I didn’t know I was playing small.
I didn’t know I was planning for the worst case scenario.
Over the past five years of building my business – there have been plenty of times where group events turned into intimate 1:1 conversations. Whether because of challenges in recruiting, the attrition factor or the nature of starting something new –
This is part of the rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship, and there is a delicate balance between getting excited for big possibilities, and setting expectations low for the sake of self-protection.
When I was invited to do a virtual break-out session at the Association for Talent Development (ATD) International Conference this May, I was SUPER excited. I had no idea what to expect, and no one was able to give me any sense of how many people might be ‘in the room’.
I was preparing to give an AMAZING experience on personal branding – no matter the size of the crowd. To protect myself from disappointment of big hopes and expectations, I was visioning 10-25 people would show up. And I was TOTALLY ok with this. I mean, I’m here to spread the word – no matter how many people are listening – be that one or one thousand. I certainly wasn’t daydreaming about possible opportunities that could transpire as a result of that exposure. Maybe I should have been calling that in from day one, huh?
Alas, I was literally four days out from the big day, and I was speaking with a new business partner, Rebecca Gunter, CEO of Stoned Fruit. I had engaged her to help me get crystal clear on some messaging with my business – because as I say – it truly takes a village, and you ALWAYS need a mirror. During our call I told Rebecca about my ATD gig that I was totally stoked about. I mentioned that I saw that 34 people signed up – thinking maybe I would get 15 ppl to attend and that got me really excited.
She immediately asked “Do you want me there? I can be your wing woman!!”
For about 15 seconds I stared at her through the zoom box.
OH!!! A support team!?! Geez. Maybe that makes sense. Right, I mean – what if a lot of people ACTUALLY show up?
How do I keep track of questions, and comments and responses to all my questions to drive engagement?
YES!! YES PLEASE. That would be amazing, I told Rebecca. Planning commenced.
Fast forward, and 155 people signed up, 72 joined live and countless others will watch the replay. I had the most INCREDIBLE wing woman doing things I hadn’t even THOUGHT OF! Rebecca:
- Reiterated my big points.
- Shared the key bullets from my slides.
- Was hootin’ and hollerin’ about my mic drop moments.
- Dropped in my contact information. Socials. website.
- Promoted my podcast
Most importantly, she was a whole vibe an energy giving me life in a zoom room full of people where only a handful of people were on camera.
When the event ended, I felt amazing. Supported. Uplifted. I felt like the audience had everything they could get from those 60 full minutes together. Nothing left on the table – nothing left unsaid. 72 people. I didn’t even imagine, and here’s the thing…
My inner critic had been sneaking around in the background with her limiting beliefs, protecting me from disappointment and frustration. But I didn’t need protection. I KNOW how to handle disappointment. As my dear friend aptly told me recently; you know how to do disappointment, your growing edge is in BELIEVING.
Now THAT was a mic drop moment!
When you hear that phrase ‘dream big’ – it’s easy for it to go in one ear and out the other.
But what if…what if we stopped for a hot second and really allowed the vision to be the biggest damn thing. What if we ACTUALLY planned for that? And what if that meant the audience, the receiver of that vision was served up unreasonable hospitality (shout out to Will Guidara)? What if you had MORE than you needed? What if you had a WITNESS to your greatness that could remind you of it, even as you questioned if you did enough?
I see you, my dear inner critic. I love you girl, but I’m onto you now. I see the pattern. And it ends now.
From now on, I’m planning for the BEST CASE scenario. I already know that will be a game changer for me.
So what about you?
You ready to plan for best case? You ready to call in your wing woman? Your entourage?
Break open your path. Start planning your BEST CASE SCENARIO!!
What is there REALLY to lose anyway?
If you support to flip your script and plan for the GOOD, versus avoid the BAD, reach out here.
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