Written as a part of our ongoing Zoom classroom lessons.
I haven’t worn a bra in six weeks. I’m not kidding you. I rotate from pajama pants to comfy jeans to sweat pants. I think one day I put on shorts and noticed my leg hair was so long I had a blonde halo surrounding my chicken legs that made them look heavenly. But, it’s because I don’t have a boyfriend so no one needs to see the legs.
What have you given up?
Every single person I talk to has been forced to weed out all the stuff they’ve done for such a long time that felt so urgent and important that the world might collapse if they didn’t do it. Like spin class. Or client meetings. Or dating. Or karate class for the kids.
- Pandemic gives us a new context.
- Social Distancing has made us sit with ourselves, our family and our thoughts and get to know them better.
I recently relinquished my two boys to their father Monday through Friday so that he could do home schooling and I could launch a new website, write a book and create weekly Zoom classes for creative people.
What the fuck am I thinking?!
Here are some of the thoughts running through my own mind at this time:
- Who wants to read about your life experience?
- Are the topics you’re passionate about really relevant to others?
- Who is gonna listen?
- What if they don’t like me?
But, I am powering through these fears to accomplish nothing more than proving myself wrong. See, the brain is a very strange and complex place. It has a way of silently convincing you of things. You start to look around you to find evidence to support your ludicrous thoughts of doubt, fear and pain. And evidence is everywhere. The news supports your fears, your estranged family members reappearing reinforces your paranoia about being loved, your job feels meaningless in the scheme of things because it’s keeping you from quality time with your kids or walks in the park or absorbing some sunshine which would feel a lot better than checking emails.
Did you know only 10% of people are creating and innovating right now?
When I heard that from a coach named Denise, I nearly stopped breathing. Am I actually belonging to a minority of humans who’s not waking up with fight or flight syndrome? Is the population of us who dreams and dares to achieve big things really that small? Well, I want to share something with you. I think you’re here because you’re a part of that minority too. You’ve got the same itch as me. To make the most of this quarantine. To defy the “New Normal” by making some big changes to the way you and your family live their lives. You want more.
So, if you’re here. Welcome. This is our little secret. We get to share our visions of that better future together and come out of our cocoons a butterfly. No one will recognize you once the pandemic is over because you’re about to start the caterpillar’s quest to metamorphosis. Rest up, little bugs because we’ve got hard work to do. Starting today.
Much Love,
Erin