This past week I was sharing with a colleague about my coaching practice and how interesting it is to me as I get to know people in a deeper way, I am seeing some commonalities emerge.
A surprising number of people I speak with have a “secret life project.”
The turn of phrase just popped out of my mouth. It delighted me. Like a mystery that had been uncovered.
A Secret Life Project…
Just the whole idea of having a secret life project is intriguing.
A secret life project is something that you want to see happen in your life that you haven’t told anybody — or very few people – about.
Secret life projects tend to be something you’ve “always” wanted to do but didn’t pursue because of some reason…
It wasn’t practical enough
You didn’t know where to begin
It sounded too fantastical
You didn’t think you could do it
You couldn’t make money at it
Fear of failure
Fear of success
You’re embarrassed to even tell anyone about it
It was just too crazy an idea to think could even be real.
The funny thing is, the only reason why you think it’s too crazy is because you want it so badly.
Which leads me to think of the well-known phrase…
If not now…. When?
By now, you may be well into your working or life years and you still want to do this “secret” thing.
Perhaps you have an invention you created and would like to see it become commercialized. Or perhaps you’ve always wanted to live on a farm but just don’t know how to make that happen.
Many of you secretly desire to write a book. Others are overwhelmed with passion for helping the third world or a downtrodden segment of society. Still others dream of opening a restaurant or a coffee shop or a yoga studio.
It is thrilling for me that people have such big dreams for themselves, and surprising how many stop short for the same reason: they think it’s just too crazy that something they want for themselves so badly could actually come true.
It’s a lack of belief in themselves.
Well-known author Elizabeth Gilbert writes in her book Big Magic about the topic of courage. “Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within you?” she writes. “And what’s more,” she continues, “having the courage to even go on the hunt in the first place, to uncover what you really want, takes great courage.”
About three years ago I went on a “big hunt” to uncover what I really wanted to do next. And to my surprise, I discovered that I had a deep-rooted desire to help others uncover their “secret life project.”
I wanted to help others uncover what would make them really happy, what would fulfill them, and then help them make it happen.
Here I am, three years later, living exactly that life and feeling fulfilled and content with that choice, every single day. Sure, the road isn’t always smooth. And yes, it took planning, financial creativity, and perseverance to make that happen. But the biggest thing it took was the courage to make a change and the courage to believe in myself that I could do it.
What’s stopping you from taking steps to realize your secret life project?
I’d love to hear about it. And if you think you’d like to dig deep and unbottle the courage that lies within you to start exploring that for yourself, contact me for a complimentary conversation to see what could be possible if we worked together.
What’s your secret life project? I’d love to hear all about it.
