Running Naked Down The Street... (Don't Ignore This Phase Of Your Business):
"We're streaking!"
“Who's streaking?”
“There's more coming! We're gonna streak across the quad! Everybody's doing it!" [looks around…]
“Get in the car, Frank. NOW.”
I'm not a huge fan of the movie Old School, but I do love the clueless exuberance of “Frank the Tank,” who's wife finds him running naked & alone down the street after his plan to lead a crowd of streakers fails to catch on.
Why am I referencing this 2003 bro-movie? Well…
How many of us have started the New Year with big goals & resolutions, with the inspired fervor of a naked Frank the Tank, only to find ourselves already losing steam by February?
(Approximately 60% of us, according to research).
Oof.
So how do you keep from losing traction, finding yourself metaphorically jogging down the street with no clothes on, your vision of triumph quickly fading?
You do so by acknowledging & preparing for the next phase of leveling up:
The “Messy Middle.”
I've written about this stage before; movie-montages were invented to gloss over this less-glamorous, more-tedious part of inspiring stories.
It's the reason I scheduled my 9-month Mastermind's Retreat at the half-way point. I knew they'd be hitting the messy middle, needing some deep encouragement and re-alignment with their intentions. (It was a great retreat! Such amazing, dynamic solopreneurs).
And here's the thing:
The messy-middle between setting the goal and achieving success isn't just hard, or at times boring—
It’s vulnerable.
It's when we start to bump up against our fear and resistance, our old negative stories, and our old entrenched patterns.
It's the time when many people get shiny-object syndrome and:
Start an “Affair Business," or
Look for easy-fixes (like “5 steps to make millions while you sleep”programs), or worse,
Decide that “I'm just not cut out for this" and give up on their dream.
So before you yell “squirrel!” and give up, think about this:
Brené Brown described learning that Pixar (Toy Story, Inside Out, Coco, etc.), includes in their story-formula that in every one of their films, the protagonist tries every comfortable or easy way to solve their challenge first.
It’s not until the protagonist hits their lowest of low points that they realize that they can't solve the problem without vulnerability.
This is when they find their courage, get support, and start the real path toward winning the day.
She says: “The middle is messy, but it's where all the magic happens, all the tension that creates goodness and learning.”
We can't make this fearful/tedious/un-glamorous stage of solopreneurship go away.
But embracing it as part of the process, and leaning into the vulnerability, means you're more likely to achieve your vision-- and have a lot more grace for yourself in the process.
Don't give up.
Get support.
Make mistakes.
Just keep swimming.
You've got this,
-Jane