From Plans to Pants

Ever since I was a kid I liked to have a plan. It didn’t have to be incredibly detailed, but some sort of roadmap for where things were going.

Now, I won’t say I don’t enjoy a good laid plan every now and then because I do. However, the phrase “flying by the seat of my pants” is a turn of phrase I find myself using quite a bit. 

So when I say, “I don’t know what I’m doing,” I mean it.

Am I Really Doing This?

I started DSM Story Forge because I wanted to help people share and tell their stories, including my own. Right now, that seems to be through the medium of my writing. Down the road, well, I would like to expand that by quite a bit.

All I knew when I got started, though, was exactly what I just told you.

I had already started freelance writing and I needed to set up my business because I knew I wanted to write more down the line. But I also dreamed of being able to branch out into any number of ways to tell stories.

Do you know how to get started doing something like that, though? No? Me either!

I don’t know how to do visual storytelling. I am terrible at promoting myself and my business. I have spent hours trying to figure out the best way to start a successful podcast. 

The Most Important Question to Ask Yourself

I have asked myself, “WTF am I doing?” so many times.

But, I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

Flying by the seat of your pants can be a good thing. You simply need to have the people and tools in your life that can direct your flight path and patch up your pants.

I’m losing the analogy a bit, but you get it.

Do Not Fear

Don’t be afraid to do the thing.

Are you thinking of talking to your boss about a raise or a promotion but don’t know how? Dive right in. Thinking of starting to draw again but terrified of sucking at it? Do it anyway. Have you wanted to learn how to repair bikes but don’t know where to get started? Just start.

Don’t get too stressed out about doing it right.

You may not handle everything correctly while talking to your boss, but you will have learned something new and gained some confidence for future conversations. Maybe you do suck at drawing, but you will only get better by practicing. There is a chance you may make the bike worse, but you will learn valuable lessons about what NOT to do in the future.

Just start doing it in any way possible and it will happen.

Inspiration and Encouragement

You will make it happen.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” can be some of the most freeing words you will ever say. It recognizes that you don’t have it all figured out, you have more to learn, and you know you need some help or guidance.

The next step is to start working towards doing the thing.

So cut yourself some slack, get started, and get help along the way!