The Key To Your Clarity

I’ve asked many of you a simple question: Have you thought about striking out on your own and starting your own business (freelance, studio, consulting, coaching, company, startup, etc.) in the future? About 98% of you say yes. So, then comes the follow-up question: Well, how come you haven’t started today?What do you think is the most common response? While there are many excuses around readiness, and enjoying the stability, prestige, and recognition of your current job, the most common reason you haven’t started: you’re waiting for clarity. Some “I don’t know’s” that are stalling you: I don’t know where to focus, I don’t know which interests to pursue first, I don’t know where or how to begin, I don’t know where my strengths lie, and I don’t know if this can make money. What are the strategies you’ve used to gain clarity? Here are some I’ve heard:JournalingMore trainingsMeditationVision boardingConversationsRetreatsNothing, just waiting!Now, these are all lovely and needed strategies, but they’re far, far too passive. Sorry. You need a little fire under your butt. A little pep in your step. A little sprinkle on your latte (too much?).The good news is there is a method to this ambiguous madness. Designers (inventors, creatives, scientists!) have been using a method for a very long time. Designers know that clarity doesn’t come from waiting, it comes from making. What if you could define a project for yourself, and break it into prototypes you can test, in order to get clarity about whether it’s the direction you want, and in order to course-correct from there? Clarity comes from taking action first. You start with action. And the most powerful action you can take is to make something, throw it at someone, and see how they react. Now, even prototyping and testing has its fair share of vulnerability involved, doesn’t it? What if people judge you? What if you are the laughing stock of the whole class as you run around naked in that nightmare which has now become real life? That’s why in order to move into this approach, we also need to strengthen our creative confidence muscle (by learning how to manage fear and resistance). It’s the combination of understanding our resistance (e.g., doing the inner work) with the actual, making and testing of our ideas (e.g., doing the outer work) that will get us results.I’m really excited to personally invite you to my second pilot of IGNITE – a 12-week program that supports female leaders in defining, testing, and ultimately sharing their creative ideas and gifts with the world while working full-time. You don’t need to quit your day job, take on a huge financial risk, or make a crazy career pivot to design your purpose. By sharing your gifts, you design your unique creative purpose and translate that into actionable steps in your career. IGNITE IS FOR...A female, creative professionalA leader such as a manager, lead, director, or executiveBetween the ages of 28 - 40 Someone who wants to make a difference and have an impactAn empathic woman who cares deeply for others and the world Someone who is willing to invest time and money into up-leveling themselvesIT’S NOT FOR...A founder or entrepreneur already engaged in your creative purposeA coachA college or graduate studentSomeone who is not working (e.g., unemployed)Someone who thinks personal growth is too “woo woo”Someone who isn’t willing to put in the work and take action to design a better life WHAT WILL WE DO?Stage 1: Lose Good Girl & Fear Mentality (CLEAR)In this stage, we clear good girl mentality, fears, and excuses and replace them with new,...