Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.
I am a slow learner and a late bloomer. Whether it was my first kiss at 17, cleaning up my living habits by 28, applying myself properly at school at 36, figuring out what I wanted to do with my life at 40 and having the courage/kick in the ass to do something about it at 42.
When I started the agency, it was as simple as wanting to be my own boss, seeing if I had what it took to be at the helm of my own business and putting my vision to the test.
To get it off the ground however, I said yes to all sorts of jobs and all sorts of clients…
But it was becoming clear to me that in my dreamer mind of still wanting to make the world a better place, I really enjoy working with charities and not-for-profits that are filling in societal gaps that governments and corporations aren’t. I love giving them the helping hand to magnify their impact whether that be helping them with their strategy or their marketing.
But I start to doubt myself at times on my ability to help these organizations. This quote from Tim Ferriss summarizes perfectly my feelings:
I tell myself “who am I?” to be doing this work. Or “why should people listen to me? There are so many experts out there...” Why not me? Do the homework. Put in the time. Build the credibility and put yourself out into the world.
Tim Ferriss
As clearly as I knew Jody was the person for me to marry within weeks of dating (still going strong 18 years later, thank you very much 👊), it is clear to me that this is the space I want to contribute to.
It is also clear to me that there are established players with much more experience and expertise already operating in the sector.
Rather than giving up and being intimidated by what I don’t know, I am going to break down our foray into the sector piece by piece. Starting with getting up to speed on major issues in the sector, conducting a more in-depth competitive analysis, gain a clearer understanding of the service offering already in the market, find strategic partners, and then hit the ground running…well maybe jogging, but you get my drift.
The point is, we all have major pivot points in our jobs, organizations, relationships, health, etc that seem nearly impossible to achieve. The effort to get there seems insurmountable. As the old cliché goes, it’s the start that stops most people.
However, if we can break down the steps to get to whatever destination we set for ourselves, we are present and patient with the journey, and are disciplined and committed to getting there, the realm of what is possible changes dramatically.
Not to mention that we may just grow a little confidence in what we are capable of and feel proud of being true to our mission, our relationships and most importantly, ourselves.
The journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.
– Lao Tzu
