What scares you when it comes to growing your business?
There are a LOT of things in building and growing an online business (or ANY business for that matter) that will seem big and scary and intimidating at first. Some people never progress beyond a certain point because of it.
I often quote a coach of mine who says: “You can have growth, and you can have comfort. You just can’t have them both at the same time.”
Growth is by its very nature uncomfortable. It causes you to stretch outside of your comfort zone and do the things that are hard and scary. When that happens, your brain may start sending you signals to retreat back into that quiet comfortable place and just forget about it.
Brains will do that. They have a built-in mechanism for protecting you from those scary things, and they’ll stop at nothing to keep you away from “danger,” and in the safe space.
But if you’ve ever done something big and scary and pulled it off, you know that magic can happen when you tackle the hard things. Good stuff is going on out there, just outside your comfort zone.
Don’t get me wrong, having a comfort zone is a good thing. It’s important to have a safe, comfortable place for peace of mind and recharging your batteries.
But sooner or later, if you want something more, something bigger, something NEW, you’ll need to stretch a little. That’s why every year, I join Kelly McCausey’s Stretch Yourself Challenge.
I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have great big huge results every single time. Heck, some years I haven’t even been a “finisher.” (That just means I haven’t completed the designated requirements to win a prize.) But I always get something valuable from the experience, even without a prize.
Whether it’s a new connection with another entrepreneur, or a new insight into my own personal obstacles, I’ve never been sorry about doing the Challenge – not once. And sometimes, something truly magical happens.
This year has been a tough one.
When it came time to sign up for the challenge this year, I very nearly skipped it. But I decided that my apathy was a good sign that I needed the challenge more than ever.
I started the month feeling pretty “blah” about the whole thing. Of course I jumped into the forum and tried very, very hard to manufacture the excitement I’d need to carry me through a month of stretching, but I was distracted and not all that thrilled.
Then, in a completely unexpected way, and at a completely unexpected time, I had a breakthrough moment – a moment where I got some clarity about what I’ve been doing (and NOT doing) in my business that really took my breath away.
I suddenly just knew I hadn’t really been serving my own needs very well – but on top of that, I hadn’t been making my knowledge and content as accessible to my audience as I could be either. After all, content marketing is about making that content AVAILABLE, right?
I have reasons (excuses?) for why I haven’t done it very well, and I’ve had PLANS for a long time to do it better, but this month I finally got really, really clear on what’s been going on. And that clarity makes it so much easier to tackle the problem head-on.
Suddenly, the challenge got exciting!
I posted about my epiphany in the forum, and had some wonderful feedback about it, including some ❤LOVE❤ from some very dear email subscribers who are also doing the SYC.
So why am I telling you all this?
I want you to know that sometimes, when you start S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G out of your comfort zone, you may be 100% on board and excited…and then your brain starts sending you danger signals.
You may think the universe is telling you that you’re making the wrong choice because it seems like all sorts of bad things start to show up right after you start to shift and grow.
Other times, you may feel like your enthusiasm just isn’t there and you aren’t sure you want to stretch at all, but then you do, and WONDERFUL things happen.
Stretching is like that. It’s unpredictable and often scary. But it can also be exhiliarating and rewarding.
If you’re ready to do a little stretching, a little growing, a little improving – or a LOT of stretching, growing, and improving, I recommend you get the Self Study Version of the Stretch Yourself Challenge.
What Is Stretch Yourself Challenge Exactly?
The SYC is a content marketing challenge that comes with a training manual PACKED with challenges that you get to use to improve your business. And even though it’s a self-study training, you won’t be alone!
You’ll also get access to the private member’s forum, where you can ask questions, get feedback, report your successes, and meet new potential JV partners and collaborators.
Joining will give you the tools and opportunity to examine where exactly in your business you want growth to happen next, and the training to make it a reality.
With the Self-Study Stretch Yourself Challenge, you get to stretch all year long, and it’s made easier with a guide that shows you what to do, and the support you need to keep from retreating back to your comfort zone.
Teresa,
I’m glad you did start decide to start the Stretch again this year. You are such a tralented writer and it’s fun to learn from you. Thank you for your vulnerability and honesty; you may never know who out there in “cyberspace” you are encouraging due to this!
Thank you for the kind words Anita. I’ve gotten so much from this challenge. Even just reading everyone else’s progress and successes is inspirational to me. I love how we can all encourage each other.
I enjoyed your post. Thank you for doing the collaborative blog post. I enjoyed participating in that. It has given me some ideas for my travel writing and I plan to do a collab post there about traveling again in the near future.
Thank you for participating Robin! It’ll be my first collaborative post, and I’m excited about showing off everyone’s creative ideas.
Teresa, I love (and really appreciate) your honesty and transparency. Uou gave me a lot to think about when you said, ” I decided that my apathy was a good sign that I needed the challenge more than ever.”
Way too often I use my “nlah” mood as an excuse not to do something instead of using it as the reason I do the thing anyway.
Thanks for the mindset shift! ❤
I totally understand! I do that myself. And sometimes a break is called for. Other times, you just need a good Stretch Yourself Challenge.
I think I missed seeing your epiphany, but I’m glad you reached it. It’s so exciting when clarity finally hits us for the breakthrough. I’m glad you joined and started and found what you needed. I think that’s sometimes how magic happens.
Thanks! I think this year had caused me to have a bit of a blind spot about what I needed to be doing. The SYC was just the wakeup call I needed.
I love how you share your personal journey here, and the way you recognized that your apathy was a sign that you probably needed the challenge more than ever. How wild that you went from mustering up energy to a total breakthrough moment?! Congratulations!
Thanks! It’s funny how a breakthrough shows up when you least expect it. Guess that just goes to show I was right about needing the challenge this month.
I love how you started off with the quote from your coach – “You can have growth, and you can have comfort. You just can’t have them both at the same time.”
I found that with the SYC even though things get a bit uncomfortable, the community is there to help you get through it all. It is a great source of knowledge, support, friendship, and experience to help reduce the amount of discomfort.
That’s a quote I refer back to often. It’s a reminder that it’s okay to be comfortable sometimes, but sooner or later, you’ll want to stretch. The community certainly makes that less uncomfortable than it would be without all of the great support.
Your breakthrough really hits home with me. I’ve been there and more than once. When the light bulb goes off and you feel the energy it’s me to tears. I just needed some clarity instead of feeling lost and/or dejected.
I’m glad you joined this year even though you weren’t feeling it. I’m looking forward to celebrating you as Team Finisher on October 1st!
Thanks Val. I’m glad to be in it. I’ve accomplished a great deal already and will be celebrating the whole new mindset, along with being a finisher.
Man do I wish growth could be comfortable! But it sure feels awesome when we know we’re stretching and achieving something, even those times we fall short of our ultimate goal, we might not have even made it that far otherwise. I’m so happy and thankful for you to have had your epiphany.
Yeah, that growth will get you every time. But it’s kind of like physical exercise. Those sore muscles are a sign that good things are happening. The same with stretching, it’s uncomfortable but oh-so worth it.
I love that you knew yourself well enough to know that you wanted to join the challenge, even when you weren’t feeling excited about it. And, wow, what a wonderful payoff for following your instinct and joining the challenge anyway. Your excitement shines through in your post :).
Knowing myself and listening are sometimes two different things. I’m just glad I talked myself into joining. I think it was more fear of missing out than really wanting to do it, but it turned out to be a great decision.
Thank you for being so vulnerable (both here and in the SYC community forum) that you weren’t sure and were just plugging along until you had an epiphany moment! Change can be hard and stretching outside your comfort zone can be extremely rewarding if you can be courageous enough to do it. Having the love and help from a supportive community (SYC!!!) certainly helps! You rock!!
The community certainly has helped me with all the stretching I’ve been doing this month. It’s been my best SYC yet. Thank you!
Great post, Teresa. This is a great reminder to listen to our intuition and those little nudges that tell us to say YES to something. Even when ego is trying to hold us down and hold us back.
So glad you’re getting such clarity and Ah Ha moments. Can’t wait to see where your momentum will take you! Keep going.
Thank you Melissa. It has really been an amazing month so far. I’m so glad I didn’t let ego talk me out of joining this time.
It’s been great reading your updates during the challenge. I love your ah ha moments and your willingness to share so openly. That whole things going wrong when you start stretching, has always been pointed out to me as what’s called an upper limiting problem and man I do notice it each challenge! So glad you decided to join the challenge!
Thanks Tish, I’m glad too. Note to self for the future: the SYC is ALWAYS a good idea. 🙂
SO love this! One of my big emphasis for this year has been to “SAY YES!” Imagine my delight when I hopped on your page. 🙂 I love, love, love hopping over to your “home on the web” and seeing what you are up to. I hope that this month is your most productive. I cannot wait to see what you accomplish! 🙂
Thanks so much for the kind words Cindy. It certainly feels like a productive month. The key is to have a great challenge, and yet not burn out. That way I can keep that momentum going in the months after the challenge ends.
Thank you for sharing here and in community forum about how SYC has led to breakthroughs, tears, deep thoughts, and epiphanies. I’m sure that clarity and honest storytelling will benefit not just your business, and your audience, but all around you. It’s surely inspired me! Can’t wait to see what comes next.
Thank you Jennifer. Having the community forum certainly helps make those breakthroughs happen. Sometimes just the act of posting in there helps me see something I hadn’t seen before. I’ve been reading your posts in the forum too, and I love the stories you share. I can always see a little of me in the things that you post.
Teresa, I’m excited to see what comes out of your aha breakthrough moment “where I got some clarity about what I’ve been doing (and NOT doing) in my business that really took my breath away.” I’ve known you for quite some time now and I can’t wait to dig into your content and products. Thanks for your insightful post! It has taken me on a journey with you.
Thank you for your kind words Maria. I know you’ve had an evolution of your own over the last year or so, and I’ve certainly enjoyed watching your journey too. We have to always make sure we’re doing the things that keep us happy and loving what we do!
I’m totally inspired by your post and I’m participating in the SYC myself. It’s so engaging to hear from others when they share their fears, struggles and accomplishments. It gives a sense of, “I’m not alone”. I love knowing that the SYC community is always available to ask questions and get support.
I love that sense of not being alone too! I’ve always said that the community is one of the greatest benefits to being a part of this challenge. As online entrepreneurs, we can easily miss out on the connections that people get from working around other people. We have remember to makit it a point to seek out others.
Teresa, I love hearing about your transformation in the early days of this latest SYC. It’s amazing what an happen for us when we start to watch for the signs that are telling us to move forward in a new direction. I love what you said, “Stretching is like that. It’s unpredictable and often scary. But it can also be exhiliarating and rewarding.” It’s so true and I’ve noticed that for myself. I’m happy for your breakthrough and the value you’ve gained from being active in this year’s challenge. To your success!
Thanks for the encouragement, Tara. And yes, watching for – and acting on – signs that are pointing us toward the path we need to take can make all the difference.
I’m not sure who said this … it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. What’s important is that you started. This really grabbed my attention “If you’re ready to do a little stretching, a little growing, a little improving – or a LOT of stretching, growing, and improving,” too many of us compare ourselves to others and it’s one of the success stoppers that keeps us stuck. The Stretch Yourself Challenge encourages us to do it our way.
Thanks Adalia! It is too easy to fall into that trap of comparison. I can always look around me and find someone who seems to have everything more together than I do, but I have to find MY way. And you’re right, the SYC encourages that. I think that’s why I like it so much.
Teresa,
I can relate to so much of what you’ve posted here. I, too, almost did not do the challenge. Every year I’ve blown it off and said I had too much going on. THIS year, something inside me said, “DO it.” And I obeyed. Without a fight. It’s been a stretch, and some days have been frustrating, but then I come to the forum and I see your posts, and others, and I am so glad I am going it. 🙂
Congrats for obeying that voice inside! There will always be frustrating days, but it’s so worth it. I’m glad you’re in the challenge with me this year. I hope we can stretch together for years to come.
Yes, growth by nature is uncomfortable. I totally agree with that statement. It takes us out of our comfort zone and, well, that is uncomfortable. I’m glad you signed up for the challenge. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to do it myself this year. But you mentioned the support you are getting. That has been the game changer for me as well.
Thanks Luanna! I’m so glad I signed up too. I had no idea how MUCH I needed this until I got into it and the good stuff started breaking through.
I like how you said when it was time to sign up for the Stretch Yourself Challenge that you almost skipped it, but then realized that was a good sign that you needed this challenge now more than ever.
Yes, knowing when a stretch is called for can make all the difference! Sometimes you just need downtime. Sometimes, you get stuck in downtime mode and need a stretch to get out of it.