You guys…
This is so funny. Really.
I’m right in the middle of what I am always coaching other MessagePreneurs through.
And…I have to tell you a little about the war that’s going on inside because it’s real for me right now…
I intended to launch my new brand Upside-Down Amanda and re-launch True to Intention on LOVE DAY (last Friday).
I had the vision.
I created the plan.
I asked for help from my team.
I took the next steps.
I EXPECTED to meet my goal/deadline.
I diligently worked toward it.
And…here I am…a week after deadline, seeing that it’s not going to happen this week…again.
Part of me is REALLY frustrated, disappointed, and even embarrassed.
Part of me KNOWS what’s happening and why…
_____
It has to be in the hundreds by now…
…the amount of times I’ve heard an Upside-Down MessagePreneur (author, speaker, coach, entrepreneur, or some combination of it) say, “Amanda, I just can’t seem to do this. The work/writing is just NOT happening. What’s wrong with me? Will I ever make progress with this book/presentation/business/curriculum, or should I just quit?”
As the Coach, it’s easy for me to listen, ask a few more clarifying questions about how they have been spending their time, and immediately see what’s happening…
“So…what I’m hearing is that Progress, for you, looks like actually writing, publishing, and launching. And I totally get that. And…what I’m seeing, after all that you’ve shared, is that you ARE working on this and making progress, just NOT IN THE WAY you imagined…”
There’s always silence as they open themselves to the possibility that this is true…
“It sounds to me like you are doing A LOT of work on your message right now – the hardest work: You’re dealing head-on with the areas in your life where you need to more deeply integrate with your own message in your (relationships, finances, spirituality, health, etc.). You said, ‘I stand for this,’ and now your whole being is catching up and integrating to lay the solid foundation for the progress you’re seeking.”
“Mmmmmmm….” They say as truth and love land on their heart.
“Just because you’re not making progress in the way you imagined you would does not mean that you are not making progress at all. From where I am sitting, you are now living in more congruence with your message than when you started by NOT having forced yourself to sit down and ‘produce progress,’ but addressing these areas of your life that were calling for your attention, awareness, and integration with your message and who you really are…”
Silence again, as it sinks in.
The truth is that almost every MessagePreneur I’ve worked through this conversation with:
- had this conversation with me more than once
- stayed committed to ‘the real work’ of ‘becoming a living, breathing model of their message,’ and
- ended up writing their books/curriculum/etc. in less than 3 months BECAUSE they gave themselves the time and the LOVE required to do ‘the real work’
And so, I know, especially as I sit in sacred retreat space with one of my clients and soul sisters this week, that this launch hasn’t happened because I’m still in the ‘cocoon’ phase…and it’s DOWNRIGHT DANGEROUS to try to bust myself out of the cocoon before the whole transformation has completed.
I need to stay here.
I need to be right where I am in the process.
I need to extend myself LOVE INSTEAD OF JUDGMENT and SHAME.
I need to trust that it will happen in perfect time.
I need to let this transformation complete.
One of my favorite mantras that I found last year was: “She knew the answers would come with time and love,” and I’ve adjusted that a bit for moments like these…
“She knew that it would happen with time and love.”
So…
Next week…probably. 🙂
And today, I give myself Time and Love.