The failure to impress
Are you impressing yourself with what you do? Are you sure?
I resisted a very simple temptation today – the temptation to just grab something from the writerly cupboard, broom over the lumpy bits, and press send.
When time is a pressure, it’s easier to let go of what you want to do. To let it get grown over by the obligation vines. But every writer, nay every creator, must take that part of themselves and exercise it occasionally. Like walking a dog to lower their boredom, I must sit here and write, touching something inside of me that doesn’t get the same exertion from client work, and unwind.
Failure and I have been talking a lot lately. But not in the way you expect.
Like most people, inflation has nibbled at my client portfolio and funding. Add in several months of uncertainty due to health, and for a while there, I was in panic mode.
But I put the idea of a failing business aside and got back to what I like to do- help.
The spiral into failure broke. So did the client drought.
The clouds parted, and something made a lot more sense:
The avoidance of failure is a failure to live the creative life you want.
As I work on a presentation on what we leave after we’re gone for the Lifting the Lid International Festival of Death and Dying, I wonder which one do you think will matter more when you die:
1. The failure to impress others?
2. The failure to impress yourself?
I know which one I’d rather choose.
Image: sandy human and dog feet at the beach with “Are you impressing yourself with what you do? Are you sure?” written over it.
Impressing yourself
Living with anxiety is like living with sandpaper bubbles in your veins. As each one travels from your head to your belly, the hairs on your arms stand up. Every little light, switch, and flag you own snaps to attention. As the sensation rolls, the switchboard in your brain creaks under the weight of the electricity. There’s an odd cold sensation as the fuel your body may have used for an entire day is flooded into your skin.
You’re plunged into a state primed to fight sabretooth tigers that’s stuck chasing invoices, deals, and emails.
I am aware, annoyed, and resigned to the absurdity.
For within this weird electricity, this shoddy wiring and sharpened-to-impale instincts is a faded memory called excitement.
I impress myself with hunting for that excitement at every opportunity. It takes my mind off things.
Excitement bubbles in:
· Continuous learning
· Advocacy
· Embracing reinvention
· Trying new experiences
· Avoiding banality
If I’m going to fear my existence, I may as well have a good time doing it.
Why impress yourself with the work you do?
Forget ‘love your work’. This is the tutorial in loving who you are at work. It’s a subtle difference, but oh so impactful.
If I love who I am at work, I find it easy to impress me.
The common elements for impressing yourself include:
a) Curiosity. What answer do you want to unfurl with your time and energy?
b) Generosity. What part of yourself do you want to give to others?
c) Connection. What makes you feel like you are part of something bigger?
d) Leadership. What kind of boss are you to you, your clients, and collaborators?
What does it look like when you zoom out?
e) Purpose. Outside money, why do you get up and do what you do?
f) Vision. What are the possibilities available to you?
g) Mission. What do you want to change with your idea?
Also, it might be a case of challenging yourself to change:
h) How does fear dictate your choices?
i) What story do you use to justify staying the same?
j) What kind of creative statement would you like to make?
Need help figuring out how to impress yourself?
Let me dig into your business and find the messaging you need via my Creative Change Sessions. It’s a six-hour deep dive with three parts of aftercare you can use to make all kinds of change in a compassionate and positive way.
Take the stress out of strategy and activate selling without the deep emotional labour with a Strategic Spark Program. It’s the forward-thinking roadmap you need to help plot a course to your version of success.
Join me for an hour to talk about your current problem via my Pain Point Clinic. It’s the massage for the muscle of your business that creates flexible thinking.
Attend impressive events
GETTING PERSPECTIVE WITH ARTIST RHIANNON HOPLEY – OCT 17TH 11am Sydney time
Find perspective with Rhiannon Hopley as she comes back down to earth after an art adventure in the Arctic on Thursday October 17th. ALL WELCOME, FREE.
https://www.facebook.com/events/511525148337068/
MONTHLY OFFICE HOURS – OCT 30TH
Need advice, marketing tips, or a sounding board? Book a 15-minute one-on-one with me this month via Patreon.
See https://www.patreon.com/freelancejungle for booking details for paid supporters
EXPLORE SELF-CARE FOR CREATIVES - OCT 31ST
Chase away the creative scaries with me as I create an interactive workshop to put your self-care practices first as part of Mental Health month for South Coast Arts. ALL WELCOME, FREE (once you register).
https://events.humanitix.com/self-care-for-creatives
DESIGNING FOR INCLUSION IN ONLINE LEARNING WITH AMY MCKERNAN – NOV 15TH 11:30am Sydney time.
Learn how to design for educational inclusion and make learning accessible for all with Amy McKernan. ALL WELCOME, FREE.
https://www.facebook.com/events/3756151811382243/
VIRTUAL CRAFTERNOON WITH HAYLEY ROLLASON – NOV 22ND
Kick back, craft, and connect with fellow freelancers in this relaxed, creative session with Hayley Rollason. ALL WELCOME, FREE.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2049244688788023/2049244695454689/
2024 DEADLINE PARTY – NOV 7TH
Sprint through that project you want to finish for 2024 in a supportive group environment and celebrate together!
Register now: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Deadline2024
WHY YOUR STORY MATTERS WITH JESSICA MUDDITT – DEC 6TH
Join author and Hembury Books founder Jessica Mudditt for an inspiring talk on why your story deserves to be told. ALL WELCOME, FREE.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1726469678167367/
Save the date- Rach from Rachel’s List and Monica from CreativePlus Business and I are talking about what it takes to take a risk on Nov 27th. More on that later!
Love and other pleasing impressions,
Rebekah