Today I want to tell you a story.
15 year old me was afraid of her own shadow - the idea of public speaking terrified her. To be honest, 25 year old me felt that way too. And then I got a job that was really cool (events coordinator in the ByWard Market - a super vibrant part of my city) that came with the unfortunate requirement of having to promote events on TV. I was shoved WAY out of my comfort zone.
Every single time I had to go on TV, I felt like I was going to puke. Or pass out. Or just look terrible because I was dripping in sweat. Or all of those at the same time. I was going to look and sound terrible and then never be able to outlive the shame of it all! I refused to ever watch any of the TV spots after I’d done them.
Magically, however, being on TV started getting easier and easier until I noticed a couple of years ago, when I went on TV for something else, I had ZERO anxiety left about going on local TV to talk about stuff.
Since then, I have continued that pattern of panic, feeling like puking, doing it anyhow, feeling a bit more empowered on the other side, and I’ve come to recognize that not only can I handle it, but I now purposely create opportunities to go through things like this on a regular basis.
Last year, I signed up to take a stand-up comedy class.
Why? I think I’m funny and wanted to see if I could make people laugh if I did it on purpose. 😊
Every class I tried to come up with a valid reason to get out of going. Every time I worked on my jokes I was sure nobody would like them. On the day of the show, I was a MESS. I was SO angry at myself for having agreed to do something that was undoubtedly going to be embarrassing. I was dripping in sweat as I waited for my turn to go on stage and I remember talking to people but have no recollection of anything I said because I was in such a swirl of anxiety.
And then I performed. And people laughed. I kept my set short (four minutes compared to my colleagues who had the lights flashed after the 7-minute mark). I got off the stage and had a huge rush of adrenaline and excitement. People asked me when I would perform again, and I said “never, I’m done, but I am so glad I did this.” I still feel that way, though I now know I could do it again with so much less fear.
The growth and expansion that comes from trying new things and being okay afterwards (even if I wasn’t good at them) has been instrumental in helping me grow my business to new levels and to normalize the feelings of discomfort that come with growth.
The next time you introduce a new product or increase your pricing and feel like throwing up or break out in a sweat - it’s not because it’s wrong, it’s because you’re travelling through the discomfort of growth. That means that seeking out discomfort like that from time to time means you’re on the right path (you also want to sit in comfortable some of the time too).
I had to push myself to rewatch the set from last year, terrified I would be embarrassed by myself. I think it’s still pretty okay so I am sharing it with you today. And I’d love for you to reply and let me know what you thought, and what you’ve done recently that scared you. I promise to read and reply to every one of you. 😊