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What are You Doing Badly?
By Sara Borgstede
I am in the middle of a new business venture. After a number
of years of speaking and writing on a volunteer basis, this winter I decided to
make my business official. Ten years ago I lost over 100 pounds and completely
transformed my life by going from couch potato to triathlete, all while
balancing my busy family of 5 children, including 2 with special needs. People
love to hear my story of inspiration. Still, talking about it is one thing.
Turning it into a profitable business is totally another.
I started learning. I took classes through our location
small business association. I purchased a business license. My husband helped
me set up a website, and here I am. I’ve had some great successes. I’ve enjoyed
speaking to wonderful groups of people. Writing for my blog has been awesome
and we’ve enjoyed some exciting traffic coming in.
I’ve also had some big flops. We’ve had technology go down.
We accidentally emailed out links to all the podcasts we were supposed to be
launching in July as an incentive for people to come to the website, after we
had been working for months on the project. Oops.
This summer I am attending a writer’s conference in North
Carolina. One of the benefits of the conference is that representatives from
several publishing companies will be there, and we could sign up for a chance
for a 15 minute meeting with these reps to pitch a book idea. I thought, “Sure,
why not? Sign me up!” Then I learned I needed to bring a book proposal. I had
no idea what was involved in writing a book proposal. People sometimes spend a
year or more writing this 30-50 page document which includes market analysis, a
chapter outline, and explanation of your platform, sample chapters, and more.
Oops.
Next week I am attending this conference and my book
proposal is almost finished. Is it polished and professional? No, probably not.
But I’m going with what I’ve got. It’s my best today. Who knows what will come
of the opportunity?
Am I getting all freaked out over these mess ups? No. Check
out my website which is www.saraborgstede.com. The
name of my blog is “Balancing in the Holy Mess.” Life is messy! There is no
“perfect” and I don’t expect it of myself. Are you expecting it of yourself?
Are you holding back from trying new things until you think you can get it just
right? If you are, you are missing out on the best in life. Winners don’t wait.
I have learned through my weight loss experiences, through
my triathlon experiences, through my training, through my parenting, and
through my faith, that messing up is part of the deal. If you aren’t messing
some stuff up, you need to take a serious look at your life and ask yourself if
you are playing it too safe.
You
need to be doing some things badly.
There is no shame in starting at the beginning. There is no
shame in messing up, either. Say, “oops, I messed up.” Admit your mistakes,
apologize when needed, and move on. The more you develop healthy relationships,
the more people around you will accept you and understand the missteps. Often
they love you all the more for it anyway.
What is your dream? Do you need to get back to the gym? Do
you need to lose weight? Do you want to run a 5K or a marathon? You can do it
and you can start today. Accept that you will mess up along the way. Plan for
mess ups as part of the process, so you don’t freak out when they happen.
Then get out there and do it. I’m cheering for you!
