Sometimes You Have To Fling Your Pants. (On The Perils Of Weeding & Marketing):

I had already instinctively jumped a few feet away from the yellow jackets before I even registered what was happening.

I was weeding in my yard, having fun hacking my Dutch Hand-Hoe (I'm serious about weeding) into an intrusive plant.

But I'd hacked into something else.

I saw my poor dog Hugo tuck his tail and limp away from the buzzing swarm on a stung paw, and thought maybe I'd managed to escape them with my initial leap.

As I continued to run away, I felt a sting on my knee. Ouch!

I looked down, and a yellow jacket was angrily crawling along the hem of my capri pants, trying to find another spot to exact its revenge.

Swatting it would just make it angrier, but letting it find a way under my pants-leg was not an option. I quickly rolled it up into the hem of my pants to contain it, while holding the cloth away from my skin.

I didn't want to smash it against my leg and risk getting one last sting, so I walked up the steps to my front door, still leaning over and gingerly holding the little buzzing pants-bundle in place.

At this point, I realized I had a choice:

a) Run inside, pull off my pants in privacy and risk the yellow jacket escaping into my house, or

b) De-pants myself outside, for all to see.

I hesitated. No good options. But I also realized I needed to get Zyrtec for me and my dog ASAP (to prevent sting-swelling), so I had to make a decision.

If any of my neighbors were looking out their windows that day, they saw me turn around, yank my pants off, throw them dramatically across the deck, then run inside in my undies and slam the door.

Who knows what conclusions they came to about this little scene.

But I'm glad I overcame my fear of being seen, because my yellow-jacket-nemesis did escape its little pants-prison (it was gone when I went to retrieve them later). I had saved myself and poor Hugo the pain of future-stings.

Speaking of the Fear of Being Seen: this is one of the top fears that can get in the way of marketing a solo business.

Marketing yourself means putting yourself out there for all to see, and this can feel as vulnerable as stripping down to your underwear in front of your neighbors.

It's not easy, especially if you're sensitive to judgment.

But it's necessary.

The fear of being seen has to be overcome to avoid the sting of disappointment as your business stays small. (Hmm…how far can I take this analogy?)

It’s important to know that it's normal to feel this fear. You deserve credit for taking courageous action every time you put yourself out there.

And the thing is, your future-clients need you to do it, because they need you and your work.

Do you have a post you're holding off on publishing, a call you're nervous to make, or an article you're hesitating to submit?

Take a breath, do a metaphorical pants-fling, and breathe a sigh of relief once it's done.

Let me know how it goes. You've got this!