t-shirts, shoes and umbrellas...

All week I’ve been working on a post about being stuck and I’ve been stuck.  No, the irony of this is not lost on me, after all, I do have an English degree.  I like to think having cracked the irony code here will make paying my student loan this month less painful, but I doubt it.  Anyway, I’m still stuck on that one so you’ll have to keep checking back to see when and if I get unstuck. 

Instead I’m going to write about my experience today with a challenge I’ve set for myself not to spend any money for the next 48 hours.  I read a few posts about this idea of choosing a certain number of days in a month to not spend money on anything (except your mortgage or other bills that would leave you homeless, powerless, phoneless, insuranceless (no, that’s not a real word) …you get the picture). The idea is to show yourself how much money you actually do spend on that cup of coffee or that lunch out so you become more aware of your discretionary spending and the benefit is you end up saving money in the process.  I don’t think of myself as a spender but lately, working part time while launching my business, I’ve had more than a couple anxious moments wondering if the money stuff would work out so I decided to give it shot.  This would be a piece of cake, except for that 32 oz soda I get at the mall part way through my shifts, I honestly couldn’t think of much spending I did that didn’t involve Great Lakes, my insurance company, AT & T, or the gas station.  Or so I thought.  By 7:05 AM (I woke up at 5:00 this morning) I had already caught myself designing a t-shirt on Vista Prints and planning a shopping trip to one of my favorite shoes stores.  I emptied my virtual cart and put my 20% coupon away.  OK, so maybe I spend a little.  By 10:05 (I clocked into work at 9:58) I spotted a ridiculously cute umbrella we just got in for our spring collection that I had to have.  I stepped away from the umbrellas, even though they had cute little cherries on them.  OK, maybe I spend more than I think I do but I haven’t used credit in months so at least I’m not racking up debt.  Finally, I broke.  I had to get two double lace tanks (if you know Coldwater Creek, you know why, LOVE them!!) We haven’t had the new pink or white in XS and we got them in today.  I grabbed them and threw them in the hold closet to purchase when my shift was over without even trying to talk myself out of it.  Instead, I went into rationalizing mode.  I had a couple of returns in my car that I needed to take to a different store after work and I figured after my purchase and after the returns, I would still be .02 ahead for the day.  Done.

 

So what have I learned here that I can apply to my business?  I think the biggest realization I had today is that I’m not always mindful of my present and my actions (I’m planning to get my yoga instructor certification so I get that this is ironic too…) and when I’m not mindful of my present actions, I am reactive, not proactive.  I was ordering the shirt because my son the jr ninja wants to help with classes and yesterday he asked me if I could order him a small t-shirt and I was planning the shoe shopping trip because I got a coupon in the mail.  The umbrella was just ridiculously cute.  Any way you look at it, I was reacting to these situations, not strategically planning.  I’m finding that in my business, I’m spending a lot of time reacting to things that pop up and I’m not spending as much time being proactive.  I’m not running my launch, it’s running me.  I’m not sure what I’m going to do with this new insight except maybe be mindful of what I’m actually doing.  I feel like I’m busy all day and not getting anywhere so I’m guessing there are a few t-shirts, a shoe coupon or two and a handful of ridiculously cute umbrellas in my workday. 

So tomorrow, I’m going to not spend anything (I have nothing to return so I’ll have to get really creative if I take another trip to Rationalvania).  Oh, and I’m going to mindful of where I’m spending my work time too. 

Ninjaing is hard work…

 

Last Wednesday I taught my first official Cardio Kung Fu class through the Minneapolis Parks and Rec program and it was (imagine I’m saying this next word in a sing-songy high voice) AWE-SOME!!  I felt prepared, my aspiring ninjas were engaged and we rocked!  On the drive home as I was going over the class in my mind, it occurred to me that there wasn’t anything I wished I had done or said differently.  For me, that is huge.  Usually after being in front of group, even if I feel I did well, there is always something that I can point to that I wish I had done differently.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the class was perfect or that I don’t have room to improve as a fitness instructor, there just wasn’t anything I could point to that I would have changed. 

Having had a few days to think about this, I’ve come to the conclusion that in this area, I’m just not plagued with the doubt that I’m usually plagued with in a lot of situations and I think it’s because leading that class just felt, well, for lack of better, less touchy-feely word, natural.  I was truly in my zone.  Not to get too philosophical on you (because I’m less about philosophy and more about sarcasm) but I really feel like I’ve finally discovered my calling, I’ve found my purpose.  Much of what I’ve learned in my life has led me here, to this place.  I’ve attempted other business ideas at different points in time and never have the doors been opening for me the way they are with Cardio Kung Fu.  It’s the timing, I’m sure of it.  I had to get to this point in my life to build this business and I’m firmly convinced that I’m on the right path.  (Another reason I’m sure I’m the right path is that when I get comments from people I know and love that I’m crazy for doing this or that I shouldn’t take risks, those comments haven’t shaken my confidence and my belief in my business or myself but I’ll write more about that at a later date.) 

Leading up to my first class I was doing the workout daily so I’d be prepared.  The day of class, I did the workout twice, once before and once leading the class.  It was not at all shocking to me that I woke up Thursday morning with the sore muscles that come from a good training session and I wouldn’t have traded that soreness because I walked into class on Wednesday prepared and ready to lead.  So sometimes ninjaing is hard work, but really, aren’t most things worth doing?