You Never Know

You Never Know
Helaine Iris
© 2003

“Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is.” Will Rogers

I was following my usual morning routine. Wake up, brush my teeth and sleepily stumble down the stairs to my office to check my email. I often wake up looking forward to the day and excited to see what has transpired in my world while I was asleep.

Sitting at my desk scanning through my typically loaded inbox, my eye came across an email from “O, The Oprah Magazine”. Oprah? I thought, “no way.” My first reaction was to assume it was spam, heaven knows I get enough of it. Reading further, I realized it was a good thing I didn’t hit the delete key.

Apparently, one of their feature editors came across a recent article of mine. She was requesting if “O” could publish it in the December issue of the South Africa edition. I was stunned!

It took me a minute to realize the email was for real then the reality began to sink in. I felt an enormous wave of excitement begin to build. Me published in Oprah? Wow.

I immediately picked up the phone to call a friend to share my excitement. After sharing a few wahoo’s together she reminded me of something about myself I’d completely forgotten. A mere eighteen months ago I thought I couldn’t write.

I was looking for a way to build my business and my coach suggested writing and publishing articles. I bristled at the suggestion. “I am NOT a writer” I retorted,” in fact, I hate to write”. English was definitely NOT my strong subject. I can vividly remember agonizing over school reports. I remember once, years ago, I wrote a business letter and my husband asked me if English was my first language.

Now here I was sitting with an invitation before me to be published in “O” Magazine. I thought about how far I’d come.

What possible incorrect assumptions do you make about yourself? What are the things you’re afraid to try because someone once said that you weren’t good at it?

Having the courage to try new things can feel risky, yet the rewards can be enormous. Here are some thoughts to consider that might uncover a diamond in your rough.

1. Make a list of all the things you think you can’t do or someone told you you weren’t good at. Most people can find this easily in the artistic realm. How many people are told in grade school that they can’t draw or sing?

2. Ask yourself if it’s true that you aren’t good at whatever that might be or if you have simply “bought” someone else’s opinion.

3. Think about what would happen if you could do those things? Would this be joyful and open up new potentials in your life?

4. Take a deep breath. Experiment. Take a baby step and give one of these a try. What do you have to lose?

5. Then, seek unconditional support. Find someone in your life that will support your efforts no matter what and be an accepting and appreciating cheerleader.

What turned it around for me was the advice I got from my coach. She told me to forget about “writing” and to just tell my story. Write to one person and share what’s in your heart. Suddenly, the words began to flow. The positive feedback I then received encouraged me further and new worlds have opened up as a result.

Now I’m wondering about that second grade teacher that told me “girls don’t need to be good at math”.

I wonder…

It’s YOUR life…imagine the possibilities.