I'm just back from a lovely conscious festival called Into the Wild. By conscious I mean there is no drugs or alcohol there and your days are filled with yoga, dancing, workshops and generally chatting to other like minded people. It's nourishing, inspiring and a lovely break from every day life.
What was extra special about this festival for me this year, and why I am writing this post, was that I taught yoga there. It was my first experience of teaching at a yoga type festival and I have to admit I was a bit nervous. I taught at Camp Bestival in July and after that I had felt ready to start branching into teaching at yoga festivals next summer. The reason why I'd been putting it off a bit this year was there are obviously so many people into yoga at these gatherings, plus many other yoga teachers, so my insecurities of being "good enough" were there in the background.
However the opportunity to teach appeared last minute last week and I grabbed it! Even though I felt scared.
This has been big lesson for me over the past 10 years in working for myself. When I first trained as an image consultant I used to know I loved it but I felt there were loads more other more experienced people at it out there. I worked at a concierge company also at the time and we'd often get quite random requests including ones for shopping. I had been trained to do image consultancy a certain way and sometimes requests came in for help that didn't fit into the box of what I'd been trained. I had a friend there who would encourage me to just go for them anyway and trust in myself that I'd just work it out and adapt my skills to each request.
So even though it scared me I accepted all the strange requests anyway! ....and they always worked out just fine.
This process helps to build my self confidence in myself that I can deal with what ever gets thrown my way.
Since then I have accepted many opportunities for business training, talks in schools, TV, radio interviews, private client work that initially didn't fit exactly in what I usually did but I knew I had the creativity and wisdom within to be able to make something great from it.
Now I know to say yes to opportunities to do the work I love even if it scares me a bit! I know, it's always ok and that I always feel empowered and inspired after it.
I've learned to just trust in myself and just be myself in what ever I do, that way it's easy to just be me rather than trying to put on a front as well.
So I said yes to this weekend even though it scared me a bit teaching to so many other experienced yogi's. When I arrived I realised I was in the main tent at midday, a peak slot and the tent was huge! I recon I had over a 100 people in my Sunday workshop in there.
I just once again trusted in just being myself and sharing what I love.
It was completely amazing and I received lots of great feedback (one being the note opposite)! Another reminder how important it is to keep shifting out of my comfort zone, to keep growing, expanding and just being myself.
So I just wanted to write this post to encourage you to say yes, even when you feel a bit scared. Trust in yourself that you'll work it out, you can deal with anything life throws at you. We all have a gift in this life time, we all have our own uniqueness. Just focus on that, just be you and just do what you're good at.
Namaste
