Fear that it's all been done, before

The fear that it’s all been done before is really a fear that other people won’t like it.

In other words, it’s a fear of not having other people’s approval.

Examine Your Motivations

So why do you want to do your thing, anyway?

Why do you want to become a yoga teacher, or become a life coach, or write a novel, even though thousands (millions?) of other people have done this, before?

This is a serious inquiry. Are you doing it for recognition? Money? Or because you can’t NOT do it?

When I’m reviewing applications for the Courageous Living Coach Certification, one of the things that I’m looking for from our life coach trainees is a quality of “This is a calling.” If the sole reason for becoming a life coach is to have a home-based career, that’s all well and good, but that’s not the heart-based quality that I’m wanting to fill our program with.

Examine your motivations. Recognition and money are lovely. However, your longing to live fully in alignment with what matters to you, most, is like having a spiritual trust fund.

The currency never runs out.

It’s All Been Done Before…And…It Hasn’t

It’s all been done, before. And yet, it hasn’t. Every moment brings us a new world, and we need a new spin on old ideas that fit within the cultural zeitgeist of the moment.

In other words, every era needs a new band of heroines.

What we really need is more people who are committed to following their personal threads of inspiration, because that’s what it takes to create the stuff that’s unforgettable.

Musicians who sit down to noodle a tune are building on stanzas composed decades, ago, but then they hit on a new combination and it’s the song you can’t get out of your head.

It’s been said that every story is the same: someone is leaving town, or someone is just arriving, but we need more books that are un-put-down-able.

I’m always telling life coaches that there’s no way this market is saturated: our market is people who suffer and who don’t want to stay stuck in the suffering and who don’t want to be alone in the suffering. The world needs as many people interested in helping with those problems, as we can get.

The fear that it’s all been done before can be answered with this simple response: “Fear, you’re actually totally right. It has all been done before, kinda-sorta. But it hasn’t been done by you and me. I’m interested in rocking this in our unique way, not because anyone’s going to give us an award but because it’s what calls to us. Let’s do this, together.”

Your fear that it’s all been done before isn’t coming up because you shouldn’t do it. It’s coming up as the call to inquire deeply about your motivations and see if they’re ego-driven or if they’re genuine.

If they’re genuine, then your contribution is more valuable than gold.

You–we need you. You make the world a better place. Thank you for the generosity that propels you to give of yourself, in service to that.