Foundations and Comfort

My friend Elizabeth popped over last week for a quick chat. I’m building her a new website that captures her awesomeness and we needed to discuss content, specifically if she was still planning to have three sites, or if there were a way we could resolve those three into a single website.

We found ourselves in a deep discussion about our businesses, hers specifically but mine as well. For the past few years, Elizabeth has been building her business as a copywriter, but in the last year, she’s discovered there’s something bigger for her out there: helping people discover their messages and unlock their authentic voices. It almost sounds a little cliche, but in today’s world, we can often feel the pressure to show people our shiny moments and hide all the dark stuff. It’s the dark stuff that Elizabeth dives into with clients, because it’s in the darkness that we find our light. And that’s a light we need to share with others. Our messages allow us to become ignitors.

Her bigger game scares her. It’s uncomfortable and really being in it means being vulnerable in ways she never has before. My big game is the same for me. It’s the arena I need to step into. I am terrified. I know I am going to fall and pull myself up again. We enter the arena with all our heart, we put everything on the line, knowing it’s worth it, knowing that if we don’t do this we will never become who we truly can be. 

There is nothing comfortable about our big games. If we’re in them, we gave up comfort long ago. But as Elizabeth and I were discussing this, I realized that what allows me to play my big game is that I’ve created a foundation. I’ve got my gear on. I’ve got people in my corner. I have a crowd that’s cheering for me. This is what we need to fall and rise again.

We have to have the building blocks for a solid foundation:

(1) Our Why, because this will drive us and help us get back up when we’re down and exhausted

(2) Our People, because while we can do everything, we can’t do everything alone

(3) Our Home Base, because we need a place to feel safe and retreat and reevaluate

(4) Our Training Routine, because we’re always learning and growing stronger

(5) Our Daily Touch Points, because having moments that allow us to recenter and reconnect are crucial

You can’t build the whole foundation at once. It’s a brick-by-brick process, and I personally am constantly working on different points, to make them stronger. Right now, I’m all about those daily touch points, which for me include meditation and exercise.

I’d love to hear from you about what foundation piece you’re currently working on. Leave a comment below for me to read.

(Photo from Gravity Glue, a crazy talented Colorado-based artist. Talk about a guy with serious passion and skill…)