Courage to Leap
Today has been so emotional - I was asked to take a leap of faith... and I did it!
A few weeks ago I signed up to be on a business development course called Boost Flying Start Courage to LEAP programme. It's for women in Lancashire who are developing and growing their businesses.
As some of you already know, Wren Coaching & Wellbeing is my baby and it's only 1 years old!
Being new in self employment, I welcomed the opportunity to be offered a fully funded place to help me plan, focus and be supported by two amazing business women with a big heart and tons of experience. In fact, I couldn't quite believe my luck once I started the course and realised how aligned my own values and beliefs are with the people delivering the programme. For those of you who already know me, I am a life & wellbeing coach but that doesn't mean I have stopped seeking support. On the contrary, I have grown to valye myself a lot more and openly seek help and self development opportunities when I feel the need. This course was no ordinary business course that teaches you how to sell. It was a course that starts with the most important element of running your business (and for that matter - it's the same in life!) : YOU.
Today it was our team building exercise which finished with the following task:
1) Write down on a post-it where you want to be in 12 months' time.
2) Stick your post it on a big bouncy ball
3) Climb up a tall tree
4) Jump off the tree and reach for your goal
Ohhh I was sooo scared. Sure, I had a harness but I was petrified. I used all my deep breathing techniques, mindfulness, I had all the team cheering me on but I was so scared. I was filmed so I now know that the whole experience was only a couple of minutes but it felt like such a long time.
And isn't it interesting how it's all in our mind? The lovely instructor told us before we started: it's not a physical challenge, it's about conquering your mind. He was surely right.
And this happens all the time in our life, even if we do have a harness on, we get scared. On one hand we want adventure, change, excitement and, on the other hand, we want to remain safe and so we hold back. We opt for safety over a change that will liberate us and set us free or move us closer to our goal.
Fear of losing safety, fear of vulnerability, fear of what others might think, fear of getting hurt, fear of not being worthy, fear of failure, all these fears hold us back so much. We end up experiencing pain and disappointment in an attempt to protect ourselves which ends up hurting us anyway.
This time last year I took on a different challenge, it was running an endurance marathon. I did it, it was harder than I thought, I fell, I knackered my toes and I cried when I ran on the wrong trail and ended up running for an extra 5 miles, but I did it. My aim last year was to remind myself of what I am capable of and I thought that if I could run an endurance marathon, I could run a business! And then I started my first year in self employment: I had lots of highs and lots of lows and I had to push past a lot of fears and self limiting beliefs. I had lots of days where I wondered whether my business would ever take off and whether people would take their leap of faith and trust me with their problems and challenges.
I am not ashamed to admit my difficult days. I learnt that being self employed and having your own business is amazing but is also incredibly hard. And in my low days, even if in reality I was safe and with a roof over my head and all my support network around me, I was scared. I knew I had my harness on but I still found it hard to push past my doubts and concerns. But today, well, today was awesome! It was a big high - not just figuratively speaking - and I am so glad that I took my own leap of faith.
I feel ready for the next challenges and I feel incredibly grateful for having had the opportunity to be on this course, surrounded by such amazing people. Not surprisingly to me, the course is a blend of coaching and teaching and coaching never ceases to amaze me: it always shines a light just where and when you need it.
Today I set myself the goal to grow my business to full time capacity whilst being in balance in my life but what about you?
What is your leap of faith that you'd like to take? If you were to climb to the top of a tree and do the same exercise as me, what would you shout out at the top of the tree before reaching for your goal?
I'd love to know and I'd love it for you to let me walk alongside you on your journey.
Big thanks to Unique Ladies for introducing me to Wendy Bowers, thank you Wendy Bowers and Katy Mason for leading an amazing programme, thank you to the brave business ladies who were there supporting me and each other and thank you to you today for taking the time to read this.
Love, always Ren