January. The beginning of the year. A fresh start.
The resolutions have been set. The vision boards have been made. Intentions have been put out into the universe.
A lot of us set a goal for ourselves around “writing more.” Maybe you want to post that very first LinkedIn article. Maybe it’s a blog you’ve been thinking about starting. Perhaps you just want to get more more active on social media. It could be that this is the year you want to journal consistently as part of your morning routine. Or, you may even have a seed of desire to write a book… perhaps this year.
Perhaps someday.
But, to get somewhere we have to start. And, in talking with my clients, this concept of not knowing where to start, a feeling of overwhelm and even a sense of “what do I have to say that hasn’t already been said?” can start creeping in before our pens ever hit the page.
In Playing Big, Tara Mohr outlines this seemingly simple — but potentially life-altering — concept called “leaping” to help us move through our doubts and questions. [Tara Mohr is also the creator of the globally acclaimed “Playing Big” leadership program and you can read more about her work here].
The concept is along the lines of “Do it scared” or “don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good” but, it has legs. It has a process. It has criteria. And Tara Mohr shows you exactly how to do it.
Tara Mohr’s leaping involves six steps:
“1. It gets you playing bigger now, according to what playing bigger means to you. 2. It can be started and finished within one to two weeks. 3. It’s simple, an action that you can describe in a short phrase. 4. It gets your adrenaline flowing. 5. It puts you in contact with those you want to reach or influence. 6. At its center, it has a learning goal — a question you can answer by doing the leap.”
[Above directly from chapter 7 of “Playing Big” by Tara Mohr. I highly recommend the book for a multitude of other wonderful gems].
It all got me wondering where I could take a leap in my brand new business.
Photo by Sammie Chaffin on UnsplashI had a goal to start a Monthly Writing Circle. I kept telling people I was going to start a Monthly Writing Circle. I kept telling myself I was going to start a Monthly Writing Circle.
I could have — and was tempted to — spend months “tinkering at the white board” coming up with the perfect marketing plan, creating a detailed agenda, setting up an entire virtual community space for people to register and become members. A lot of time, effort, resources and money could have been expended before I ever put a darn thing in front of a single person.
To be honest, it was tempting. That all felt good and comfortable because if I am over here making something, working on it and “getting it ready,” then I don’t have to actually share it or hear what anyone else has to say about it.
But, that wasn’t serving anyone. Aside from me. A little.
So, I decided to take a leap. I created a simple event registration page (before I even finished my website — still yet to be published) and asked people what THEY wanted to get out of the session to help craft the agenda.
The first session happened last week. Was it perfect? (No) Do I have things I want to do differently? (Yes) But, the point of a leap is not a leap to perfection. It is to get us playing bigger and ultimately help us answer a question or achieve a learning goal.
And that has happened for me. I have learned (1) that The Open Book Writing Circles are something that can be of value to people and (2) what I can do to make it a better experience for them next time.
So, for you… the writer, the author, the storytelling, the “I want to write but just don’t have the time/skill/ability/confidence” folks out there… What is your goal when it comes to writing and what is a leap you can make? [Side note — it is OK to NOT have a goal. More on that another day.]
Maybe you have some other more tangible hopes when it comes to your writing.
Is your goal to start a blog?
Is your goal to self-publish a book?
Is your goal to write an article on LinkedIn?
Is your goal to write more consistent social content?
If you want to take a leap, have a think on this: who is my writing — my story — FOR?
And, what’s one thing I can do to get in front of that audience in the next 1–2 weeks that gets my adrenaline going?
It’s a bit scary, in an exciting way, it gets me “playing bigger” now — whatever that means to me- and answers a core question I have.
Maybe it’s a poll
Maybe it’s writing a “shitty first draft” (shout out, Anne Lamott) and getting it in front of a few prospective readers.
Maybe it’s drafting up the talking points for an outline of a speech or a video for Instagram and doing a rough cut for someone to give you feedback.
The maybes are endless, and only YOU know what will truly be that leap for you.
I have to be honest. Once you start moving outside of your comfort zone and taking these leaps, it can lead to a bit of a domino effect.
In fact, recording and posting my very first video on social media was another leap for me. Now, I’ve “leapt” twice. Everything else just feels like a snail’s crawl. Wait. Am I addicted to leaping?
I’m on this journey with you. If you need a bit of help identifying your writing leap, some motivation or commiseration, let me know.
In the meantime…happy leaping…
- Kim
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