What's your line in the sand?
TL;DR
There comes a moment where you have to be willing to take the leap in order to commit to the life that you envision.
Trust that everything you’ve done up until this moment has set you up for what you’re about to do.
It’s one of the scariest parts of committing to life as a creative — the letting go.
Specifically, letting go of what is no longer serving us as we move toward our goals.
Often times, this comes in the form of survival jobs vs. our creative passions.
It's a delicate balance.
If you're lucky, you're able to survive off of your creative career.
But that’s simply not the reality for most of you.
Normally, I would say that that's even more reason for you to stay attuned to when that commitment is no longer serving you, and trust your gut when the time comes to move on.
And for some of you, that may still hold true, depending on what area of the arts you're in and what your current financial situation is.
But I realize that in the current state of things, with two major industry strikes and an uncertain economy, walking away from a survival job simply isn't in the cards for many of you.
Nonetheless, the idea of moving on from commitments that no longer serve you can still hold true.
For example, I have a client who joined an improv group years ago in order to make connections within the community and hone her craft. It's been an enriching and invaluable experience for her.
But, since the beginning of the year, she's become increasingly passionate about writing her one-woman show. Her commitment to the improv group is taking up a lot of time that could be used to write, but she's fearful of losing the relationships she built if she leaves.
We focused on what her ultimate goal is (which is to produce her one-woman show) and I coached her through a process of accepting that there comes a moment when we need to move on from things that have helped us get to where we are if those things are no longer serving us.
That doesn't mean that she won't be able to keep those relationships that she's fostered — they'll just exist within a different context. If they're important to her, she'll make the effort to stay in touch.
Ultimately, what it comes down to is that you have to be willing to take the leap in order to commit to the life that you envision.
Which reminds me of this great quote from a poem by Patrick Overton:
“When you walk to the edge of all the light you have and take that first step into the darkness of the unknown, you must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for you to stand upon or you will be taught to fly.”
If you’ve ever coached with me, you’ve heard me say that acceptance means not wishing for anything to be different — trusting that everything you’ve done up until this moment has set you up for what you’re about to do.
Hard truth, I know, but an important one to digest.
So, take a moment to reflect on the commitment that you’ve now outgrown. Let it go with intention, and focus forward. The lighter you travel, the faster you’ll get to where you’re going, after all.
Get into action on this by taking a moment to do our Line In The Sand exercise, below.
LINE IN THE SAND EXERCISE
Take a moment right now to close your eyes and visualize one of your goals. Got it? Write it down.
Identify one thing in your life (or your schedule) that is currently holding you back from achieving this goal. Write it down.
List three ways in which this commitment has served you.
List three ways in which letting go of this commitment will make space for your goal (and not just physical space like actual time, but it could be emotional/mental space as well).
Draw your literal line in the sand by completing the following statement:
6. Commit to one action step you can take this week to draw your line in the sand.
Bonus step — set up accountability by sharing it with us letting us know how it goes! Use #capescoaching and #mylineinthesand on Instagram so we can see it.