Here’s my “Courage to Sparkle“, the lesson from attending a Bonnie Raitt concert! I heard about the free general admission concert by accident (while running late for a dance class).
The wait in line was close to 2 hours before the concert started. I had brought snacks and good reading, so I’d have fun in the process. My friend joined me, and as soon as we got in, we were way in the back. Others, upfront, had waited up to 4 and 5 hours to get in.
My friend said, “These aren’t great seats, but they are the best we can get.” I didn’t even lose a second, but instead, countered, “We don’t know that, I’m going to find out for sure!”
With my perkiest attitude, I went up to people next to the vacant seats, and said, “Are these seats taken?” Most people responded in a genuinely sympathetic way, “I’m sorry they are,” because hey Bonnie’s folks are nice, after all, we weren’t at a Metallica concert!
I kept persisting until I got up to the 7th row. A lovely woman sitting next to two vacant seats responded, “Please, sit down, these two seats are available!” I squealed, did a victory dance (for real), and ushered my friend to join me up front.
When he arrived, he smiled and said, “You did good Barth-e!” his pet name for me. I smiled back and responded, “I’m unstoppable.” He smiled back, “You certainly are.”
But when I sat in my seat, I felt this strange tug of truth pulling at my psyche. I turned to him and said, “I need to be this unstoppable in my business!” To which he responded, “Aren’t you already?” “No way, not even close,” was my final self-verdict.
At first, I squirmed a bit and watched myself grow with discontent and sadness. But then I pondered on one of my favorite Lois-ISMS (lessons, opportunities, insights, and solutions) that I love.
“Often, we are our own role models, more than we give ourselves credit for.‘ -Lois-ISM.
Most of us are unstoppable in specific areas of our own lives; but not so much in others. I realized that I have it within my power already to be unstoppable! Why not review the steps it took to achieve my goal here, and then re-purpose it in my business? A giant imaginary lightbulb went off over my head. This brings me to my favorite quote by Kierkegaard:
“Life is lived forward, but understood backward.”
When I reviewed all the actions it took to be unstoppable in order to get great seats, it came down to these seven sassy and important steps:
1) Embrace your imperfections as they often lead to unforeseen gifts:
Days before, if I hadn’t been late to class and just decide to nix it, I never would’ve taken my time and strolled by Lincoln Center and thought to ask what the long lines were for. I wouldn’t have leisurely chatted with the guard only to find out that it was not only a free concert series going on, but that Bonnie Raitt, one of my favorite singers, would be performing the final concert on Sunday night.
2) Trust your excitement, it’s there to tell you something:
Work more and more to trust your energy of enthusiasm versus your head! I didn’t overthink it, but rather decided to go for it.
3) Ask for support:
Since I had asked the guard what their best guestimation was for the time I needed to get there to be in line, I allowed more time than I normally would.
4) Make a commitment to your self-care:
It’s easy to prioritize a million other things to do on Sunday before the big week ahead. The more you fill the well, the more access you have to your natural exuberance and tenacity.
5) Create ways to make the process pleasurable:
Because I had loaded my bag with fun healthy snacks and compelling articles to read, waiting in line became part of the adventure, rather than something I dreaded.
6) Look for openings:
I focused my attention on the available seats rather than all the seats that were taken.
7) Enthusiasm is Contagious:
I had such excitement that people around me were actually rooting for me. Ironically the woman next to me (who had waited in line 2 hours longer than I did), shared my enthusiasm too!
Having sat down and reviewed the steps, I started my week in a far more proactive fashion. With great enthusiasm, I applied these steps to my life and my business.
How about you? What’s your “secret sauce” for being unstoppable? What is an experience or incident in your life where you were unstoppable? Map out the steps you took, and use them in other areas of your life that are important to you!
Courage to SPARKLE! It’s a Book! It’s a Movement!