A quick note before today’s post: THANK YOU for your kind, amazing response when I asked for help last week! I’m so grateful for you! (If you missed what I shared you can read it here.) Also, you only have until noon CT today to apply for my new book launch team and get all kinds of perks! (Already applied? You’re all set! Everyone who filled out the requested information in the form will receive an email from me later this week.) And now for today’s post…
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You’re doing better than it feels right now.
That’s a phrase I’ve been repeating to myself during this season, and I thought you might need it today too. Because the secret I’m learning is that when we feel like we’re doing the worst, we’re actually likely to be growing the most.
Here’s why: When we stay in our comfort zones, we feel confident, certain, competent, and calm. When we’re in a challenge zone we often feel the opposite—uncertain, insecure, tired, or like we might be doing a bad job. But challenge zones are where growth happens.
(Can’t see the chart I made for you? Try this link.)
I’m in a challenge zone because I’m launching a new book, The Powerful Purpose of Introverts. I’m SO excited about sharing this message but putting it out there means moments of fear. I have to grit my teeth and choose vulnerability over and over. I make mistakes every day.
Maybe you’re in a challenge zone because you’re experiencing a job transition, making decisions about school for your kids, pursuing a dream, raising a toddler, learning a new skill, caregiving, falling in love, navigating changes (good or bad) you never saw coming.
If so, then you need to know that feeling like you’re failing is actually a sign that you’re growing. Any worthwhile endeavor in our lives requires the humility to feel like a beginner. The only way to move forward is to, temporarily, feel like we’re going backward.
In those moments, our inner critic will try to make us retreat to our comfort zone. And if we do, we’ll instantly feel better. Don’t fall for that trap. Stay in the discomfort. Push through the doubts. You are strong. You are brave. You are loved. You are doing this thing.
If we persevere long enough then we make it to the next level in our lives. What was hard and scary becomes our new normal. We’ve repeated this process since we were babies pulling up to stand for the first time. It may feel like you’ve never done something like this before, but you have been climbing all your life. Don’t stop now.
You are doing hard things today, the best you know how, and that is enough. You are doing so much better than it feels right now.
Cheering You On,
Holley
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* Did you get to listen to the More than Small Talk podcast “over” series? We did episodes on being overwhelmed, overstimulated, overprotective, and just over it! If you need some encouragement plus practical insights and steps, this is for you!
* I released a new mini-course, 7 Ways to Thrive as an Introvert, and hundreds of people have already gone through it! I’ve gotten so many comments saying it’s giving introverts a whole new level of understanding and confidence. For a limited time only, you can get the course free for yourself or as a gift to someone else ($49 value) when you preorder (any version, from any retailer) The Powerful Purpose of Introverts and then fill out the form to claim your bonuses!
