It's really easy to get home after work when you're exhausted and throw on your lululemon pants, pour yourself a glass of wine and plop down for some bachelor or Netflix. This actually sounds totally amazing right now...Like most women, I love doing this but I DO consider it a major indulgence. Why? Because it's easy.
It doesn't take any effort to get into a routine that involves PJ's, wine and tv at the end of your day. Yes, it's relaxing and incredibly important to incorporate in sometimes, but today, I want to talk about the importance of putting yourself out there and doing the not so easy thing every once in a while.
When we make ourselves uncomfortable, even if it's just a little bit, really great things happen. If we stay stagnant, and continue to do the easy thing, we can't expect major change in our lives.
Here I am speaking at my own Rebecca Minkoff event last week.
Three weeks ago a new friend of mine, Blogger and Owner of Perfect 10 SF, Caroline Curran, invited me to a networking event that she was hosting at Rebecca Minkoff in San Francisco. I had only just met Caroline and didn't know ANYONE that would be attending the event, but I decided to put myself out there and go. This was win #1 for me; just showing up.
Win #2 came when Caroline was speaking to the crowd and asked if anyone would like to share something about themselves. Without even really thinking, my hand shot in the air. I shared my passion for helping women repair their relationship with their food and body and how I was a brand new female entrepreneur in the community. It was kind of terrifying to speak on the fly in front of a group of brand new women, but I went to this event with the goal of putting myself out there so by golly I was going to!
Following my little outburst, the Rebecca Minkoff store owner came over to me to see if she could have a moment of my time. To my surprise, she went on to invite me to host a similar event in two weeks for the launch of the new RM athleisure line. Cue my mouth hitting the floor. Me, host an event like this? In two weeks? Umm....scary! But, in that moment, I thought about the new direction that I was taking my life and my business. I am in the process of launching my own health and wellness company and knew that the only way to get my name out there and serve my clients and community, was to do just that. Get out there! So, I put on my big girl shoes and jumped at the opportunity.
Some of the wonderful ladies that attended the event on Friday. Shopping and margaritas!
The whole week leading up to the event I was paranoid that nobody would show up, that I'd be a total embarrassment and that I was completely under qualified to do something like this. But you know what kept me from just canceling and running away from the whole thing? The fact that I was scared. When you are scared, and you push yourself, you always grow and great things happen. So, I stared this event straight in the face and just went for it! It ended up being the most successful event that RM location had hosted to date and I am so f***ing proud of myself.
I'm not trying to toot my own horn here; I'm just showing you the importance of scaring yourself as often as possible. I dared to speak in front of a group of women that I didn't even know and it led me to host my very first health and wellness event. YES! Growth and change happen when we put ourselves out there, try new things, and yes, get really scared. I'm not anyone super special, I have just learned that action is what really makes things happen. So that's what I do....take action!
So, start small. Try inviting a new friend over and then the two of you can sit in lululemons, drink wine and watch the bachelor :) Then, sign up for a new workout class at your gym, or finally get your shit together and ask your boss for a raise. Take action!
Good things happen when you push yourself. And even if the new experience "feels" like a failure, it's the personal growth that you get from putting yourself out there that really serves you in the long run. Then celebrate the fact that you did push yourself.
So what are you going to do to push yourself this week? Let me know and leave your comments below!