I love taking classes and trying new things but for many reasons I often show up kicking and screaming, terrified about future moments of imperfection or failure. It’s a huge drain of energy, especially considering it’s usually something I really want to do! I’m breaking through major limitations around Perfectionism. I really have to work at releasing the asinine thought process that says I should somehow be flawless at every new thing I attempt. My sensitive spirit sometimes drowns out my initial swell of excitement with a fear of appearing unknowledgeable or incapable.

It takes practice and repetition to develop the humility and vulnerability necessary to grow so the more you jump outside your comfort zone, the more familiar and graceful with the process you will become!

Here’s a few more tips & reasons why getting curious about your ability to grow can serve you on your journey ahead:

When you take on a challenge you build up a muscle memory that makes future challenges seem a lot less daunting and possibly even exciting! Develop a curious thirst for personal development, create space for patience in your incremental growth (knowing that growth is never a Forward Only journey!). Try honing your inner warrior by slaying smaller, manageable tasks throughout the day.
You might just treat yourself a little better when you feel like you “deserve” it. When you clear one of life's hurdles, let the “I earned this!” spirit guide you right into a healing massage, a rich dinner or some form of motivation/reward. Rising in to position as your #1 cheerleader is KEY to your stamina, give yourself credit and encouragement as you move along.
When you raise the bar for yourself, it raises the bar for the village around you. Sometimes the best way to support your loved ones is by giving them inspiration, walking the walk and not just talking the talk. If you want things to change, show ‘em how it’s done! Be prepared and make space for things to fade away AND arrive in your life pretty rapidly.
A lot of us have an inner a**hole that can make us feel ashamed and inadequate about not meeting our personal image of perfection. I’m finding out that doing something that excites me as much as it scares me can really shutdown the negative, demeaning thought patterns that circulate in the mind. Just jump in! If it excites you, stop questioning it and move forward. Prove those voices wrong with action! Pretty soon you’ll look around and realize you’re living your dreams:)

Here’s to regularly renewing our version of who we are and what we are capable of. If you decide to take on a journey that throws a vibe of fear in your way, first of all, CONGRATULATIONS you brave soul and second, you might as well have loosen up and enjoy it as much as you can because it WILL start off awkward and you WILL be unsure. That’s the very essence of “getting outside of your comfort zone”. RELEASE the crushing weight of an unattainable perfection. Making a big leap IS the winning, enjoy the flight!!!

Story Behind The Picture/Video:

I’ve been wanting to cross country ski FOREVER. Our awesome friends Heather and Tom (Check out the T-Pot Experience https://www.thetpotexperience.com) invited us to do just that on a snowy weekend in Leavenworth where they live. I immediately began to freak out that I wouldn’t be able to keep up, that I’d make a fool of myself, that I’d ruin the trip because I wasn’t good enough, fast enough or in shape enough. I tried a few ways to get out of it and subconsciously sabotage the trip even.

It made NO SENSE!!

Again, I’ve been wanting to try cross country skiing for so long. I just have a really hard time with others seeing me in the struggle, even though my work is to support people through their struggles!

The best thing I did was express my fears out loud. Hot Tip: Air out your fears to folks you trust, sometimes admitting you're afraid is all you need to move forward! After I released the emotional valve instead of stuffing it down I decided I might as well get familiar with the task ahead, look at it instead of avoiding it and feeling it grow into a monster.

I stretched all week and went on walks and then I watched a bunch of skiing instructional YouTubes before the trip. Of course in the YouTubes I’m watching world class skiers stride along perfectly. I could feel my toxic perfectionist tendencies attempt to whip up my fears around not meeting some imaginary mark of greatness.

It took about 3 seconds of wobbling around on nordic skies and a pretty epic fall about 4 minutes in to accept that there was no way around the learning process. I kicked my attitude into one of humor and thanked my lucky stars that we were joined by an amazing 5 year old named Koa who was learning too. I wanted to use a more supportive narrative for both our sake. I treated myself like I would a child. I was patient, enthusiastic and encouraging. WOW what a concept haha.

We had an incredible time skiing, falling, gliding and enjoying the snowy mountains and pines. By completing this gauntlet I really did become a new person. I noticed my confidence reemerging immediately after we unhooked our skies. Not because I discovered I was a skiing prodigy (I so am not) but because I jumped in, was brave and tried my best.

It is so healing to work through fears and accept your own personal growth process. You have everything you need to get what you want, it just takes proving it to yourself. Let yourself be a curious, vulnerable and excited student and beginner!!