181: Little Jolt of Joy – Try Something New

Flip Your What Ifs

Have you ever been nervous to try something new? You know how it goes: the what-ifs start swirling. What if it’s scary? What if I’m bad at it? What if I fail, or embarrass myself? All of that doubt is valid, apparently our brains are just trying to protect us from danger, even when the “danger” is really just something unfamiliar rather than something actually risky. So here’s a small shift worth trying: what if you flipped those what-ifs to their positive versions instead? What if it’s fun? What if I’m actually good at it? What if it works, and I end up enjoying myself?

This podcast, for the past two years, was exactly that kind of big, scary new thing for me. All the same doubts showed up right along with it. Maybe it was turning fifty and getting tired of holding back out of worry over what people would think. Maybe it was two years into organizing professionally and realizing my clients had no idea I quietly struggled with my own household, yet were thrilled with the help I gave them anyway. Maybe it was seeing so many people feel secretly broken because they couldn’t keep their homes together, and remembering exactly what that felt like myself. What I found, eventually, was that people didn’t need more judgment. They needed kindness, encouragement, and real, practical help. I knew I had to share my thoughts, wacky or not, and see if it helped even one person.

What actually happened is I ended up with a community of genuinely kind people, people who send encouragement back, leave lovely reviews, and share their own wins and losses along the way in the group. I’m grateful for the company far beyond anything I expected when I hit record that first time.

If you’ve discovered something similar in your own life, a whole lot to be thankful for that you want others to feel too, consider bringing a friend along with you, into whatever your version of this is.

As for me, the next scary leap starts tomorrow: twelve days of repurposed Christmas content from 2021, brought back with daily live sessions in my free group and a guide to go with it, all aimed at getting further ahead on Christmas than we ever have before and actually getting to relax and enjoy it this year. It won’t be perfect, and we won’t get everything done, but even a step in the right direction, especially alongside other people trying the same thing, tends to be worth it.

Until next time, continue to choose joy.