Be True To You

Progress was moving along nicely, when my 1:1 coaching client showed up one week saying… “My customer is no longer Wyatt. I think it’s Wynita.”

Wow, really? – I asked.

As we dug in, it became clear that the customer didn’t just change… the whole idea did too.

This was a real pivot.

But why? The last idea was being built on some solid foundations.

“I caught myself” – she said. “I was building an idea that was safe. What others would expect from me. But that’s not what I really want. I want to do something that makes a difference in something important to me.”

And I could see, she wasn’t scared. In fact, I hadn’t seen this amount of energy and determination from her before!

She had connected with who she wanted to be by creating what she wanted to create. ✨

Safe ideas.

You know others will nod their head – Yes, that makes sense.

Ideas that are the logical next step. Driven by fact, not emotion.

This was the best way forward. At least this is what I believed for my first 10 years of my career.

And those ideas did prove to be safe.

Those ideas drove my career forward ok enough.

I worked really hard at them and I was reliable.

But the thing was… I didn’t stand out. And I was getting passed over.

Mainly because… what I drove forward didn’t stand out.

They really didn’t have a piece of me in them. They were all… just business.

And no, the idea shouldn’t be all about you.

But you are unique. And what stands out to you, is unique.

And so… those ideas that feel risky, but also feel important – those are the ideas to nurture. Those are the ideas that bring out your authenticity.

That’s what happened for me when I led the creation of an innovation space, as I was an R&D researcher.

I wasn’t expected to do this. I wasn’t known for building innovation spaces. I had never done it before!

But it was something I wanted to do. I thought was important to do. And no one else was doing it.

Now, not all of those ideas will work. Or will be right for your company.

But not to try… will keep you who everyone expects you to be.

To try to move an idea forward that touches your heart…

That’s being True To You.

– Laura @ Mindtap

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

American lecturer, philosopher, and poet