Sometimes life offers us an opportunity that is so unexpected we have to say yes, even if it’s completely out of our comfort zone – and something we’ve never considered or dreamed of doing before.
Long story short, last January I was invited to join the St Michael’s Players of Chiswick’s Committee. This came as quite a surprise as my only contribution to my local theatre group is singing and dancing (neither very well) in its Christmas Panto. And I've only done that twice. I’m not involved in the Spring, Summer and Autumn productions - which are always wonderful, by the way. I’m not theatrical. I have no desire to have a speaking role in a production. I rarely go to the theatre and I can’t suggest plays for play readings.
But I said yes and contributed as best I could.
Then in January this year I was asked if I would be Deputy Chair - which pretty much floored me. But when you’re sitting around a table with nine Committee members and the incoming Chair asks you if you’d like to be her deputy, it’s very hard to say no. So I said yes and was assured it was purely a backup role. That I'd only need to step in if, for some reason, she couldn't make a meeting.
Sadly, suddenly and completely unexpectedly, the Chair died a few weeks later.
Now I had a dilemma. Should I step in and step up or keep my head down? As I’ve never been a Chair before – let alone the Chair of a local theatre group - my first reaction was that I couldn’t do it. I had a long list of reasons why but the overriding one was fear. Fear of not being good enough, theatrical enough, knowledgeable enough, Chair-type enough, diplomatic enough, etc. But everyone kept telling me I could.
So I thought long and hard, chatted to the two previous Chairs and reminded myself of everything I’ve learnt through having a LifeCoach in my 40s and being a LifeCoach in my 50s. I then tried some of the NLP techniques I’ve learned in the course I’m doing and had flashbacks to Danny Wallace’s ‘Yes Man’ book which I read many years ago. (It’s the true story of how Danny Wallace’s life changed when he decided to say yes ‘to every favour, request, suggestion and invitation’ in an attempt to make his life more interesting.)
Henry Ford famously said that if we keep doing what we’ve always done, we’ll keep getting what we’ve always got. Which is true. And it’s also very comfortable. Because we know the outcome. We’re in control. We know what to expect.
Saying yes to opportunities that we’re not familiar with and have no control over, on the other hand, is scary. It takes courage and a leap of faith. But it gives us the chance to learn new skills, meet new people, take on new challenges, try new things and maybe have some fun along the way. The unexpected and unknown can also be exciting, even if the adrenalin keeps you awake at night.
So as life gave me this unexpected opportunity, I pushed my fears aside, stepped out of my comfort zone, stepped up to the plate and put myself forward as Chair at the Extraordinary General Meeting last night - in what I hoped sounded like a strong and confident voice even though I was quaking inside. As I have never done something like this before – ‘Cause I’m just Claire, I’ve never dreamed of being a Chair (sung to the tune of Barbie’s ‘I’m just Ken) - I have absolutely no idea how it’s going to turn out. But I’ll do my best, learn a lot along the way and hopefully have a wonderful time. Watch this space! What could you say yes to that you’re currently saying no to? And if you think LifeCoaching could help you get over your fears, stumblings blocks or limiting beliefs, get in touch and let's have a chat.
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