Sometimes it can take so long planning and waiting for an event, by the time the moment finally arrives we can feel more stressed or sometimes even disappointed than excited.
Your big moment might be getting married, getting engaged, going on a big trip overseas, having a baby or as it was in my case leaving your job.
I know I felt anxious, stressed and excited when I left my employer to go work for myself full time.
When I was getting ready to leave work to freelance from home, I wrote an email to my coach updating her on how things were progressing. It dawned on my while I emailing her, that I have been thinking about having the opportunity to write full time, for a very long time.
Now the moment was finally here, I was feeling a rush of mixed emotions. Whilst I was extremely excited and grateful, there were random moments where it struck me as all being a bit surreal. Not to mention terrifying.
Here are my tips on how to enjoy your big moment when it finally arrives.
Do a mental pinch yourself
I had to do this a couple of times when I getting ready to leave my full time job.
Out of habit, I was planning for a regular meeting at work. I’d been the administrator for this meeting for roughly four years. While I was working on preparation for one of the upcoming meetings, it suddenly dawned on me I won’t be working for the company then.
I had to remind myself of my new course of action. I also had to focus my mind on where I was right now so I could fully concentrate on the task at hand.
Thank the people who got you here
I appreciate that I would never have had the courage and determination to follow my passions and instincts if it had not been for the support and encouragement of my wonderful coach Linda Anderson at a2a Coaching.
When I first started working with Linda back in 2006, even the idea of trying to work full time as a writer was simply a figment of my imagination. Following your dreams and going after what you want – I thought that was for other people.
To get a better idea of why I enjoyed coaching so much and got so much out of it, have a look at two of my earlier posts on the Power of Coaching Part 1 and Part 2.
Coaching has changed my life for the better and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Be Proud of Yourself
Once I left work my mind was overflowing with tasks I needed to complete and plans that hadn’t quite come to fruition over the last couple of months. I realized I needed to ditch the constant mental tally of all of the things I hadn’t done yet and be proud of what I had achieved so far.
I was so busy focusing on my king size to do list, I didn’t realize just how much I had achieved and how far I had come.
I had shown a great deal of determination, tenacity and courage to get to that point.
Never forget how much you have already achieved.
Related post – Are You Proud of Yourself
Stay in the present
Before I left my job, one of the managers left the company and I found myself feeling rather nostalgic.
Long timers at the company were reminiscing about the ‘good old days’. While reminiscing can leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy, it can also have the nasty affect of leaving you wedged in the past.
A past where we commonly gloss over the bad parts and only remember the good ones, which is how the ‘good old days’ tend to take on a more rosier glow than is realistic.
It can be also be very easy to project too far ahead into the ‘when I become’ trap. When this happens, when that happens etc.
Whilst it is essential to have a plan of action to achieve your primary goals (particularly when a business is involved), it is also important to remember where you are right now and to embrace and take charge of your current situation.
Related post – Stop Looking Behind You
Accept you may need to adjust your attitude
Have you ever planned and saved for a long time to be able to take an overseas holiday? With all of that planning, sometimes we can have a set idea on how we think things are going to pan out.
Say you are going on holiday to France. You may have envisaged your first night in Paris for months before actually arriving there. What happens if reality doesn’t quite match the day dreamy images in your head? Sometimes we can be slightly disappointed, when what we really need is a small adjustment in our attitude.
I struggled with this situation when I first started working at home. I knew in my mind, the issue that was bothering me was insignificant, yet it formed a clash with the picture I had in my head of how things were going to pan out once I left work.
Instead of focusing on a small issue, focus on the big picture. You are where you wanted to be – now is the time to enjoy and make the most of it!
My brother reminded me of one of my favorite sayings, when he emailed to offer his support.
Carpe diem – Seize the Day.
Seize the day – not yesterday, not tomorrow but TODAY! Enjoy your big moment because it it finally here.
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Thea! I’m here on the outer edges of your support team grinning madly and feeling a distinct feeling of ownership, “I knew she could do it.” Proud me! YEA!!!!!!!!!
Hi Bec
So great to hear from you. Thanks for being part of my support team, I really appreciate it. Great to know you are grinning madly! I am smiling right back at you.
Cheers
Thea