(psst)....the invitation isn’t coming

The part of the country I live in has experienced window-shattering hail, tornados, flooding, wildfire warnings, temperatures in the 20’s, temperatures in the 70’s. All in just the past several weeks! And, despite the chaos, the tulips are resiliently and brightly blooming. If they waited for the invitation of perfect conditions to bloom, they would never grow.

What invitation are you waiting for? The promotion, the space for strategic thinking, the new job, the vacation, the move, the pause. At the risk of naming the obvious, the time will never be perfect. The invitation likely isn’t coming from a source outside of you. And here is the good news in that, you don’t have to wait for the invitation to move forward. 

I worked with a woman many years ago that had more tenure than anyone else on the team. A new position opened up that she would have excelled at. The organization hired someone external with far less experience. I learned later that she never applied for the position. When asked why, she let me know that she had been interested in the position and then said five words that have stuck with me, “no one asked me to.” What a missed opportunity for the organization and for her. Maybe we’ve heard stories about celebrities being “found” by casting agents or people landing their dream job because they were head hunted. And, sure, that does happen for some people but it isn’t the reality for most. Here is the truth. No one else can, nor should, care more about your personal and professional growth and well-being than you. You’re the only one that can prioritize it and make it happen. 

I’ve heard a lot of mission-driven leaders over the years avoid moving forward for all sorts of reasons: their kids, their spouse, lack of opportunities, their workload, the busy season, their boss, their board, lack of ideas, other people’s capacities and workload. We can get pretty creative when we’re avoiding internal or external progress. 

It makes sense that in a chaotic world, you’re hesitant to put yourself out there or take the time your brain and body know it needs. There are likely some limiting beliefs or old stories or even just culture at large telling you it isn’t safe to move forward. But, remember, the timing will never be perfect. What is lost when you’re waiting for the invitation? It’s likely health, time, enjoyment, abundance, connection, possibility and more. When you don’t resiliently grow and brightly bloom the people you care about also miss out on your gifts of vision, leadership, encouragement, presence and wisdom. 

What small step could you take today toward the thing you’ve been waiting for someone else to give you permission to do? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Ask time off for the vacation, you can plan the details later

• Block two hours next week for strategic thinking, the email responses can wait

• Sign up for the class

• Update your resume

• Schedule the meeting

• Take the breath

• Say yes

• Say no

• Book that discovery session with a great coach 😉

You intuitively know what you want. If you’d like help clearing the blocks that are getting in the way of you taking the step, I would love to help. Coaching can help you name the goal, clear the blocks and take the action. Don’t wait for perfect conditions, you get to bloom!