I remember when we celebrated Emma’s first birthday at the beach. She had been walking for a little bit more than a month and had a fierce independent streak. She was surrounded by people who loved her. I watched her face as she appeared to be building up energy for some unseen by me challenge, something of utmost importance.
“I do it, I do it, I do it!” she said to herself. Then she charged toward the waves, still chanting and then laughing and shouting, “I do it, I do it, I do it!”
More than twenty years later, I can still hear the little Emma voice as she took action on her goal of conquering the ocean and the two -decades-younger-me ran after her, amazed at her will and her focus. She was going to conquer the ocean, by gosh and by golly.
Last December I said my own version of “I do it I do it I do it” challenge. Six months later, I am more than half-way to my goal.
It has taken a daily focus of consistency and a devotion to honoring myself every single day for the last 189 days.
Now as a part of my jubilant celebration of my continual goal reaching, I offer my top discoveries with you.
- As I grew with my goal, I learned to trust myself. I knew everyday I would write my short haiku poem. I decided the parameters: I would take a photo of whatever inspired the feeling of my short haiky poem. Next, I would write and post the haiku on my personal facebook page publicly as a way to document and celebrate my goal.
I trusted myself to do my best. To make the attempt and to gain trust as I took this one small action every day.
Once we trust ourselves, anything is possible. In the daily action of writing my poem, I was not only activating my passion, I was purposefully standing up to the world and vulnerably sharing – knowing all the time I might fail at some point. I took action daily, in public, anyway.
Quote: “We are trusted because of our way of being, not because of our polished exteriors or our expertly crafted communications.”
Lolly Daskal
2. Taking action on my goal consistently grew my enthusiasm and when I needed it, the stored up enthusiasm carried me through to the next daily action. I started with this goal because I tuned into what had historically made me feel better. I was watching a gorgeous sunrise – which always made me feel blessed and grateful. What was something I might do daily that would help me to feel blessed and grateful? Autumn was ending and that was the season I was in the hospital and almost died. I didn’t want that malaise to carry into my next season. Enthusiastically I created, continued and cherished my goal day after day after day.
Quote: “You need to have unbound enthusiasm for what you’re building. Energy is contagious, so your team and everyone you interact with feels it.” – Tyler Haney, Founder of Outdoor Voices
3. My gut instinct said, “Feeling better, every day, happens when we take aim and activate through more than just thinking – but when we do what it is we say we will do.”
My inner wisdom said, “What is something you may do daily, publicly, that you will be happy you did even if you fail along the way?”
Quote: “Every day in every way I am getting better and better and better.” Emile Coue
These three primary lessons have a lot more depth than may immediately be seen.
My hope and intention is you see yourself – and your vision – reflected in Emma’s voice ringing out, “I do it, I do it, I do it” as her life force called her to conquer the ocean. Maybe what she was actually conquering was her fear of the ocean and running towards it, anyway.
Somewhere in me and also in you is the “I do it!”that is calling to you.
Six months from now, what do you want to look back and say, “I wanted to do it and I did it?”
If you would like more insights and guidance for the rest of the year, join the Bridge to the New Year Facebook community as we present Refresh 2020. We are hitting the Refresh button on 2020, together.
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