This Is Both Scary and Exciting for Me
If you’ve been in my circle for a while, you will have noticed I went a bit quiet in the first half of this year. I’ve had the immense pleasure of being commissioned to create an online course for musicians just like yourself by the Musicians’ Union. And because that project was so massive, I made the decision to suspend all my social media and newsletter activity and go into creative mode.
IT HIT ME LIKE A TRUCK
Let me tell you something. If you want to face your insecurities, go record an online course. ;) Watching and hearing yourself on video is a sure way to highlight all of them. It hit me like a truck when I started recording. Things like how I looked, my weight, and my accent when I speak on camera. The words I sometimes said suddenly sounded so silly, etc., etc. I wasn’t prepared for that at all.
GROWTH IS NOT COMFORTABLE
With the benefit of hindsight, I can now say that it’s exactly those moments of discomfort when we grow the most. Because growth doesn’t happen in your comfort zone. It’s scary as hell but at the end of the day, there is no way around it. You just have to go through it. And it will never be as hard as the first time around.
NONE OF US IS PERFECT
What most helped me get through that phase of massive self-doubt were the people that I could truly lean on for support. Like my business coach, counsellor, mastermind buddies… These people helped me reconcile with the fact that it won’t be perfect. None of us is. And what I understood was that the thing that I was really afraid of was being judged. It’s like one of my favourite authors, Breneé Brown, says:
“Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving to be your best. Perfectionism is not about healthy achievement and growth. Perfectionism is the belief that if we live perfect, look perfect, and act perfect, we can minimize or avoid the pain of blame, judgment, and shame.”
HAPPY ENDING
Well, my friend, I’m happy to report that I didn’t give up and successfully finished this project. The desire to offer musicians like you not just the sum total of the last three and a half years of teaching yoga specifically for musicians but also the stuff I wish I knew when I first discovered yoga 13 years ago ended up being stronger than my self-doubt.
GET A TASTE OF WHAT TO EXPECT
I’m immensely proud to announce that the Musicians’ Union will be launching this course on 24th October. It will be completely free for their members. If you’re not an MU member, worry not, you can get it at the start of the next year when I release it myself.
In the meantime, it would be lovely to see you in a Musicians’ Yoga Essentials free Q&A I’m doing for the Musicians’ Union on Friday 4th November at 4 pm GMT. I will answer any questions you might have about the course and take you through a short chair yoga sequence to give you a taste of what you can expect.
