How's your September buzz?
/How are you balancing your September buzz so far? I was buzz-buzz-buzzing along until yesterday afternoon.
I've been holding off [avoiding] opening my calendar to decide on the launch of a brand-new coaching program I've been developing for a few months now. It was easier [safer, less vulnerable] to think about the colors of the logo then deciding really-really-really When is this going to happen??
Thanks to the helpful forcing mechanism of paying someone [$], I had to decide yesterday.
I couldn't put it off anymore, because the same lovely designers creating my logo...webpage, worksheets...need to know by what date I need them. I kept not having an answer, because I kept not wanting to figure it out. In the meantime, I found one hundred other things with which to keep myself busy. [Facebook, anyone? Buzz buzz buzz.]
Slightly annoyed that they were making me ["making me"] do this thing I didn't want to do in order to give me the things I hired them for, I took out my notes from July -- the last time I really-really thought about this program -- and opened my calendar.
I drew a big blue box around my ideal launch date [End of October - sneak peek coming next week!], and plotted backwards from there. As the dates for every email I will send and the [Live!] call I will host inched closer and closer to today, I could feel my chest tightening.
I'm pretty sure at some point I held my breath, because that's what I do when overwhelm sets in.
Breath held, eyes bulging, I kept at it until I was finished, and the answer was sent to my designers. I may have included the words, "aggressive timeline." [or, cuckoo bananas]
As I hit send, I finally allowed myself to gasp: "How will I get this all done?"
The exact sign I warned about, when the Helpful surge of September energy turns Hurtful. Recognizing it, I took the same steps I advised you to take.
I had just written down everything I planned to do and all of the dates when I planned to do them by [go me], and sent the only necessary email so that the designers could determine if the timeline was even possible.
After that, I shut down my computer.
Oh actually I did something else important right before that.
I asked for support.
I told a couple supportive friends and colleagues about my ambitious goal. I welcomed their positive vibes, prayers [and fairy godmothers], and then I walked away from my desk.
[I may have also eaten chocolate chips while standing in front of the open freezer door.]
I knew that I didn't have the mental capacity to do anything else right then. In the morning, I would be able to see it all with fresh eyes, and I could choose one [one] action to focus on at a time.
First up was publishing this post, and checking in on your September buzz.
Tell me what's working for you, how much you have accomplished, and how things are falling perfectly into place.
Tell me any snags you're hitting, if you're holding your breath too, and what is keeping you balanced.
Finally, tell me what you're looking forward to, when it's going to happen, and what you need help with in order to get there.
[Proud of you.]
Here's what I received from a friend last night. Maybe it'll help with whatever is on your plate.
And remember that I now offer free pep talks on Fridays. Please schedule one!
I believe in you. Know that.