A month of being uncomfortable

Who's with me?

Hi Friend,

Feel like being my guinea pig, but in a non-obtrusive way? Photo by Dan Barrett on Unsplash

Recently, two seemingly unrelated circumstances have collided in my brain to create the inkling of an idea. And that inkling turned into a full-blown idea, which has now turned into something I’ve decided to do. Like late one night when you get an idea to plan your ideal trip to Europe and before you know it the tickets are booked and you’re looking for someone to watch your dog. (Although in my case, the idea involves less international travel. Or, more specifically, no international travel.)

The first thing that happened is that I reviewed my last year and the posts, articles, and thoughts that seemed to get the most traction, here and on social media. The highest above them all was content about being uncomfortable.

I get it. We all have things that make us uncomfortable. (Yes, even after years in the industry, there are still things I have to do that cause me to want to curl up in the fetal position and gorge on cupcakes. Well, cupcake frosting.) We all have things we should push ourselves to take on but don’t, because they feel too icky, like watching a movie with your parents when a love scene comes on.

But in this case, we can’t just fast forward our way through it, or cover our eyes and pray it ends quickly. Because by ignoring it, we probably won’t grow our business.

The unfortunate secret to business success is that you will likely have to do things that make your palms sweat, your stomach lurch, and your sweat glands go into overdrive. Not illegal things, of course. Just things that, if you’re a people pleaser, suffer from imposter syndrome, or have convinced yourself that marketing is for attention seekers, feel gross. Or open you up to rejection, which makes you feel both gross and ashamed.

The second thing is that I’ve now taken part in two co-working sessions and have found them to be incredibly productive. “I can’t believe how much I’ve got done, there’s a good chance I’m actually a superhero” productive.

So, my idea:

A weekly co-working Zoom session in February where we commit to taking on the tasks that make us uncomfortable.

Why a co-working session?

I’ve found that I feel more accountable for getting the work done when I announce at the start of the session what I’m planning on working on. I think this will be doubly effective because it’s nice to know that other people are also doing things that make them uncomfortable at the same time. It’s easy to sit in our gross discomfort if we know someone else is about to make themselves uncomfortable, too. It’s even better if we can commiserate about it.

How it will work:

The session will be 60 minutes of work broken up by a short break, so in all, it will take about 80 minutes. We’ll start with a five-minute intro (don’t worry, no one has to be on camera or speak if they don’t want to). Then 30 minutes of work, followed by a 10-minute break. Then another 30 minutes of work, followed by a five-minute wrap-up.

Work on what you need to, but if there are things you’ve been putting off because you don’t love doing them, this is your chance to tackle them. The work is done with our cameras and mics off, so we can all focus. During the break, I’ll be around to chat if you want, or you can grab a drink, stretch your legs, or do whatever else you need.

What I love about co-working is it feels a little like being in an office, in that you can work for a bit, then chat for a bit, then get back to work. I will have a timer running for everyone to see, so I will keep us to our schedule.

If you want to join the co-working sessions but truly have nothing to do that makes you uncomfortable, that’s okay. Join us and work on your own thing. And maybe share how you got so freaking comfortable with everything.

The coworking sessions will take place each Wednesday in February, starting at 9:30 am Pacific Time. The first will be on Wednesday, February 7. If you’re interested, either like or comment on this post and I’ll forward you the Zoom link before the event.

Please note: this is only for subscribers (free and paid subscribers). So don’t share the link with others. You can share this post with others so they know to subscribe if they want to join.

A final note (and a confession)

One of the things I’ve been uncomfortable doing is creating any sort of online event because I’m not positive I can figure out how to do it. Or if anyone would want it. Just the act of offering this is me pushing myself out of my comfort zone. So if you want to join but feel like it would be out of your comfort zone, maybe push yourself to join and see what happens.

Here’s to your ongoing freelance success,

Heidi