I don’t feel like writing today. There’s no particular topic that I’m inspired to elaborate on. No wisdom that’s tugging at me to share.
It’s just one of those days. A day of great risk in the business I’m building.
It’s one of those days when I think to myself, “Don’t do it then. Nobody cares.”
But I made a commitment to publish a blog post every week. Even if nobody else cares whether I honour that commitment, I do.
Why? Because to break a promise feels crappy. It starts a negative spiral that can lead to compromised self-respect and self-confidence.
Instead, I choose to show up as the person I want to be.
So I’m writing.
There are days when I definitely make a different choice. Nobody’s perfect after all.
There may be days when YOU also feel like opting out, caving away, avoiding. Maybe you genuinely need to in order to take care of yourself and your energy. As an introvert who needs plenty of alone time, I can definitely relate. And that’s ok.
But I’d like to urge you to keep your commitment to yourself. To your character. To your business. To your possibility.
Scott Dinsmore at Live Your Legend stated in a webinar that,
Your biggest risk is stopping.
It’s not uncommon that your biggest risk in the business you’re building comes from within you. After all, self-employment is one of the most powerful personal growth tools I’ve encountered. On a daily basis, we can face long-ingrained mindset challenges.
We can learn and understand all the strategies in the world. It’s up to us to implement them.
You have started on a path to creating something inspired and powerful (even if only in your imagination right now). Don’t sell yourself short (even if you get sidetracked here and there). Your success – on your own terms – matters.
Funny that commitments to yourself are often harder to let go than commitment to others. I remember when I started writing my book that all the writing coaches would say – just sit down and write – no matter what came into your head and soon you’ll be inspired. Usually it works – even if it’s writing a post about it like you did.
I enjoyed Marty’s comment. When my book sales aren’t going well or I have only a few coaching clients, I wonder why I do it. Then realize that even if I only helped 1 or 4 or 20, they might not have gotten there without me. That’s why I stick to it.
Love your Anna Quindlen quote. I pinned it to my Inspiration board.
Thanks for contributing to the conversation Diane. I love the story you share about the writing coaches. It really does work.
I think it’s part of the reason accountability partners are gaining popularity too – for those times when you are at risk of not keeping your commitments (especially when you’re starting something new). Having a backup system in place – someone who’s got your back and who will check in to ask if you’ve done what you said you were going to do – can be invaluable in helping you to stay in motion. I always feel honoured to become part of someone’s success team in this way…because I know exactly how it feels to procrastinate and second guess…AND I know how amazing it feels to do it anyways and make your way to the other side.
Wow. I love this wisdom, Marla. Your words are so powerful and I’m so happy you chose to be brave and share in spite of your own judgment. I am on the same journey as you, honoring my commitments with others, and especially honoring my commitments with myself — it seems those take greater effort to keep.
Thank you for your comment Elayna. Indeed, sometimes the most challenging and most powerful commitments are the ones we make (and follow through on) to ourselves. No fanfare. No special recognition. It’s an inside job. A quiet voice within that says, “I’m worth it”.
Great topic Marla – and good for you for keeping your commitment!
I remember several years ago when I first began traveling around the Islands conducting group coaching sessions. People here are notorious for confirming then no-showing and after a couple of meetings with only a handful of people I began questioning why I was putting myself through all the hassle of dragging my media equipment, materials and my tired little self all over the place if nobody cared enough to show up. Then one night in Waimea on the Big Island only one person showed up. At first I was going to tell her to just go home and thought to myself “This is it, never again!” Then we began chatting and I learned she’d driven nearly 3 hrs to attend the meeting. Gulp. It was definitely an “aha” moment and I decided from that point if I only had one person at a meeting, one person stop by my blog, or one person open my email – I wanted to give my ALL to that one person.
Your story really touches the heart of the matter Marquita, thank you. Yes, one person. Even if we have big dreams of how we will create positive change in the world, it starts with one person.
What I would say to those people who are just starting out and may not have that one person yet, keep going. Your one person will come. Until then, you are the one person and you matter too.
Marla, your honesty and strength of character are a tonic to me and this post is another beacon of authenticity in a field where self-promotion often equals self-inflation. Thank you for honouring your commitment to yourself and to us, your readers. One promise I make every morning, even before opening my eyes, is my mumbled mantra ‘Yes. Please. Thank you.’ The Yes is always the same short repetition but the other two change depending on the day’s challenges – ‘Yes to teaching what I know, Yes to being all that I can be, Yes to staying open.’ On tough days or when I need a boost I automatically find myself just repeating ‘yes, yes, yes’ and it always gets me through. I’ve been doing this for more years than I care to remember – it’s worn a groove in my soul!
Thank you for sharing your deep wisdom with us Susanna. Your words always feel like a warm blanket to me 🙂 Much love, respect and gratitude!