Based on personal experience and observation, I want to discuss risk-taking and transitions and the ability to recognize that this process is part of being creative and uncomfortable.
This isn’t just for artists, it is for the creative youth worker, entrepreneur and/or leader. What we do with and for youth each day requires creativity and innovative thinking: we are card-carrying problem solvers!
I want to discuss reinventing yourself. Sometimes this process is otherwise known as F E A R.
I want to talk about taking a leap off a cliff — where you feel like you’re over the edge, hanging by a thread of a rope, and there’s no one out there but you to figure out how you’re going to pull yourself up. You have to decide if you’re going to either fall into the deepest abyss or pull yourself up to safer ground. What is the question that you ask yourself in that moment?
What is that you’re fighting for? I want to discuss being courageous enough to go against the grain and experience what it feels like to sit in the uncomfortable zone — the space where you feel upside down. I want to discuss what happens when you stay in that space long enough to be pushed to the edge of your limitations, where you become so stretched that you have no choice but to keep fighting or let go.
I want to discuss letting go of all the things that hold you back. And how, once you let them go, you are catapulted forward — otherwise known as a breakthrough, or simply as FREE. Let’s take that leap into the unknown in order to get to the next level.
It is my belief and experience that risk + fear + courage = change.
While none of this rhetoric is new, I think the process is always new when you’re entering the next stage of your life. You may hear this message differently today because you aren’t where you were last year or last week or even yesterday. Whether your challenge is personal, physical, intellectual, or professional, I believe that in order to progress to the next level a struggle must occur (whether it be caused by internal conflict or external factors).
Your colleagues, family or friends may not see your choices as beneficial or ‘making sense.’ But the fact is, it’s your journey, it belongs to you. Sometimes the right choices are not always what they seem to be at the time — but there is always a reason for those choices and a lesson to be practiced.
We know these as teachable moments.
As a youth service provider you will be faced with constant challenges and obstacles. The more risks you take, the more creativity you push forward — whether the challenges come from systemic issues in the school district, or from other teachers, or from parents, or your students. It’s vital to remember the mission: working with young people to inspire them, to help them understand their possibilities, and sometimes even to save their lives. Don’t let the naysayers hold you back from your mission, even when others don’t understand your methods or goals. Stay strong and find your true self in your work. Remember, when you’re feeling frustrated and cannot seem to break through, it’s time to dig deeper into your ideas and methods — think outside the box, get out of your own way, and fight creatively for the innovative work you do.
Persistence, passion and ritual are the keys to building path for our kids, and for your own future as a source of inspiration.
By the way, FEAR can also mean: Face. Everything. And. Rise.
Let me conclude with references to three of my favorite thought-leaders. I follow these energetic daredevil coaches for action and inspiration, especially when I feel apprehensive about making choices for the methods and approaches I use. I look to these stimulating entrepreneurs who are making waves across the globe — coaching adults and mentoring young people. Enjoy!
- The Gut Check
- “Find one reason it will work, and fight for that.” — Evan Sanders, The Better Man Project
- “If you have big goals and dreams, then big action must follow.” — Evan Sanders, The Better Man Project
- People are Costing You Your Enthusiasm
- “…As you rise and more is revealed it is unnerving, it can be comfortable not just for you but for others around you. Surround yourself with people who support your vision.” — JuVan Langford, Thought Life
- “The most uncomfortable time in your life is when nothing makes sense.” — JuVan Langford, Thought Life
- Disrupt Your Patterns
- “When you see the invisible, believe the impossible and do the uncomfortable, you will achieve the incredible.” Joel Brown — Addicted to Success
For breakfast, I am STILL having the same protein shake, with bananas, celery, carrots, green leafy stuff, almond butter, frozen fruit and I throw my vitamins in the Nutra-Bullet (tips from my wellness coach Jeffrey L. Jordan). #ritual #risk #change #transformation
Author Profile: @juliagabor
