Lessons in Encouragement
April's Encouragement Sessions
We opened up a handful of Encouragement Sessions in April. You never know if folk will book in so there’s a buzz as diary slots fill up, a real sense of anticipation.
Without going all Forrest Gump on you, the Sessions turn up all kinds of everything.
"My mama always said, 'Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.'"
Forrest Gump
There’s a risk that in describing the outcomes - and focusing on the ‘encouragement’ part of the story - we might overlook the context of the Zoom calls we host. Of course, there are laughs, ideas, and the fizz of relaxed conversation … but there’s serious stuff too, and that’s okay - in fact, it is VERY okay and it probably means that the person on the other end of the call has reached a point where the help we offer is important.
We take that incredibly seriously. First, that folk trust us with the conversation in the first place, and second by listening assiduously and weighing matters - and the way we talk about them - carefully.
We should all do this in conversations we are part of, but it bears being said out loud - there is nothing more important than gauging (as quickly and as unobtrusively as possible) what the context is, where someone’s emotions are at, and what might be impacting on a person’s ability to focus on the thing they want to talk about.
So, here’s our approach … listen … pause … gently enquire … listen again, even more carefully … pause … set our advice in the context you’ve been trusted with.
What we talk about stays between us and the folk on the call, but there are always general points we like to share to encourage others.
Here’s a handful of takeaways (*) from this month’s Sessions for us all to learn from:
The conversation doesn’t need to go to a certain place, with a particular resolution, or reach a specific conclusion. Sometimes, the conversation is the thing.
It follows … offer folk the chance to chat and listen to them.
If you sense you have something to offer someone who might need it, reach out … make that offer. Not everyone will ask.
There will be times when you get truly excited about changes you want to make to your practice and they don’t find your audience in a moment when they are ready for them. You may need someone else’s perspective to help you find the positives in this seemingly negative situation.
You are allowed to have down days.
Ritual is a great way of creating rhythm in your creative practice. During one conversation this month, I found out about someone’s ‘vana’ (Swedish for ‘custom’), a simple, repeatable set of actions to get each day up and running.
Small gains can also be BIG wins.
Listen to the voices that celebrate what you do. Don’t let the foghorns of disapproval drown out the beautiful sound of the waves on the shore.
Working with a life partner is tough … watch out for the blurring of boundaries. Make time to work as hard on your relationship as you do on the business you run together - you are allowed to not talk about work!
Ask for help. Even though it is your creative practice, you don’t have to do everything. That thing that takes you forever to do (quite badly) is someone else’s thing … other folk hoover that stuff up and just love doing it.
Niche works for some people … BUT, not everyone. It is okay to be ‘broad’, ‘general’, or ‘non-specific’ … you don’t have to manoeuvre your thing into someone else’s cookie cutter. Tell your story your way.
Commit time to ‘future you’. Designate a day, outside the pressures of your ‘business-as-usual’, and set it aside for your side project (the transition into your future).
* Sometimes, these learnings feel random. But that just happens to be what has come up in the Sessions this month. Hopefully, there’s something in there for you. Maybe they are not for now; but next month or later in the year, they could be exactly what you are after.
We’ll be hosting some more Encouragement Sessions towards the end of May.
How do we book one?
Send an e-mail to feastsandfables at gmail dot com.
What does it involve?
Jump on a Zoom call with Mr Fables, an upbeat, enthusiastic soul with a whole bunch of life and ‘world of work’ experience. Expect to drink from the glass marked ‘half full’.
Can you tell me a little more?
Read this post - it is all in there … but ask any questions you like in your e-mail.
Free Encouragement
In which we explained the idea of Encouragement Sessions and invited folk to take part.
Wise words, Barrie. The niche comment is an interesting one. Most new businesses are advised to niche. In my early days I found that difficult because I didn’t want to close down any opportunities. I’d say I do have a niche now, but it evolved over time. It wasn’t planned - it just happened.
This thing you offer is generous, kind and powerful. I wonder, do you have a collection of all the things you've learnt from the sessions. A little book might be in order.. "Lessons from..."