I had a chat with my dentist today about creativity.
He was curious about my book, The Creative Heroine’s Path. Because his dental hygienist was unavailable, he cleaned my teeth, which gave us more time to talk. (Or, in my case, mumble.)
It turns out he is a talented musician, songwriter, and singer. Who knew? But then, so many creatives are hiding in plain sight. When I tell people that I mentor creatives, something comes alive in them, and they tell me their stories.
I mentioned that I’ll be giving an encore book talk at Barnes and Noble next weekend, and he asked how I went about getting scheduled there.
“Did you go in to the store and talk the manager?”
“I just called them up.”
He expressed amazement that I could call them like that, as though I have a huge amount of confidence.
I shook my head. “Do it scared,” I lisped.
“Oh, that’s right,” he said. “If you wait until you have perfect confidence, it will never happen.”
Bingo.
We tell ourselves stories about other people who are doing what scares us. That they are special or anointed or supremely confident and strong. Maybe some of them are, but I doubt it. Most of us are doing it scared, at least at first.
Think of something you do well now, that you have mastered. Was it easy from the start? Were you filled with confidence while you were learning how to do it? Were there times you felt quite vulnerable, even scared?
But despite all that—you did it.
What do you want to create next in your life? Will it stretch you beyond your current limits? How do you need to grow? Who do you need to become?
If it scares you a little, or a lot, do it anyway. To create the life you want, you must stand up to your fears. Over and over.
You can do it. Take imperfect action.
Do it scared. No one will know, but you.