Be honest with yourself and push through your fears

Well I’m gearing up for the first of 500 conversations.  I head to St. Louis this week to speak with Maxine Clark, founder of Build-a-Bear Workshops.  What a way to kick off our journey!

As I prepare for this first conversation, I am flooded with emotion.  I hesitated whether to express my true feelings here.  However after careful consideration, I realized that if I am not brutally honest with my feelings then I would not be doing this project or myself justice.   I began this project because I found myself struggling…searching for answers.  I thought that by listening to other women open up about a time in their life where they struggled-  and pushed through it- I would gain a better understanding of my own struggle and also help other women along the way. But in order for these conversations to be effective, the women I speak with must be honest, open and very candid about how they felt at that particular time in their life.  So if honesty and candidness is what I expect from these conversations, then I owe it to you to be completely open and honest about how I am feeling during every step of this journey.  For we must first be honest with ourselves before we can we take the necessary steps to change, move forward, or help others.  So here I go…

I’ve wanted to quit this project twice this week.  Feelings of self-doubt trickled in…..

·         “Why in the world are you doing this Jennifer, do you know how long it will take to complete 500 conversations?” 

·          “What in the world am I thinking heading to St. Louis to interview Maxine Clark?  Why would she want to open up to me?”

·         “What do I say on the phone when I call women to participate?  I can’t do this….they won’t give me a chance.”

So as I head into my first conversation, I am nervous, filled with self-doubt, and not quite certain where this project is heading.  And yet, I’ve had brief moments where I am excited and confident.  I am trying to hang onto the excited, confident me and have faith that as I move forward, conversation after conversation will lead me down a path of self-discovery that I just can't see right now. 

So what are you “covering up”?  What are you not being honest with yourself about?  Your career, a relationship, a family situation, your station in life?  I encourage you to be honest with yourself and with others around you.  You just might be surprised how that single step will give you confidence to push away your feelings of self-doubt and move forward.

We can’t give into our fears....we need to forge through them.  Next stop…..Build-a-Bear Workshop Headquarters!  Check back to see what I discover after speaking with Maxine Clark and how it might help you push through your struggle.