I don’t love end of year posts. So I’m not sure why I’m writing one, but I’ll keep it short and sweet.
My biggest learning this year, the second year of my business, is that interesting and unexpected opportunities present themselves when I am curious and when I don’t have an agenda.
This year has served up experiences that I did not imagine for myself. I feel like I’m co-creating these opportunities with an unseen force for good. It seems like if I’m willing to put myself out there, share my excitement and creativity, and show up, opportunities arise. Sometimes I do more work to create them, and sometimes I feel like they come and find me.
I’ll give you two examples:
1. Putting aside the fact that I’m delighted to have a niche, circular economy podcast, I’m even more excited about the membership coalitions that we offer in parallel to the podcast. I love people, I love meeting new people, I love connecting good people and these membership groups are a perfect way to do all of this. They came out of a conversation between my co-host and I about how we could raise enough money to produce our podcast. The idea of the membership group was just a notion at the time, and now we are both firmly committed to continuing to offer these community-building experiences, which also are beginning to open other doors.
2. I am producing someone else’s podcast! I did not realize how much I had learned about making a podcast and the marketing required until I was talking with someone who had the ambition to create a podcast but needed the skill set that I have developed over the past 14 months. I found myself thinking out loud on all the ways they could create their story and how they could share it, and before I knew it, I was writing a proposal to produce a podcast for them. More on that when it launches!
The part that makes me happiest is the freedom I feel when I realize that my work is ever changing and expanding based on my interests and learnings. I am learning that I can take many turns along this path of business ownership that is also my career.
Don’t get my wrong, it comes with all its own hardships and frustrations BUT this is a positive, forward looking, proud post for pushing into new experiences and trusting myself enough to jump in.
I recently shared the above thoughts with Andy Ruben, founder of resale platform Trove, and he shared the below quote with me that, in my opinion, helps explain what I’m trying to say:
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets: Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” - William Hutchison Murray
This encapsulates my experience of being shown new doors to open, but only when I am curious, truly interested and not-expecting what might lie on the other side of the door. If am open to whatever idea, conversation or project that might arise, I am free to open the door. It may become something, or not, but the freedom exists to hear the opportunity, potentially mould it into a more bespoke shape, and to decide if it’s a direction I want to spend my resources (mostly time) pursuing.
I feel proud and excited for having learned this in 2024- I think it’s an important lesson for my life moving forward. I can have more confidence and faith that if I put myself out there in whatever venture, I just need to keep talking to people, being open to new ideas and holding patience, and the path will reveal itself.
I’ll leave it at that- happy end of 2024 and here’s to a fruitful 2025.
Cynthia
ps. This was a hard post for me to write and share with you all because I’m afraid of the eye roll…i.e. I’m being vulnerable with you all. I decided that I’d rather be honest about what I think and share as if speaking with a friend- but at the very least, I’m letting you know in this PS note that it took some amount of courage for me to press send.
Beautifully said, Cynthia! You’ve done lots of leaping, learning and leaning in :) It inspires me to the same!