known. There is only doing. And today.
You may never be ready. You might try and realize it’s not for you. But you’ll never learn if you don’t at least try. You must learn through action.
So go and test. Test, and test again.
Too often, we get caught up in the finished product before we even begin. We think about what it is going to look like, how it will be received, what people will say. We create an idea of “perfect” and scare ourselves away from starting.
Along the way, we were taught to color inside of the lines and cut straight across the dotted pattern. Imperfections and mistakes don’t add value. Uniqueness is risky, and we want to make sure our efforts are worth our time.
It doesn’t matter what it looks like when you start. In fact, intentionally screw something up. Start with the crudest iteration you can think of.
Something is better than nothing, especially when you’ve gotten in your own way.
I don’t have time.
I don’t have the resources.
He’s just lucky.
Next quarter will be lighter.
After this meeting.
I need the right partner.
The market isn’t right.
I’m not finished.
She manipulated the situation.
It could be better.
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We paralyze ourselves. With excuses. Lots of them. But mostly, it’s fear.
Whether it’s finishing a project or starting something new, our fears manifest in all sorts of forms and reasons why we shouldn’t, can’t, are unable to.
The right moment may never happen. Stop waiting for it to come around and look to create it for yourself. Learn to deal with “good enough.”
While you’re making excuses, others are figuring out how to make it work.
Suddenly it happens. I’m not sure when or how, but you find yourself in an assigned role, doing tasks that aren’t necessarily meaningful to you. You realize you’re living a life that feels predefined. The things you do and the the people you meet “just happen.” You’re caught in a cycle of routine and predictability, and you can’t quite put your finger on what’s missing.
Somewhere along the way, we forget we have the great power to make daily decisions. Decisions that matter to us, that reflect a more authentic image of ourselves and are independent of our environment and the people around us. Decisions that create.
Our days become filled with brightness and meaning when we make choices to step towards what makes our heart sing. You don’t have to wait for a special occasion, a dinner or a curated experience. You don’t need an assignment to make it happen. You don’t need someone else’s permission.
Find one decision you can make to get you closer to where you want your life to be. Commit to follow the direction of your passions, to present a more authentic you, to run your life — if only for today.
Permit yourself.
“Do I belong in this group?”
“Does what I have to say matter?”
“Are my ideas valuable?”
These are questions that have plagued the most brave, the most confident, the most successful among us. At some point in time, most people have had these thoughts.
The difference lies in the answer.
Successful people know how to convince themselves “YES!”
And even if they don’t believe it, they pretend anyway.