With the mic in one hand, he glanced down at the sweaty post-it cupped in the other to begin setting up his next joke. The audience was eager, ready to release pent-up stress with some laughs.
He was pretty new to this stand-up thing - a way to stretch his artistic muscles and see if what he had to say could move people. Getting a laugh was the marker that made all the doubts and hard work worth it.
But there's something he told me a few days after the gig that I’m still thinking about days later: he almost steamrolled right through the very thing he was wanting.
He found himself pacing a bit more than usual that night. And as he was finishing up one joke, his mind immediately went searching for the next one. His eyes stole a peek to his palm. That sweaty post-it note tucked in his hand was so damp he could hardly read his set list. It took him an extra second to figure out what was next. But in that extra second, he heard it. Laughing.
He looked up with a smile. The audience was actually laughing! His joke landed.
And to think… he almost missed it all.
Last week I welcomed a new client. It’s such an exciting time and I’m so eager to get started. As the call started, I welcomed them, smiling from ear to ear. And launched right into my onboarding points. I was giddy, amped, chatty.
Chatty.
That’s my tell as they say in poker. Being chatty usually means I’ve got some nervous energy happening.
I thought of the sweaty post-it note. I stopped talking. I took a deep breath and smiled at the new client. She smiled back and her shoulders eased, then began to tell me her story.
And to think I almost missed it.
Your work is ready.
Are you ready to trust it?
Truly,
Jackie
Quiet Signal
What's trying to land in your work right now that might be in danger of being steamrolled? Where could you trust your work more?
Signal Boosts
Want to explore more? Check out these resources:
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield is one of my favorite books about dealing with what most of us might call writer's block. Pressfield is masterful at calling out our internal resistance and giving the reader a good kick in the seat of the pants. Here's my LinkedIn
video overview of the book.
Sarah Kay's
TedTalk on how she found her voice through spoken word poetry. She starts her talk with a poem that in itself is worth those three minutes and her talk after dives into dealing with the challenges and opportunities of expressing yourself through your work.
We're covering The Gap and The Gain at the next No Reading Required book chat August 18th. This paradigm reminds us to see our work - our progess - with a fresh perspective. Reply for details.
What's On My Radar
Welcome to August! I'm thinking about our youngest nieces and nephews starting new school years, one in high school and two starting college. And I'll be starting a new year as well - it's my birthday month!
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Hi there! I'm Jackie.
I help thoughtful people show up fully without having to become someone they’re not.
LinkedIn Website
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Thank you for reading!
PS: If this, or any of my work, has made an impact, please consider supporting it by:
- forwarding this to those wondering how to trust their work
- replying with a note (I really do read and respond!)
- bringing me in (virtually or IRL) to speak to your group
- connecting on LinkedIn
