And the Sky will be Your Starting Point - episode 186
Who do you count on when you are in a pinch? I am happy to say I reached out to this young man all the way to Nigeria (from California) and he stepped into today’s recording. Enitan Balogun. He’s been on the show before* and he never ceases to surprise me with his ability to inspire this third-act woman.
His distinction between feeling confident and being confident? A feeling is temporal, it’s just for the moment, whereas if you are being confident it is a part of who are. It’s a matter of trusting yourself and your instinct.
And the three things needed to reach that point of believing in yourself? Enitan said, believe in yourself or no none else will; find a mentor who is aligned with you; and be collaborative because you are better together and you have each other’s backs when things don’t go the way you planned.
*Enitan has been on the podcast before in Consistency and Prayer - episode 102 and Capturing Life through a Lens - episode 76.
Pursue your goal no matter what people say; do what makes you happy.
— Enitan Balogun, advice to his 10-year-old self
There’s More for Me to Do
Thoughts from And the Sky will be Your Starting Point
Have you ever felt like you had something inside of you that needed to get out? I thought about myself as Enitan defined confidence: having trust in yourself and following your instinct. Yes, that sounds absolutely right.
If you’re reading this you know I write a weekly blog, and if you listen to the podcast, you know about that too. Yet there is still something inside of me that says I have more to do. Now I’m not talking about with my family or friends or even taking up golf. No, it’s something more missional than that. It feels like I have some things to share, some ways to connect with others, and to help encourage insight so that we can all feel more fully ourselves.
I know it sounds rather general and vague. Doesn’t everyone want that, that sense of believing in yourself? I have been talking about coaching for a couple of years now. Let’s start with that word: coach. It isn’t quite right for me yet I’m not sure what word would be better. Mentor? Advisor? Advocate? Guide? Teacher? A friend recently advised me not to get stuck on the word, and to keep moving forward.
I have taken a few online courses about becoming a coach. They each had value and I met remarkable people through them. Homework has been assigned, and I’ve done it because, remember, I like school. But have you noticed how many coaches are our there? And how many different kinds there are? There are the general categories of life and business along with specific kinds like confidence, accountability, purpose, passion, faith, etc. Honestly, get on Instagram and insert one descriptive and type coach after that, and odds are it will show up. So, is the field saturated? Maybe.
In one of the courses I took the woman used the rule of 20% content and 80% promoting. I guess that’s an area I find challenging. I love to create content that has value but if no one knows about it then what good did it do, other than I had a blast putting it together, and I sure learned some stuff. I would never want to come across as “all that and a bag of chips.”
Here’s the good news. I’ve been saying yes to opportunities I would have previously hemmed and hawed over like; leading focus groups, facilitating small groups, being on other podcasts, speaking at women’s events amongst other things. I see how these experiences have grown and stretched me. And I’m going to keep saying yes and learning how to share content without sounding sales-y because that’s not me. As my brother-in-law says, there’s an audience for everything. That is one of the many quotes that spurred me on to do this thing that seemed so very scary 3 1/2 years ago. This - podcast and blog. What’s next? We shall see. Yes, there’s still more for me to do.
Keep saying yes to opportunities; regret is not a goal.
— RCN
Two young women I had the pleasure to mentor: Elyse and Callie
