I have been asking myself this for almost 2 years.
To be honest: I’m afraid to step out of my comfort zone professionally because I’m out of my comfort zone in every other area of my life. Motherhood has pushed and challenged me in every way – something that I am so thankful for yet find myself exhausted from at the end of most days. So, I seek comfort. I’ve become comfortable in the “in-between”, the “figuring it out”, the “one day I’ll do __(blank)__”. I’m constantly dreaming and looking at where I want to be that I’ve stalled in actually pursuing that goal. And I’ve boiled it down to these reasons:
What will everyone think?
Starting anything brings jitters and nerves or butterflies. Now add in about 10,000 people watching that start and those butterflies multiply – at least that’s how I feel every time I press “post” on social media. I love the following I have online and the social media relationships I’ve made through my career in sports, but it intimidates me when I want to share something new. I’m afraid of how people will react, what they’ll say privately, what they’ll comment. Silly, right? Totally agree but I can’t shake it. I gained that following while working in a fast-paced, exciting, quote unquote “dream job” and now I’m in a different season of life. The beautiful part is those 10,000 or so followers have stuck around! If you’re reading this, you’re more than likely one of them and I am so thankful for you! You’ve watched so much life change. So, why should I be scared to share what’s next? Great question. And I think that leads me to reason number 2.
What if this isn’t it?
I’m also a little scared to start something, really get going and then realize it’s not what I thought it would be. There’s comfort in the “dream” because it can be anything I want it to be without any of the stuff I may not love. I learned this with my media consulting concept. I loved connecting with student-athletes, but I didn’t love how it took me away from my family. I did a few virtual consultations to try to combat that, but once the call would end, I felt… underwhelmed. I wanted more connection and more conversation. It just didn’t live up to what I was really searching for. But then that sent me back to square one and back to asking the question that I’ve found so much comfort in:
What is next?
I’m not sure how to categorize what is next. I’m not making anything, I’m not producing a product, I’m just sharing and helping and serving. I love when I open a DM that’s asking for help with a resume, or a link to a shirt, or even just a recommendation for dinner reservations in a city I’ve lived in. I love connecting over a shared experience. I love when this big community of 10,000 starts to feel a lot smaller because we all find things we have in common.
So, I’m going to stop just dreaming and I’m going to start. I’m going to try new things and share them with you because we’ve come this far and I know we can take each other even further. The number one thing I tell college students who reach out for advice is to tell everyone they possibly can what they want to do because people love watching others reach their goals and love even more when they can play a part in their success. So, I’m taking my own advice and I’m going to share the things I’d love to do. The list is big! Scary big. Like, I want to write a book one day big. But here we go.
1. Build an online business
2. Mentor college students and/or new professionals
3. Connect with an online audience over 100,000
4. Host a podcast
5. Publish a book
6. Hire a bada** team
7. Launch fun merch
8. Host a live event
9. Be a Keynote speaker
10. Invest in women owned businesses
There it is. Sound crazy big? Totally agree. But this list excites me! Just writing this gives me energy. It puts my exhaustion to the side and ignites a passion that I’ve been missing. Thank you for reading, thank you for supporting – now, let’s begin.