This time last year, I was staring at my to-do list, procrastinating like a pro.
I was terrified, you see. I’d received an email months previously from a well-known business woman (via her assistant), inviting me to interview for a position with her. At the time I had done what any self-respecting idiot would do: panicked and hidden the email. But more recently I had made the mistake of telling a friend about it, and she wouldn’t let it drop. She had made me promise to reply to the email to see if there was still a chance of working with this lady.
I was terrified of sending the email, of putting myself out there and risking having a well-known, successful person who does not mince her words, tell me that I wasn’t good enough to work with her… but I was also scared of going back to my friend again and telling her I’d not quite managed to send the email. We had discussed it at length and I knew I did want to work with this lady; I knew it would be an amazing opportunity to work with her, and I did feel that I was good enough… but I was scared.
In the end, I pulled on my big girl pants and sent the email. Then I got on with the important business of trying to pretend it had never happened. A little while later, I received an email with the subject line “let’s see how good you are,” inviting me to write a sample blog post for her.
Long story short, I ended up working with this lady, for a couple of her companies. At first it was terrifying, and I panicked every time I spoke to her on the phone or submitted any work. Over time, I realised that although she doesn’t mince her words, she’s not a bitch; she’s actually very nice. Then one day I emailed her asking if she minded me pitching to the businesses I had come across through working with her, and she replied that I absolutely should do that, but I should also raise my prices for new clients because I wasn’t charging enough.
Woah… so she actually thinks I’m ok at this.
A year later, S and I have just moved into a lovely house with a garden where S spends most of her time. It is safe to say that we have only been able to move because I sent that email last December. Not only because of the work I am doing with this lady, but for a couple of other reasons too. Firstly, I have learned so much from working with this lady and seeing how she gets things done. She doesn’t dream small; she doesn’t waste time and she knows how to focus. I’ve learned more from a one-hour coffee meeting with her than a whole day at a conference with “experts.” Secondly, there’s the confidence that came from being able to say to myself, this highly-respected person thinks I’m good enough, so I’m good enough which meant that I felt able to pitch to and work with more other companies than I would have normally.
The moral of this rather long and convoluted story is this: if you’re sitting on your hands, procrastinating because you’re scared to do something… put on your big girl (or boy) pants, and do it. It might just send your life in a rather marvellous direction.
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