Progress isn’t linear (let me be real with you)

Forgive me, Superstar, for I have procrastinated.

You’re supposed to be watching a video right now - one that would inspire you to get creative and use your voice and try something new and see how the world rewards your boldness.

That video is on the cutting room floor, along with others that I scripted and abandoned in the past month. So if I can be vulnerable with you for a moment - I’m feeling like a bit of a hypocrite. But it’s all part of a normal growth process.

You know how it goes: you want to start doing something, so you learn a bit about it and then you try it out. You’re thrilled to see how much you progress through the experience of doing the thing. Then you hit a plateau and realize that you’re not going to get much further by doing the same stuff you’ve been doing. You need to back up, re-assess, and invest in learning a new approach. Then you go test out those new skills and approaches, and the cycle repeats.

Both phases of that cycle - the intense learning and the fearless doing - are natural and essential, even though it’s normal to resist switching from one to the other. There’s no room here for perfectionism, because that prevents you from jumping into the “doing” stage. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about setting an achievable standard, figuring out how to reach it, then taking action - knowing that you can always hit another high down the road, when you’re more experienced.

The professionals who come to me for help are at different stages of this cycle.

Some have avoided public speaking for their whole lives and are determined to stop hiding. They need some basic techniques and a gentle, supportive push to get out there and stop practicing.

Others are skilled communicators, comfortable in front of a crowd, but they’ve realized that what got them here won’t get them there - to the level of mastery that they crave. So they’re looking for an outside perspective to get them un-stuck and help them level-up.

And we all go through it. Speaking for myself: my recent leave of absence changed me. When it comes to my own performance, I’m now driven by a conviction that “the limit does not exist!” and I’m no longer satisfied with what I once would have considered “good enough.”

The upside of this renewed ambition and creativity is that my clients are seeing more rapid and profound transformations than ever during our work together. It’s pretty magical.

The downside is in the content I create for social media. Instead of finished videos, I’ve got a lot of unchanneled creativity and numerous projects on the go. I’m setting up a filming space in my new office, learning new techniques, and switching to a more powerful video editing software. My desktop is littered with half-finished scripts and research notes. It’s a messy, chaotic, destabilizing state of being that will eventually become something beautiful - as long as I trust the process and stick with it.

I hope you’ll do the same for yourself. Leveling-up your communication is a form of self-actualization. It’s a very human process, full of risk and change, and can be scary at any stage. But it’s worth it. 

Oh, it is so worth it. It’s your path to getting credit for your ideas and gaining opportunities to do work that matters to you. To making your work easier by getting others on your side (and getting it right the first time). To freely expressing who you are and attracting the people who need exactly what you offer. To reducing friction and increasing connection in your relationships. To growing your self-confidence and sense of control over your own life.

So where are you in this process, right now? What’s the next step you need to take, and what’s getting in your way?

Whatever your current abilities, Stage Light Communications can help you reach the next level. Contact us to chat about courses, workshops and coaching that might be right for you.