The weather is beautiful every day. The traffic is terrible every day. Avoiding a parking ticket in Santa Monica is a skill – perhaps even an art. And yes, there are an unusually large number of Prius’s (Prii?). What else have I learned in the two weeks that I have been in the home of the stars?
It’s not about LA. It’s about me.
Specifically, my attitude about this rather huge transition at this stage in my life and the fear that comes with it. Actually, this would count as the second rather huge transition at this stage in my life. The first was deciding to leave my stable corporate job of nineteen years to fly solo as a business coach as of April. Not long after I decided to do that, my partner decided to leave his stable corporate job to take a position at a start-up in Santa Monica in May. Talk about overcoming fear! So here we are!
If this had happened a few years ago, I would have been a stressed out anxiety-stricken mess, making multiple lists of everything that had to be done and fretting about what could go wrong at each step. Well, OK. I still made lists. I can’t live without lists. But I did not let them control me or create them out of fear.
I decided I was going to view every stage of this journey as an adventure. Even the process of selling our home. I made it into a game. What could I declutter? How much could I make selling things on Craig’s list? How awesome could I stage the house so we got an offer quickly (ONE DAY! YES! I’m claiming some credit for that!). A four-day cross-country drive by myself with a car packed full of stuff would have freaked me out a few years ago. But a couple of good books on Audible, some yummy snacks, awesome weather and an attitude of adventure carried me all the way through it without a hitch.
But where I really needed my positive, adventure attitude the most was starting a brand-new life and career out here, knowing virtually no one. Talk about overcoming fear! That could have (and would have) easily scared me off in the past. What changed? A great coach of mine said it best –
‘YOU ARE ENOUGH’
In other words, BELIEVE that what you bring to the table – your skills, your experiences, your personality, everything that makes you you – is all you need to have whatever success you desire. And that it will be the case whatever new situation you are facing. Just having that attitude will attract success to you. Does it mean you should stop investing in developing yourself? No, of course not. But it does mean that you don’t have to wait for some magical time when you are finally ‘ready’ to jump in and use your talents to make an impact.
So what changes or fears are you facing? I challenge you to take stock of who you are and what you bring and have the confidence and courage to use it to attract success into your La La Land, wherever that may be. I wish you much success and a great parking spot!