Place yourself in an environment that supports your developing sense of self

Crossing over from one thing to another tricky proposition. 

When you try your hand at a new medium of expression, a new job title, a new career, or a new identity completely, there is always pushback. 

This resistance starts internally. Because to operate from a fuller sense of self, you have to let go of how you defined yourself in the past. You have to mourn the death of who you have known yourself to be. And that takes real courage. 

But it is doable. In fact, the phrase try your hand is a perfect for initiating this transition on a low threat scale. Trying your hand means to do an activity for the first time in order to find out whether it interests you, or whether you’re good at it. 

It’s an attempt. It’s a taste. An experiment that might not work. 

And if it doesn’t, so be it. It was worth it a shot. 

But if it does work, if you find a new vein to bleed from, and it fuels you to achieve fuller and farther vision of what you want to be, then you don’t ever have to look back. 

Of course, that’s when the external resistance comes full force. Because it usually takes a little while for people to accept you in that different context. 

Like the successful actress who decides to try her hand at a music career. The public thinks to themselves, oh good lord, it’s not enough for her be famous on the screen, now she wants to drop an album too? Just another egotistical performer fighting to feel relevant again, scared to death that she doesn’t matter. 

Yeah, or, maybe she just likes to sing. Maybe there’s a part of her heart that has not yet had room to express itself on screen. For all we know, music was her first love since age ten and she only acted in movies to pay the bills and bankroll her more meaningful creative projects. 

Crossing over creatively always invites resistance. First within and then without. 

And that’s the point. Change is scary and complicated and that natural response is to preserve the status quo. But if you want to try your hand at something, first you have to give yourself permission to leave behind everyone else’s definitions. Or else you will drown in them. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Are you limiting yourself just because people won’t accept the fact that you can do something else?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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