It’s officially fall and my favorite season of the year! It’s not so much the pumpkin flavored everything but more about the colors and fashion. I can’t wait to throw on some cute boots and a chunky sweater.
Even though I’m loving the season, I missed a major deadline. See, I was hoping to relaunch The Creative DBA Podcast, my podcast, in September. I still want to get on the microphone and encourage creatives doing business as freelancers and solopreneurs. BUT… that didn’t happen.
I have to be honest though. I’m not beating myself up about it. Instead, I took a deep breath, tapped into my own coaching skills and dissected the problem. I discovered that even though I wanted to restart the podcast, I literally didn’t write out a plan, goal, vision or any action items; something I NEVER allow my clients to do. While it’s great to have a clear vision and actionable steps there’s another truth to be told.
Sometimes you miss the deadline.
Or should I plainly call myself out and say sometimes I miss the deadline.
Even with a majorly missed deadline, I can honestly say that I’m proud of myself that this moment has not led me down a path of negative self-talk, sadness, moodiness or feelings of failure. Instead, I asked myself a simple question that has changed everything.
What do you need?
When we fail to achieve a goal, it usually boils down to a few reasons.
- We didn’t want to do it in the first place.
- The goal wasn’t S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relatable or Time-Oriented) enough
- or The goal needed more resources, such as support, time or money to get it done.
The answer for me was #3. I needed a specific resource that would put me in a better mindset to create. The resource I needed is a dedicated office/creative space. Since moving back to Houston, a topic for another day, I don’t have as much space as before.
This made perfect sense to me. Of course the lack of a dedicated office/creative space is hindering my ability to create BECAUSE… environment is one of my top five core values. Environment to me is literally the look and feel (vibe) of the space I’m working or living in. The environment I’m in can affect my entire mood and mindset. Therefore, instead of just jumping into relaunching the podcast, I’m working on creating a dedicated office/creative space.
Now, I fully realize that some people might say this is an excuse to not get started. You don’t need a dedicated office/creative space. You just need to ‘start where you are’, ‘start messy’, ‘start before you’re ready’.
Yes! There are some truths to those statements and I’ve said them all before myself. However, the question isn’t about just starting or relaunching. The question is what do I need to get started. Do you see the difference? The second question is personal and refers to my specific needs. There’s another truth when it comes to missing a deadline.
Sometimes we miss the deadline because there’s something we need to do instead.
How about you? Have you missed a deadline recently? If so, get still and ask yourself ‘What do you need?’. As for me, I’ve already started working on the dedicated office/creative space. Recently, I installed a brick wall; well kinda. I can’t wait to show you the final pictures when everything is completed. In the meantime, feel free to share a deadline you missed recently in the comment section at the bottom of this post. Below are a few Take Action steps to help you get back on track.
Please note, the following steps are only suggestions. Feel free to add, remove or adjust anything you need to help you become more successful in completing your goals. Also, I can’t guarantee your success.
Take Action
Step 1: Identify something you’ve been wanting to accomplish but haven’t.
Step 2: Get really still and ask yourself: What do I need?
Step 3: Pay attention to what comes up and don’t dismiss it.
Step 4: Write 1-3 actions that’ll help you accomplish your goal.
Step 5: Complete those action steps!
Step 6: Repeat until the overall goal is complete.
Step 7: Celebrate yourself for accomplishing your goal!
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