The Best Time to Play Full Out

“Come to the edge.
We might fall.
Come to the edge.
It’s too high!
Come to the edge!
And they came,
and we pushed,
and they flew.”
– Christopher Logue, poet

In Issue #166

The Best Time to Play Full Out
by Krista Jones

With all the “bad” economic news lately, it’s very refreshing to hear from people who are still willing to play full out.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of talking to three people who have taken significant steps toward their goal of becoming a professional copywriter. One resigned her job outright. One reduced her hours so she’ll have more time to pursue her new career. And the other simply stopped being afraid and opened herself to the possibility of enjoying a long life as a freelancer.

To all three I say, “WOOHOO!”

The decision to go for it wasn’t easy for any of them. Each struggled for months before realizing it was their time to make a move. And now that the decision has been made, opportunities are flowing to them with seemingly effortless ease.

The same thing happened to me when I finally quit my environmental job. For more than a year, I beat myself up about continuing to do work that I wasn’t happy with. But as soon as I quit the job and released all that negativity, good things came my way.

And now, I once again find myself in a position where I need to step off an edge. Although late last year I managed to let go of several clients that aren’t a good fit, I still have one more to go.

As much as I hate to admit it, the economy is a big part of why I haven’t cut the cord. My logical side says it’s a really bad time to let go of a business-to-business client that regularly pays me $3,500 – $4,000 each month. That’s more than enough to pay my mortgage so my left brain says to hold off until the economy turns around.

But my emotional side says to let the client go because I’m keeping someone who is better-suited for the work from receiving it.

From a spiritual perspective, I know the Universe abhors a vacuum and that as soon as I make space, something will come to fill the void. Which is, of course exactly, what happened when I let go of my environmental job six years ago. It’s also what’s happening for the three friends I mentioned at the beginning of this essay.

Of course, it’s not just the four of us who have experienced the magic of something new and wonderful showing up just when we needed it most. I’ll bet you’ve also had times in your life where you stepped off the edge and discovered you could fly too.

As I work my way through my current situation, I’m grateful that I’ve learned one lesson…

This time while I summon the courage to walk to the edge, I’m not beating myself up about being where I am right now. That, in and of itself, makes the situation more tolerable.

I hope you’ll join me in taking a break from talking or thinking about all the things you haven’t done or should do. Instead focus on the things you have done. The things you’ve accomplished. The things that surprised you and made you feel good. Celebrate those times, and trust that you’ll know when it’s your time to step off.

Resource Referral: Turning a Challenge Into an Opportunity

If you missed Monica’s message last Friday, it’s bears repeating because so many of us are caught up in the fear surrounding the recession.

Although I don’t let thoughts of the recession keep me up at night, it is obviously affecting me on some level. If you’re concerned about the effects the bad economy will have on your business, get a copy of Bob Bly’s special report called Recession-Proof Business Strategies.

Although Bob acknowledges that an economic slowdown can be a problem for your business, he doesn’t dwell on it. Instead, Bob shows you how to look at it as an opportunity to gain new clients and boost your sales.

Discover how you can master the marketing and sales methods that work best in recessionary times…so you can read the headlines all over today’s news and not spend any energy or time worrying about it for a change. Click here to find out more.

Quick Life Tip: Calling All Accomplishments

If you had a hard time coming up with accomplishments to focus on when you read today’s essay, try the exercise I did as part of my 56-day journey late last year:

Get quiet for a few minutes and try to recall the very best results you’ve ever experienced in your life. It doesn’t matter what kind of results they are—they could have come an old school project, sporting event, work project, or anything else that mattered to you. List the projects or events as they come up for you. Don’t stop until you’ve come up with hree to five examples of times where you really shined.

When you’re finished, pick one of the examples and write about it in detail. Remember how you felt when you accomplished it.

Then find a way to sketch or graphically chart your positive result and use it as a reminder of how you’ve achieved incredible results in the past.

I use my chart as a symbol to help me summon an “I can” attitude whenever I need a boost. It works every time.