Be Your Own Permission Agent

Back in 2012, I knew I wanted to write a book that included interviews of amazing women to share their stories and insights. I didn’t know where to begin so I called Mandy Wiener, a well-known journalist. I had worked with her earlier that year on an event and reached out to her for advice. She was extremely helpful and at the end of coffee, I asked her which voice recorder she uses for her interviews. 

I was really excited about starting this project but I convinced myself that I cannot possibly move ahead until I have the same recorder. So now 3 weeks go by and finally it arrives. I open the box. Stare at it and quietly put it into a drawer and find the next reason why I can’t possibly start.

In hindsight and reflecting on this, I realized 3 powerful things:

• My excuses meant my fear was winning.

• Nothing or no one can give me the permission to start, no one is coming.

• Fundamentally, my beliefs hadn’t shifted. I still had not given myself permission to be the kind of person who can write a book, interview female leaders and achieve this goal.

And when the book deal eventually did become real, guess what – the recorder bombed out and I used my iPhone!

I now put the question to you - what is your recorder equivalent?

Are you waiting for a partner, a qualification, a bank balance to give you permission to achieve your big goal?

Don’t let fear win…give yourself permission to start even if you have no idea what the result is going to be. Beware of telling yourself you need a partner or this piece of paper to give you permission because it feels safer.  Action takes care of that. You can’t control the results you’ll get. All you can do is control the ability to show up and take that first step. Remember use fear as the compass – when something gives you that pang of anxiety in your stomach – just remind yourself it’s the path to growth and the opportunity to learn. 

Here’s to giving yourself permission,

Warm wishes

Lori