Just Take the Plunge

So, I took my own plunge.

Motivated by my daily “plunges” into the Gulf of Oman –one of the few places to exercise during lockdown in the intense summer heat here in the Middle East – and inspired after recently completing Shirzad Chamine's 7-week intensive Positive Intelligence program, I took a plunge at making a marketing video. https://vimeo.com/435482316

Or, I should say, I attempted to make a marketing video.

This period of COVID-19 is an interesting time when you’re a solo entrepreneur and also living solo, “staying inside” (with new positive cases escalating around me) without colleagues or a team to bounce things off and get help in areas I know little about.

Isolation prevents new perspectives.

Such as the mechanics of making and editing a marketing video to show what differentiates me from other leadership coaches.

After weeks and weeks of not getting answers from various photographers and videographers to whom I was referred, I decided to give it a try on my own.

Got time during lockdown? Learn a new skill.

I just learned new skills – PQ reps -- to de-activate the part of my brain that wants to stop me from doing something audacious. So I did couple PQ reps to get my right brain ready for boldness and action. To quiet my inner judge and self-critic.

I spent time online researching the differences between Vimeo and YouTube. That was after spending hours with Movavi that a colleague swears by, but I found difficult to learn and navigate.

So I went back to my “comfort zone” so I could build upon my current knowledge, skills, and strengths. Zoom.

Since March – like the rest of the world – I have conducted my 1:1 and group coaching sessions online using Zoom. I have taken webinars to learn some of their “bells and whistles” to make the group sessions more engaging and interactive and easier to manage.

I wrote up my script. Read through it a few times. Tweaked it more. Ran through it a few more times. Did some more PQ reps to get me focused, centered, and keep that nasty self-critic “Judge” at bay. Then did a couple practice sessions on Zoom; reading and trying to get “just the right light and angle” moving around to “various settings” inside my home office.

Hit record. View. Verdict? Nope! Erase.

Repeat!

After more “practice takes” (following more PQ reps) with a script to get to the point I felt comfortable speaking extemporaneously in one long take --because I couldn’t figure out how to edit “eyes looking down” – I loaded it into Vimeo.

Then waited. (Did more PQ reps as I felt anxious waiting for the results.)

Voila! It even came with music! (Not sure if Vimeo did this on its own or I accidently clicked on a button!)

So, it is not perfect. There are a few words that miss the mark and intended meaning.

And it is too long. (Took me approximately 6 hours from researching the programs to producing this almost 4-minute video.) But my target audience of leaders do not have 4 minutes to discover I am the coach they have been looking for! 😊

Then I sent it around to various colleagues for feedback.

Now equipped with new data points for re-consideration and supportive feedback to keep me focused on my desired goal.

I realized how this whole process mimics leadership coaching:

Reach out. Starting point is comfort zone. Take a plunge. Learn some PQ reps. Build upon new knowledge and insight. Discover something new. Learn from mistakes. More PQ reps. Get some feedback. Gain a new perspective. Get support. More PQ reps. Take action. (Bold action!) Move beyond comfort zone. Repeat. Repeat. (And not necessarily in that order.)

The process of going from ‘good to great’ is a journey that begins with that first step in vulnerability, trust, and laser-focus action. Join me in doing PQ reps. Together we can convert those coaching insights into long-lasting new habits.